Treatment of crude sugar juices by ion exchange

In a process for treating a crude sugar juice slurry containing potassium ions and large particulate matter in which the crude sugar juice slurry is first filtered to remove said large particulate matter and then treated by passing the filtered slurry through an ion-exchange zone comprising a mixed bed of cationic and anionic ion exchange resins charged with calcium and hydroxyl ions to exchange said potassium ions for calcium ions and thereby forming calcium precipitates within the treated sugar juice slurry, the improvement in constraining the ion exchange resins within said ion exchange zone while allowing the calcium precipitates to pass therethrough without plugging comprising maintaining a fluidized bed of constraining beads having a density less than water above and in direct communication with said ion-exchange resins, and wherein the size of said constraining beads being selected so as to permit passage of said calcium precipitates while rejecting passage and said ion-exchange resins.