Noncentrifugal sugar composition and a process for the preparation of a sugar product

• US 5,989,351 A
• Filed: 07/31/1997
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsui Sugar Company Limited (Mitsui DM Sugar Holdings Company Limited), Riken Vinyl Industry Co., Ltd., The Kumphawapi Sugar Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Mitsui Sugar Company Limited (Mitsui DM Sugar Holdings Company Limited), The Kumphawapi Sugar Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamada, Kozo, Ebashi, Tadashi, Kodomari, Masaaki, Sugitani, Toshiaki, Mizutani, Takeo
• Primary Examiner(s): BRUNSMAN, DAVID M
• Application Number:
  US08/903,760
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 127/30, 127/55, 127/61
• US Class Current: 127/55
• CPC Class Codes: C13B 30/02 Crystallisation; Crystallising apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C13B 50/00 Sugar products, e.g. powdered, lump or liquid sugar; Working-up of sugar C13B40/00, C13B45/00 take precedence; confectionery A23G3/00

Abstract

The present invention provides a process for the preparation of a noncentrifugal sugar composition. The process comprises the following steps: cane juice is filtered; a pH of the juice is adjusted to 5.0-6.0; sucrose or liquid sucrose or both is added to adjust a purity of the mixture to a range of 87.0 to 95.1% by weight; the mixture is heated and evaporated; and then the mixture is cooled to solidify with a strong shearing force being applied to obtain granules.

Claims

1. A process for the preparation of a noncentrifugal sugar composition, characterized in that the process comprises the following steps:

cane juice is filtered;

a pH of the juice is adjusted to 5.0-6.0;

sucrose or liquid sucrose or both is added to adjust a purity of the mixture to a range of 87.0 to 95.1% by weight;

the mixture is heated and evaporated; and

then the mixture is cooled to solidify with a strong shearing force being applied to obtain granules.

2. A process for the preparation of granule-formed sugar which comprises a step of preparing sugar syrup, a step of heating and evaporating the sugar syrup, a step of crystallizing the sugar syrup to obtain sugar and a step of drying, cooling and conditioning the sugar, characterized in that

a purity of the sugar syrup obtained from the step of preparing sugar syrup is adjusted to a range of 87.0 to 95.1% by weight before the step of heating and evaporating the sugar syrup,

the crystallization of the sugar syrup is carried out with a strong shearing force being applied to obtain granule-formed sugar, and

the step of drying, cooling and conditioning the sugar is carried out in a way where the granule-formed sugar obtained from the step of crystallization is fed and dried in a hopper through the bottom of which dry air is blown in.

3. The process for the preparation of the granule-formed sugar claimed in claim 2, wherein the sugar syrup before the step of heating and evaporation is one which is obtained by filtering cane juice through an ultrafilter membrane with a fractionating molecular weight of 30,000 to 150,000, and by adding sucrose or liquid sucrose or both to adjust the purity to a range of 87.0 to 95.1% by weight.

4. The process for the preparation of the granule-formed sugar claimed in claim 2, wherein the application of a strong shearing force in the step of crystallization is carried out using a horizontal continuous crystallizing machine with high speed paddles.

5. The process for the preparation of the granule-formed sugar claimed in claim 2, wherein the sugar syrup from the step of heating and evaporation has a Brix degree of Bx 90.5 to Bx 95.3.

6. The process for the preparation of the granule-formed sugar as claimed in claim 2, wherein the application of a strong shearing force in the step of crystallization is carried out using a horizontal continuous crystallizing machine with high speed paddles at a peripheral speed of 25 to 45 m/sec.

7. The process for the preparation of the granule-formed sugar as claimed in claim 2, wherein the application of a strong shearing force in the step of crystallization is carried out using a horizontal continuous crystallizing machine with high speed paddles and said horizontal continuous crystallizing machine with high speed paddles is fed with heated dry air of a relative humidity of RH 10% or less in an air volume of 9 to 30 Nm³ /min. per ton of the granule-formed sugar discharged per hour.

8. The process for the preparation of the granule-formed sugar as claimed in claim 2, wherein a conveyer is used to transfer the granule-formed sugar from the step of crystallization to the step of drying, cooling and conditioning the sugar, and said conveyer is provided with a mean of effectively removing vapor generated from the granule-formed sugar by blowing and sucking air during the transfer, whereby a moisture value of the granule-formed sugar just before entering the hopper is adjusted to at most 2.0% by weight.

9. The process for the preparation of the granule-formed sugar claimed in claim 2, wherein the dry air has a temperature of 40 to 50°

C. and a relative humidity of RH 35% or less in the step of drying, cooling and conditioning the sugar.

10. The process for the preparation of the granule-formed sugar claimed in claim 2, wherein the granule-formed sugar is dried to a moisture value of 0.4 to 1.3% by weight in the step of drying, cooling and conditioning the sugar.

11. The process for the preparation of the granule-formed sugar claimed in claim 2, wherein the granule-formed sugar is dried to a moisture value of 0.4 to 0.9% by weight in the step of drying, cooling and conditioning the sugar.

12. A noncentrifugal sugar composition comprising cane juice and sucrose and/or liquid sucrose, characterized in that the composition has a color value of not more than AI2000, a purity of 86.0 to 93.1% by weight and a moisture of not more than 2.0% by weight.

13. The composition claimed in claim 12, wherein the purity is 89.0-93.1% by weight.

14. The composition claimed in claim 12, wherein the color value is not more than AI1500.

15. The composition claimed in claim 12, wherein the moisture is not more than 1.3% by weight.

16. The composition claimed in claim 12, wherein the moisture is 0.4-1.3% by weight.

17. The composition claimed in claim 12, wherein a proportion of a solid weight of the cane juice to the weight of the noncentrifugal sugar composition is 30-70% by weight.