The process of obtaining sugar. How sugar is made

How is sugar made?

Sugar is usually called products made in various ways and containing mainly sucrose. Let's look at how sugar is made.

Beet sugar

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The most common type of sugar is so-called beet sugar. It is made from sugar beet roots. The technology for processing sugar beets to produce sugar was first proposed in 1747, but sugar production began only in 1806. Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte ordered sugar production to be ramped up. To do this, he approved plots for the distribution of cutting sugar beets, and he also established bonuses for over-production. Napoleon introduced schools in factories that taught sugar manufacturing technology.

Production

Sugar extracted from sugar beets was cheaper than cane sugar. In order to extract sugar from sugar beets, they must first be washed and chopped. To extract juice with a high sucrose content, the diffusion method is used. The juice passes through special measuring cups and then enters kettles, where it is filtered to remove pulp. Next, the juice is heated to 60°C, after which it must undergo two stages of purification: using lime and using carbonic acid. The juice is also purified from these components, which are used to improve the nutritional properties of sugar juice. Next, simple evaporation is used, which will result in the formation of sugar crystals in the precipitate. The result is condensed juice, which is boiled in vacuum devices. The crystals are separated using centrifuges, and refrigeration can also be used.

Cane sugar

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Cane sugar has also become quite popular in the world. Cane sugar was the first of its kind and is still actively used in the food industry. Its origins lie in India, but in Europe and Egypt it also began to gain popularity at some point, and in Egypt the cultivation of sugar cane began in the 9th century AD. Sugar cane became most widespread during the Columbus era at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. It is worth noting that until the 19th century, sugar remained a luxury.

Today, cane sugar is used everywhere and is even more popular than beet sugar. Sugar cane can only grow in temperate climates with sufficient rainfall; sugar cane does not tolerate frost.

Production

To extract sugar from cane, the stalks must be cut into pieces. So they will represent the raw material for the extraction of cane sugar. At the processing plant, this raw material is crushed, and juice and water are extracted from the cane using diffusion. Next, purification occurs through heating and purification with slaked lime. After passing through several evaporators, the remaining syrup enters a vacuum container, where the remaining water evaporates, resulting in crystallization of the solution. Sugar is whitened using sulfur dioxide or carbonic acid.

The beets we are used to have a variety that is processed on an industrial scale. Today Russia occupies a leading position in the production of sugar from beets. How is the sugar beet product produced and can it be prepared at home?

From cane to beets

The history of obtaining sugar from plants goes back centuries. For a long time it was produced from sugar cane. In the middle of the 18th century, scientist A. Marggraff, during a study, discovered that the same sugar was contained in beets. The answer to the question of how much sugar is in beets has changed. At that time, its content in sugar beets did not exceed 1.3%. But breeders have developed varieties with 20 percent sugar in sugar beets.

The history of sugar beet processing in Russia began in the 19th century and continues to this day.

Industrial sugar production

Sugar beet processing and sugar production technology at the plant is a complex and fully automated process. It begins outside the walls of the plant, when the grown vegetables are collected and loaded into cars. Trucks bring raw materials and, after weighing, unload them into a special compartment. From here, the beets will go along a conveyor belt into the bowels of the plant, from which they will emerge in the form of several products: sugar, molasses, cake and fertilizer.

The next stage is cleaning the root crops from soil and tops. They are washed for a long time in special sinks, after which they are sent to the workshop for cutting. Here the unit turns the beets into smooth chips, after which they continue their journey - they move into the diffusion apparatus. This is an important stage of processing when, during the process of washing with water, beet chips saturate the water with sugar. The spent cake is gradually released from processing and sent to feed livestock. And the juice continues to be processed.

The process becomes more complicated. The task is to remove impurities from the juice that interfere with the crystallization of sugar. Milk of lime is added to the juice, which, after heating, precipitates unwanted impurities.

Next, the purified juice is evaporated to form sugar syrup. It is filtered and concentrated in special devices. But that's not all. The resulting granulated sugar is separated from the molasses in centrifuges. To make it white, it is washed and dried. The last stage is packaging. In the process of complex processing, the yield of sugar from one ton of root vegetables is 100-150 kg.

When buying sugar in a store, pay attention to what, by whom and when it was made. All information must be on the label. You should refuse to purchase if genetically modified beets were used in production. Buyers may be wary of sulfur dioxide, but any sugar production is essential.

Home production

You can independently obtain a natural product without harmful impurities. Let's look at how to make sugar syrup at home.

Cook the washed root vegetables for an hour in an enamel bowl, maintaining a boiling temperature. After cooling, peel and cut into thin strips. We wrap the chopped root vegetables in gauze and place them under a press to squeeze out the juice. We take the cake out from under the press and fill it with hot water in a ratio of one to two. Let it sit for half an hour, filter the liquid and add the previously squeezed juice to it. We heat it to 70-80 degrees, after which we begin to evaporate. Evaporation should result in sugar syrup.

You can get thick beet syrup in another way, but this requires an autoclave or a boiler with a grate at the bottom. First, boil the beets in the same way and peel them. Next, to steam, place it in an autoclave for an hour. Chop soft root vegetables and press twice. The juice obtained in the process of two pressings is evaporated.

