Technology for the production of granulated sugar from sugar beets. Sugar from sugar beets: process description

Sugar production technology is a multi-level chain that consists of several stages:

Washing and cleaning raw materials from impurities;
- obtaining beet chips;
- production of diffusion juice and its purification;
- obtaining syrup;
- release of sugar from syrup;
- processing of sugar mass into granulated sugar;
- packaging and storage of the finished product.

Washing and cleaning

When impurities are present, they make up up to 12% of the total mass, and in addition to soil and tops, the impurities may include stones and even some metal objects. All this must be separated from the useful part of the fruit. To wash beets, a drum beet washer and a water separator equipped with traps for impurities are used. Proper cleaning will help avoid breakdowns of subsequent sugar production equipment.

Production of sugar from sugar beets - obtaining beet chips

In accordance with sugar production technology, in order to produce syrup, beets must be crushed. Chopping beets is the process of turning them into shavings on beet cutters, which, using diffusion knives mounted on frames, cut the fruit into small pieces. A chip thickness of 1 mm is the optimal thickness for further processing.

Inside the body of the beet cutter, the fruits rotate with the help of a snail, which, under the influence of centrifugal force, presses the fruits against the cutting edge of the knives. In the process of sliding along the stationary knives, the beets turn into chips, which, passing between the knives, end up in a container for further processing. Of all the equipment for sugar production, beet cutters require the most difficult cleaning using compressed air, and periodic replacement of knives.

Production of diffusion juice

The process of extracting sucrose from beets using sugar production technology is quite primitive - beet chips are soaked in hot water in industrial diffusers, which softens its fibers and releases juice. If you use cold water, the protein compounds in the cells of the chips will significantly slow down the process of obtaining juice.

Typically, several diffusers are used in series to produce more concentrated juice. For further processing, the diffusion juice must be cleaned of beet chips that have become useless. The mixture of juice and shavings is placed in pulp traps, where filtration occurs.

Diffusion juice, even cleared of fruit residues, remains a complex multicomponent composition, which, in addition to sugar, also contains protein, pectin, amino acids, and so on. Using vacuum filters and saturators, the process of purifying sugar syrup from impurities is carried out.

Release of sugar from syrup

The sugar syrup obtained after clarification of the juice contains too much water (up to 75%), which is removed in an evaporator, obtaining a syrup containing up to 70% solids. After this, according to sugar production technology, using a vacuum apparatus, the syrup is thickened to a dry matter content of 93.5%, obtaining massecuite, which, after undergoing the crystallization process, will become ordinary sugar.

Sugar crystallization is the final stage of the sugar production process.

The massecuite obtained from vacuum devices is sent to a centrifuge, where it crystallizes, after which it is dried with hot air and sent through a vibrating conveyor to a drying and cooling unit, after which it is sorted using a vibrating sieve.

Despite the rather long technological chain, most of the equipment for sugar production has a fairly simple principle of operation. The simple principle of operation of individual devices facilitates both maintenance and repair of all types of necessary equipment, which makes it possible to produce sugar on an industrial scale at a fairly low cost.

Sugar is a sought-after product that is used in its pure form in the confectionery industry, beverage production, pharmaceuticals, plastics and a number of other areas. Thus, an entrepreneur who has established efficient sugar production can count on high business profitability.

The main advantage of the sugar business is that the products are in demand regardless of the season. Moreover, the volume of its consumption is constantly increasing, which creates preconditions for the opening of new enterprises. On average, one resident of Russia eats 20 kg of sugar. Huge volumes are needed by the food industry. Thus, there is every chance to establish mutually beneficial cooperation with large consumers in almost any region of the country.

Advantages and disadvantages of this business

The main disadvantage of this business is its significant dependence on the places where raw materials grow. In the Russian Federation, most products are made from sugar beets, the cultivation centers of which are concentrated in the Central, Volga and Southern districts. Thus, transport costs increase significantly for producers from other regions.

The basic advantage lies in the single-component nature of the product - the entrepreneur only needs to find one or two responsible suppliers to ensure uninterrupted supply to the enterprise. In addition, the level of sugar consumption is high and the organizational costs are relatively low, allowing for a quick return on investment.

Organization of sugar production

To open a large-scale business, the organizational form is optimal. It is also necessary to obtain permits from the SES, fire inspectorate and other authorities. It is recommended to check specific regulations locally as they may vary from region to region.

The requirements for the final product are regulated by a number of standards, the main ones being:

• Sugar beet. Technical specifications (R 52647-2006);
• Sugar beet. Test methods (R 53036-2008);
• Method for determination of sucrose (12571-2013);
• Sugar production (R 52678-2006).

