Home Page
   Articles
       links
About Us    
Traders        
Recipes            
Latest Articles
Sugar from sugar beet

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Downsizer Forum Index -> Make Your Own/DIY
Author 
 Message
Blue Peter



Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 2400
Location: Milton Keynes
PostPosted: Tue Sep 06, 05 11:25 am    Post subject: Sugar from sugar beet Reply with quote
    

As part of the downsizer - powerswitch relationship (?), someone has asked a question about the craft/traditional production of sugar from sugar beet (https://www.powerswitch.org.uk/forum/about577.html).

They detail the industrial process, but presumably in times past there was a more small-scale approach to producing sugar?


Peter.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
PostPosted: Tue Sep 06, 05 11:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I did have some basic details and I think this may have been discussed before. I think we'll try growing some next year with the aim of using the juice to add to wines and other fermenting drinks in place of sugar. Cab has mentioned and I've also seen recipes that only ferment the sugar beat juice, so adding it to other ingredients should give a good result.

If they grow well I may have a go at making sugar. Isn't it the refining that take all the trouble and I assume you can do without most of that?

Time for a Downsizer challenge?

Blue Peter



Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 2400
Location: Milton Keynes
PostPosted: Tue Sep 06, 05 11:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Treacodactyl wrote:
I did have some basic details and I think this may have been discussed before. I think we'll try growing some next year with the aim of using the juice to add to wines and other fermenting drinks in place of sugar. Cab has mentioned and I've also seen recipes that only ferment the sugar beat juice, so adding it to other ingredients should give a good result.

If they grow well I may have a go at making sugar. Isn't it the refining that take all the trouble and I assume you can do without most of that?

Time for a Downsizer challenge?


We did, thee and me. However, in this case, the aim isn't for juice for wine-making, but sugar (or syrup) for jam-making. The industrial process seemed to use lime for refining. I'm not sure what this does. And there was an awful lot of water to get rid of (I think that at some stage they had a 2% sugar solution). Did we establish that you could press the juice out and get a 15 - 20% solution?

What exactly (or even roughly) does refining do? I don't think that we need worry too much about impurities, just as long as they're not going to kill us.


I might be interested in having a go next year as well.


Peter.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
PostPosted: Tue Sep 06, 05 11:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Something to be looked into I think. The juice should be about 18% sugar but would a commercial process use extra water to wash out all the sugar, hence the 2%?

Doesn't the lime just combine with the impurities and settle out? As you can eat beats, well animals do, then I wouldn't think anything is in there that could harm you.

The main problem may be evaporation.

Blue Peter



Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 2400
Location: Milton Keynes
PostPosted: Tue Sep 06, 05 11:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Treacodactyl wrote:
Something to be looked into I think. The juice should be about 18% sugar but would a commercial process use extra water to wash out all the sugar, hence the 2%?

Doesn't the lime just combine with the impurities and settle out? As you can eat beats, well animals do, then I wouldn't think anything is in there that could harm you.

The main problem may be evaporation.


Yes, they use water at 70 C to wash out the sugar (gets all but 0.2%? in an hour). And yes, the lime combines with impurities and settles out (and they pump in CO2 to get rid of excess lime). What are these impurities? Are they the things which you get in brown sugar (maybe not because the industrial process produces molasses as a side-product)?


Peter.

Post new topic   Reply to topic    Downsizer Forum Index -> Make Your Own/DIY All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1
View Latest Posts View Latest Posts

 

Archive
Powered by php-BB © 2001, 2005 php-BB Group
Style by marsjupiter.com, released under GNU (GNU/GPL) license.
Copyright © 2004 marsjupiter.com