Question

Name the steps in the manufacture of common sugar from sugarcane and explain the first step.

Answer 1

To answer this question, you must recall the process of the production of sugar from the stem of the sugarcane plant. Sugars are a very important source of energy as they contain glucose which is very important for the body.

Complete step by step solution
The steps involved in the manufacture of sugar from sugarcane plant are:
The first step is the extraction of the juice. This juice is further subjected to various changes for the preparation of sugar. The first step or the juice extraction can be done in two ways, namely, milling and diffusion. The process of milling involves the squeezing of the sugarcane stem under high pressure by passing it through heavy rollers. The juice can also be extracted using a diffusion process. In this, the juice is extracted from the sugarcane stem using imbibition without squeezing the cane like in milling.
Further, the juice is clarified by removing suspended solids like mud, fibres and waxes from the extracted juice.
Next, the juice is evaporated, concentrating it to a thick syrup.
This concentrated syrup is then crystallized and centrifuged.
The separated sugar crystals are dried, packed and delivered.

Note
Sugar is formed in the stems of the leaves of sugarcane during the process of photosynthesis. We know that in this process, the energy from the sun is utilized by the plant to convert water and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen. The energy which is not used by the plant is then stored in the fibrous stalks as a juice, which is then used to make sugar. All green plants produce sugar but the main sources for sugar are sugar beet plants and sugarcane plants.