Beetroot syrup can be used to make jam and baked goods. It is better to store it in sealed jars in a dark and cool place.

By making beetroot syrup at home, you will be confident in its composition.

Many modern people are accustomed to drinking sweet tea and adding sweets to cakes, pastries, and cereals. At the same time, some people think about how to make sugar, what is needed for this and how difficult it is. How is sugar made from beets and cane? When producing this product on an industrial scale, you cannot do without complex equipment, but at home everything can be done much easier. But such a process is undoubtedly very labor-intensive. Few people produce sugar on their own when it can be bought in a store. However, it's still worth a try. It is better to choose beets as a raw material, since cane is more expensive and difficult to prepare for extracting the necessary substances at home. Previously, special devices were used for these purposes, with the help of which it was possible to knead the raw materials by passing the stems between the rollers. Cane is also less available than sugar beets.

How is sugar made from beets? Experts assure that there are several ways to produce a high-quality product. The simplest of them is drying. Sugar beets must be washed, cut into thin circles and placed in a clay pot or cast iron, then add a little water and put in the oven to simmer at a temperature of about 90 degrees for 40 minutes. The vegetable should become soft, but not boiled. In the old days, housewives simmered beets in a Russian oven. Next, you need to remove the circles from the pot and place them on a baking sheet. Beets need to be dried at a temperature of about 50 degrees. This process can take quite a long time. You can speed it up by drying the raw materials in a special electric dryer. This device provides forced ventilation. Its use allows you to save not only time, but also energy, which is very important for most families.

Dried rounds can be ground into flour and added to various dishes. If you need to sweeten your tea, it is permissible to dip whole pieces of beets into the drink. The above method of preparing sugar is very popular among fans of natural food. How is sugar made from beets and beet syrup? It turns out that this is also possible at home. First, you need to wash the vegetables and put them in a deep saucepan and add water. It is recommended to boil the beets for an hour, then drain the water, cool the semi-finished product, peel it and cut it into thin strips, then squeeze out the juice. To do this, you can use gauze or a special press. The collected liquid must be poured into a saucepan and evaporated over low heat. If done correctly, the consistency of the syrup should resemble molasses. To store sugar for future use, you need to evaporate the syrup thoroughly so that it does not ferment during long-term storage.

How is sugar made from beets without pre-cooking? To do this, you need to peel the root vegetables, cut them into thin strips, place them in a saucepan, pour boiling water over them, cover with a lid and let it brew for an hour. Only after this will it be possible to drain the water, squeeze the juice out of the beets and begin evaporation. After the syrup becomes viscous and thick, you can pour it into jars or make real sugar from it. To do this, the product must be sharply cooled so that the crystallization process occurs. For these purposes, it is best to use special metal forms with partitions. The syrup needs to be poured into the cells of the molds, and then put in a cool place. After crystallization, the sugar should be knocked out and stored in pieces or ground. For these purposes, you can use a coffee grinder or mortar. Some housewives prefer to make lump sugar and crush it immediately before use.

How do you make sugar from beets using special equipment? If you want or need to produce sugar yourself regularly, it is best to purchase a special tank with a grate. This will help save time and your own efforts. Such tanks are also equipped with taps at the bottom of the tank. The grill is necessary to ensure that the beets do not come into contact with the bottom of the pan. Preparing syrup in such vats is very simple. You need to pour some water on the bottom. The liquid should reach the level of the grate. Plant materials should be placed on a sieve and steamed for the required time. Next, you need to drain the liquid by opening the tap, pass the beets through the press and pour the juice into the tank. Evaporating liquid in such a large pan is very convenient. At the end of the process, you can drain the syrup through the tap directly into metal molds or special jars. Molds should only be used if crystallization is required.

Homemade beet sugar has certain disadvantages. In this case, there is no refining process and the product is obtained with a specific smell. Not everyone likes it when sugar smells like beets. It is quite difficult to get rid of such an aroma, but you can muffle it by adding a little citric acid to the syrup. Some housewives prefer to pass the liquid through a carbon filter, and only then begin evaporation. Carbon cleaners are commercially available. If you plan to make sugar regularly, it makes sense to purchase a filter or make one yourself. The refining process is quite complex and it is simply impossible to do it at home. That is why homemade sugar differs from industrially produced sugar not only in smell, but also in its rather dark shade.

There are many sweet tooths in the world, and a product such as sugar is almost indispensable in the preparation of various cakes, pastries, cookies and candies. Many craftsmen try to make all the necessary ingredients at home to be sure of the naturalness of the product. You can also make your own sugar at home.

What is sugar?

Sugar is a food product that is obtained from special varieties of cane or beets. It is used in all industries related to the production of dessert treats. Sugar is also used as a preservative and additive in the preparation of semi-finished products and various products.

Despite a number of beneficial properties, excessive consumption of this product can lead to illness. One of these is diabetes. Making sugar is a labor-intensive process and is carried out mainly in large enterprises, but craftsmen make a small amount of homemade product.