Types of sugar products

Using various technologies, it is possible to obtain products that differ in their properties. There are 4 types of sugar:

• Refined sugar is highly purified sucrose in the form of individual pieces (usually cubic).
• Sand - in the form of crystals 0.5-2.5 mm in size.
• Raw - in the form of individual uncrushed crystals.
• Powder is powdered sucrose obtained by grinding crystals.

Sugar production equipment

Each production stage requires the use of certain units. Thus, a set of installations for the preparation of raw materials includes washing devices, a water separator, stone, sand and tops traps, a hydraulic conveyor and beet lifting equipment.

The basic line is equipped with a beet cutter, pulp dryers, a screw press, a diffuser, scales, and a conveyor with a magnetic separator.

Juice purification is carried out using sedimentation tanks, sulfitators, saturators, filters with a heating option, and defecation units.

Crystallization is carried out with the participation of an evaporation unit with a concentrator, a centrifuge, a vacuum apparatus, a drying and cooling chamber, a vibrating sieve and a vibrating conveyor.

You can organize a plant either from scratch or by purchasing a ready-made sugar production line. In the first case, the cost of the equipment directly depends on the power. For example, equipment designed to produce up to 10 tons of products per day will cost about $20,000. The price of a complex that allows you to produce 50 tons of sugar is about $200,000.

When purchasing an existing complex, it is important to assess the degree of its wear and tear. As a rule, specialized organizations are involved for this purpose. On average, the price of equipment launched before 2000 is up to 2,000,000. More modern complexes can cost $5,000,000 or more.

Raw materials

A stable tradition of sugar production from sugar beets has developed in the CIS. But at the moment, more and more manufacturers prefer imported raw materials. Along with root vegetables from the USA, France, Germany, the following are widely used:

• stalks of bread sorghum (mainly from China);
• starchy rice and millet (producing malt sugar);
• palm sap (from Southeast Asia);
• sugar cane (supplied from India, Cuba, Brazil).

Sugar production technology + Video of how they make it

Beet sugar

The classic technology for making sugar from sugar beets includes the following steps:

• Extraction. Root vegetables are washed, peeled, weighed and sent for shavings. The resulting intermediate product is loaded into a diffuser, where it is mixed with water and heated, thus obtaining diffuse juice with a 15% sucrose content.
• Diffuse Juice Purification. Lime milk is added to the mass and several stages of purification are carried out.
• Evaporation of liquid. Under the influence of high temperature, water gradually evaporates. The result is a syrup in which about 50% of the volume is sucrose.
• Crystallization. The syrup is sequentially fed into centrifuges, massecuite distributors and vacuum units. Having gone through the listed stages, the raw material turns into sugar, which the consumer is accustomed to seeing.

Video how to do it:

Rafinated sugar

An installation made in China, capable of producing 150-200 kg of products per shift, costs about RUB 2,000,000, equipment from one of the Turkish companies costs about RUB 7,000,000. Along with this, a packaging line will be required (₽600,000).

There are two types of such sugar: pressed and cast. The first is made from granulated sugar by centrifuging, pressing, drying and dividing into cubes of a specified size. Cast sugar is made by loading granulated sugar into molds and letting it sit until it hardens completely. Then the raw material is poured with pure sugar several times and washed to remove molasses. The prepared layers are dried and split into cubes.

Cane sugar

In general, the process is reminiscent of extracting sugar from sugar beets, with the exception that instead of extraction, the pre-soaked stems of the plant are pressed on special rollers. In this way, 90% of the sucrose contained in the cane is extracted. After this, the juice is fed into the pulp trap and processed using juice meters.

Molasses and pulp

By-products from the sugar manufacturing process are used as livestock feed. As a rule, they are bartered for beets from agricultural producers. Pulp (or molasses) is also in demand by a certain category of consumers.

The production of candice sugar, which is quite large transparent crystals, can also become a source of additional income. To do this you will need to purchase special equipment.

Room

The requirements for the premises where the production equipment will be located are similar to those put forward for any food production. Its area is adjusted depending on the dimensions of the equipment. It is necessary to have communications (water supply, sewerage, electricity), a sanitary facility, a dry and well-ventilated warehouse complex, since sugar quickly absorbs odors.

Seasonality of the production process

The main load on the production complex falls on 3-4 months, when the raw materials ripen. After this period, it is necessary to carry out a technical inspection of the equipment and, if necessary, repair it.

The processes taking place within the framework of sugar production are considered safe, since they are not sources of dust, toxic gases, etc. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the high noise level during operation of the plants.

Capacity expansion

Most beginning manufacturers initially focus on the production of granulated sugar. And only after achieving payback they make a decision to expand production. As a rule, we are talking about the manufacture of the following products.

Profitability of the sugar business

With efficient organization of production, investments pay off in 6 months. In this case, the purchase price of the equipment is of great importance. Thus, European units with a capacity of up to 20 tons of sugar per day will cost at least €90 thousand.

