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Sugar is produced from sugar cane or sugar beet through cultivation, harvesting, and processing. The sugar-making process varies depending on the type of sugar produced. Sugarcane takes up to twelve months to mature and is harvested by hand or machine. The sugar cane is cleaned, ground, and boiled to extract the juice, which is then filtered, purified, and crystallized into raw sugar. Raw sugar is sent to a sugar mill for refining into granulated sugar. The process for sugar beet is similar.
The sugar production process is done through the cultivation, harvesting and processing of sugar cane. Sugar beet can also be used in the sugar refining process. The actual sugar-making process will vary depending on the type of sugar produced: granulated, liquid, brown, or invert sugar.
Most of the sugar comes from sugar cane, a tall tropical grass. Considered a perennial herb, sugarcane can be planted by hand or machine and should be grown in well-drained soil. Sugarcane typically takes up to twelve months to mature enough for harvest. Sugar beets, a secondary source of sugar, are root crops that require a similar growth period before being harvested.
Sugarcane harvesting can also be completed by hand or by machine. The harvested sugarcane crops are transported to sugar mills where the mechanical part of the sugar making process begins. Sugarcane stems are usually cleaned of any organic matter, such as dirt or insects, then washed to make them as sanitized as possible before being physically changed. This cleaning process is usually done with the aid of a machine, such as a high pressure water jet, and combing drums that sift through larger objects, such as rocks.
Once cleaned and ready, the sugar cane is ground to extract the juice. The juice is then both filtered and purified before being boiled. As the juice thickens, it crystallizes, becoming raw sugar. The raw sugar is then rapidly spun in a centrifuge, or spin chamber, so that all juice and moisture are completely removed.
After the raw sugar is created, the sugar manufacturing process continues by sending the product to the next finishing stage. If the product is sold as raw sugar, it can be packaged and sent to grocery stores and retail outlets. If it’s going to be processed into refined sugar, it will be sent to a sugar mill.
In a refinery, the raw sugar will be cleaned and drained once more. The refining stage of the sugar making process will then remove any color and non-sugar particles left within the product, resulting in the crystalline white granules that many people sprinkle on top of their morning cereal. The process for making sugar used with sugar beet roots is similar to that used for sugar cane and involves cutting the beats into strips before grinding them to make the juice. The production of other sugary products, such as Indian gur or khandsari, is also similar to that used for granulated sugar.
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