Sugar industry

To produce the product in industrial conditions, varieties are used. It is usually purchased from farmers in the fall, when it reaches the peak of maturity and has acquired enough essential microelements. Before starting the process, the raw materials are examined and the amount of sucrose contained is measured.

Next, the beets are washed and cut into small pieces in special machines. To extract sugar from the product, the cut pieces are passed through water at a temperature of 70 degrees. The resulting solution is purified and evaporated, resulting in molasses. It, in turn, is crystallized in a special apparatus and transferred to a centrifuge, where the grains are separated from the remains of the thick syrup.

The output is wet sugar, which still needs to be dried. Next, it is packed into bags and sent to a warehouse.

Raw materials

To make homemade sugar, you need to prepare raw materials. In the regions of Russia and European countries it is easiest to obtain. When purchasing, you need to inspect the root crop, it must be clean, without rot or deep damage. The beets are cleaned from the apical residual leaves and washed thoroughly.

In warm tropical countries, sugar is as common a product as in Russia and Europe. It is obtained from cane, which is also grown on an industrial scale.

Cooking at home

In its usual state, sugar is sand or refined cubes. A sweet product can obtain such a structure only in industrial conditions, when the crystallization process takes place in special machines. Homemade sugar most closely resembles molasses or thick syrup. It can be added to tea or when making any confectionery product.

For the process you need to prepare two enamel pans, several pieces of gauze and a press. As the latter, you can use any container into which you can collect water for weight.

First way

The washed and peeled beets are placed in a pan of boiling water. The root vegetable needs to be cooked for about 1 hour. After this period, the water is drained and the beets are allowed to cool. After which the peel is thinly removed and all the pulp is finely chopped. The finished product is placed in a gauze cloth, folded several times, and placed in a container under a press. The resulting juice is poured into a separate container.

After some time, the remaining cake is again placed in the pan and filled with water. The volume of liquid should be half the volume of beets. The water must be heated. Infuse the grated root vegetable this way for 45 minutes, then place it in a colander over a container where the juice is collected.

Place the beets again in gauze and place under the press. The newly separated liquid is mixed with that already obtained and filtered. Next, as in large production, it is necessary to evaporate excess moisture. To do this, place the pan with the juice on the fire and evaporate to a thick syrup. This homemade sugar recipe is the most common and simple.

Second way

The beets must be washed and the outer skin removed. Next, the fruits are placed in a pressure cooker. There, the root crop should simmer under a pressure of 1.5 atmospheres for about 60-80 minutes. After the beets have cooled, they must be chopped and placed in a gauze cloth under a press.

As a result, the resulting liquid is filtered and put to evaporation. The process continues until the liquid acquires the consistency of honey. This sugar can be poured into sterilized jars and stored for the winter. It is used like a regular product, adding it to teas and various foods when cooking.

Properties

Sugar is the so-called sucrose, which is found in many vegetables and fruits. In small doses, this product has a beneficial effect on the human body, stimulating blood circulation in the brain and spinal cord. But do not forget that excessive consumption of sweets such as cakes, candies, chocolate and the like can lead to diseases.

A little-known fact is that such a familiar product in our everyday lives as sugar has a thousand-year history. The inventors of the sweet white powder were Indians, who made it from sugar cane. Our ancestors found a product suitable for this in their latitudes - beets. Industrial sugar production is a complex process, and few people know how to make homemade sugar. In fact, it is quite simple and anyone can do it.

How to make sugar at home?

To do this you will need:

Beet tubers;
- plate;
- pot.

Of course, every housewife has this in her kitchen.

Here's what you need to do:

1) Peel the beets from the roots and rinse thoroughly. Do not remove the skin.

2) Boil the beets. Place clean tubers in a saucepan with boiling water, gradually increasing the heat. Boiling should continue for an hour. After this, the beet tubers are taken out, cooled and the skins are peeled.

3) Grind the beets. Peeled beets must be thoroughly chopped.

4) Get juice. The chopped vegetable should be placed in a bag and placed under a press. The juice is collected in a separate container.

How to get concentrated beet juice?

After pressing, the beets need to be squeezed out and put back in the pan, add water and boil for another half hour;
- then strain again and pour the liquid into the first container and squeeze again;
- All the resulting liquid must be heated and filtered.

How to get molasses?

1) It is necessary to evaporate the syrup over a fire until it reaches a consistency similar to molasses. It turns out about a kilogram of syrup with 5 kg of tubers.

2) Freeze the molasses and cut it into pieces. This molasses can easily replace sugar.

What can be made from sugar?

You can add homemade sugar to tea;
- use for baking;
- add to compote.

If you want to get the usual crumbly sugar, then it is prepared by crystallizing molasses.

How to make sand from syrup?

The syrup contains approximately 70% dry matter. The syrup is best crystallized in the cold.

1) Place the syrup in the freezer.

2) After this, you need to grind it to the desired consistency, and you will get the desired sugar.

Of course, homemade sugar will be significantly different from the one you are used to seeing in the store, but it is in no way inferior in taste. Now you know how to make sugar at home!

You can see more details about how sugar is made in this video: