Method of increasing sugar extraction efficiency from sugar-containing plant tissue with use of carbon dioxide

A method of increasing the efficiency of sucrose extraction from plant tissue derived from the group consisting of sugarbeets, sugar cane, sugar sorghum and mixtures thereof comprising contacting the plant tissue near the juice end of a diffusion process with diffusion water in the presence of an amount of carbon dioxide gas effective to increase the efficiency of sucrose extraction from the plant tissue, said carbon dioxide being added directly to the diffusion water.

A method of extracting sugar from sugar-containing plant-tissue comprising contacting sugar-containing plant tissue near the juice end of a diffusion process with diffusion water in the presence of an amount of an agent selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide gas, dissolved carbon dioxide, materials which are acted upon in the diffusion water to produce the same moities, ligands or ions produced when carbon dioxide is bubbled into the diffusion water, and mixtures thereof, effective to increase the efficiency of sugar extraction from the plant tissue.

A method of inhibiting extraction of water soluble impurities from sugar-containing plant tissue in a sugar diffusion process, comprising contacting sugar-containing plant tissue near the juice end of a diffusion process with diffusion water in the presence of an amount of carbon dioxide effective to inhibit the extraction during the diffusion process of water soluble impurities from the plant tissue.