Process for producing refined sugar directly from sugarcane
AssigneeInternational Food Processing Incorporated
InventorJean-Pierre Monclin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Refined sugar is produced directly from sugarcane without using conventional refining processes. Clarification of extracted cane juice is obtained either by ultra-centrifugation or ultra-filtration, and removal of certain compounds responsible for adverse color quality and viscosity is effected through a set of packed columns filled with an absorbent for these compounds. After evaporation and crystallization, refined cane sugar is produced.
Claims34
A process for producing refined sugar directly from sugarcane stalks in the absence of added chemical components comprising the following steps:
- (a) extracting cane juice from the sugarcane stalks;
- (b) heating the extracted cane juice;
- (c) raising the pH of the extracted cane juice;
- (d) ultra-clarifying the extracted cane juice to remove particulate matter and/or undissolved solids greater than from about 0.1 to 1.0 micron, wherein said ultraclarifying is performed by a process step selected from the group consisting of ultrafiltration, ultracentrifugation, and screening;
- (e) treating the ultra-clarified cane juice by contacting the ultra-clarified cane juice with an adsorbent resin, wherein said adsorbent resin is made at least in part from a macroporous copolymer of a monovinyl aromatic monomer and a crosslinking monomer, wherein the macroporous copolymer has been post-crosslinked in the swollen state in the presence of a Friedel-Crafts catalyst and functionalized with hydrophilic groups;
- (f) separating the treated cane juice from the adsorbent resin;
- (g) separating refined sugar from the treated cane juice;
- and
- (h) wherein, in steps (a) through (d), the cane juice includes particulate and colloidal matter from said sugarcane stalks and is maintained in a liquid condition.
A process for purifying extracted cane juice in the absence of added chemical components comprising the following steps:
- (a) ultra-clarifying the extracted cane juice to remove particulate matter and/or undissolved solids greater than from about 0.1 to 1.0 micron, wherein said ultraclarifying is performed by a process step selected from the group consisting of ultrafiltration, ultracentrifugation, and screening;
- and
- (b) treating the ultra-clarified cane juice by contacting the ultra-clarified cane juice with an adsorbent resin for a predetermined period of time, wherein said adsorbent resin is made at least in part from a macroporous copolymer of a monovinyl aromatic monomer and a crosslinking monomer, wherein the macroporous copolymer has been post-crosslinked in the swollen state in the presence of a Friedel-Crafts catalyst and functionalized with hydrophilic groups.
A process for purifying ultra-clarified cane juice in the absence of added chemical components with particulate matter and/or undissolved solids removed of greater than from about 0.1 to 1.0 micron, wherein said ultraclarifying is performed by a process step selected from the group consisting of ultrafiltration, ultracentrifugation, and screening, comprising the step of contacting the ultra-clarified cane juice with an adsorbent resin, wherein said adsorbent resin is made at least in part from a macroporous copolymer of a monovinyl aromatic monomer and a crosslinking monomer, where the macroporous copolymer has been post-crosslinked in the swollen state in the presence of a Friedel-Crafts catalyst and functionalized with hydrophilic groups and separating the treated cane juice from the adsorbent resin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.