Abstract

RUIZ, Marcelo et al. Acid beverage floc in white cane sugar in norwest of Argentina . Rev. ind. agric. Tucumán [online]. 2016, vol.93, n.2, pp.27-33. ISSN 1851-3018.

In this work, several indicators of tendency of white sugar to form acid beverage floc (ABF) were investigated. Contrary to previous reports, neither the protein content of the sugar or its absorbance ratio at pH 9 and 3, respectively, were found to correlate with the flocking behavior as determined by the official method. Comparison of refined sugar produced by two Argentine refineries with different production schemes revealed relatively high incidence of floc-positive (f+) behavior which however did not correlate with the sugar's protein content. To better understand behavior of potential ABF precursors in the sugar process, the official 10-day method for sugar was modified and applied to clarified juice (CJ) samples produced in the lab under various conditions. Protein levels in CJ produced from clean cane by sulfitation were about one half of those prepared by carbonatation and about 30% less than those produced from cane with trash. About one third (31%) of both sulfitation and carbonatation CJ samples were found f+.  Storing cane before milling increased the f+ incidence of CJ with respect to the juices produced from fresh cane. Two alternative indicators of floccing behavior in CJ based on absorbance measurement were determined, and found to correspond with the expected behavior; i.e. being higher in juices from cane with trash and stored cane, as determined by the modified 10-day visual method.

Keywords : refined sugar; white sugar; sugar quality; acid beverage floc; floculation.

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