You should also pay attention to the issues of selling the finished product. An entrepreneur needs to create a recognizable brand, develop a packaging design that is attractive to consumers, and establish a stable sales market.

Characteristics of products, raw materials and semi-finished products. Sugar is almost pure sucrose (C 12 H 22 O 11), which has a sweet taste, is easily and completely absorbed by the body, and contributes to the rapid restoration of expended energy. Sucrose is a disaccharide that, under the action of an acid or enzyme, is broken down into glucose and fructose (invert sugar). Sucrose can be in two states: crystalline and amorphous. By chemical nature, sugar is a weak polybasic acid, which produces compounds with oxides of alkali and alkaline earth metals - saccharates.

Invert sugar is hygroscopic due to fructose. It protects jam from sugaring, slows down the process of bread becoming stale, and protects confectionery products (marmalade, marshmallows, marshmallows, fudge, etc.) from drying out.

Sucrose is highly soluble in water, and its solubility increases with increasing temperature. In solutions, sucrose is a strong dehydrator. It easily forms supersaturated solutions, in which crystallization begins only in the presence of crystallization centers. The rate of this process depends on temperature, solution viscosity and supersaturation coefficient.

The starting materials for producing sugar are sugar beets and sugar cane. Due to the higher yield of sugar cane compared to sugar beets, about 2 times more sugar is obtained from each hectare of its crops, although the sucrose content in sugar cane stalks is slightly less than in sugar beets.

The sugar industry produces the following types of sugar:

Granulated sugar is a bulk food product of white color (without lumps), having a sweet taste without foreign tastes and odors (with a moisture content of no more than 0.14%, sucrose no less than 99.75%, metal impurities no more than 3 mg per 1 kg of sugar , with dimensions greater than 0.3 mm);

Liquid sugar is a liquid food product of light yellow color, sweet in taste, without foreign tastes and odors (with a sucrose content of at least 99.80% for the highest category and at least 99.5% for the first category, with a dry matter content of at least 64%));

Refined sugar - lump pressed sugar, refined granulated sugar and white refined powder, sweet in taste, without foreign tastes and odors (containing sucrose not less than 99.9%, reducing substances not more than 0.03%, moisture not more 0.2%).

Features of production and consumption of finished products. All sugar factories in Russia operate a standard scheme for producing granulated sugar from sugar beets with continuous desugarification of beet chips, pressing of pulp and return of pulp press water to the diffusion plant, lime-carbon dioxide purification of diffusion juice, three crystallizations and refining of yellow sugar of III crystallization. Sugar beet roots contain 20...25% dry matter, of which the sucrose content ranges from 14 to 18%. Sucrose is extracted from beets by diffusion. The resulting diffusion juice contains 15... 16% dry matter, of which 14... 15% sucrose and about 2% non-sugars. To get rid of non-sugars, the diffusion juice is purified with lime (defecation) followed by removal of its excess with carbon dioxide (saturation). To reduce color and alkalinity, filtered juice of II saturation is treated with sulfur dioxide (sulfitation). Condensation of the juice is carried out in two stages: first, it is condensed in an evaporator to a dry matter content of 55...65% (at the same time, sucrose has not yet crystallized), and then, after additional purification, the viscous syrup is condensed in a vacuum apparatus to a dry matter content of 92, 5...93.5% and get a massecuite. The finished massecuite I crystallization is centrifuged, obtaining sugar crystals and two outflows. Granulated sugar is unloaded from a centrifuge with a moisture content of 0.8... 1% and dried with hot air at a temperature of 105... 110 ° C to 0.14% (for bulk storage, the mass fraction of moisture in granulated sugar should be 0.03 ...0.04%).

The recommended intake of sucrose is 75 g per day, including sugar found in other foods. Currently, there are 95 beet sugar factories in Russia, processing 280 thousand tons of beets per day. The sugar beet harvesting period lasts 40...50 days. per year. The average production capacity of one plant is 2.84 thousand tons of beet processing per day with a sugar extraction rate from beets of 72%.

St adiy of the technological process. The process of producing granulated sugar at beet sugar factories consists of the following stages:

Supplying beets and cleaning them from impurities;

Obtaining diffusion juice from beet chips;

Diffusion juice purification;

Condensation of juice by evaporation;

Cooking massecuite and obtaining crystalline sugar;

Drying, cooling and storing granulated sugar.

Characteristics of equipment complexes. The line begins with a set of equipment for preparing beets for production, consisting of a beet lifting unit, a hydraulic conveyor, a sand trap, a top trap, a stone trap and a water separator, as well as a beet washing machine.

The leading set of equipment of the line consists of a conveyor with a magnetic separator, a beet cutter, scales, a diffusion unit, a screw press and a pulp dryer.

The following set of equipment includes filters with heating devices, preliminary and main defecation devices, saturators, settling tanks, sulfitators and filters.

The most energy-intensive set of line equipment is an evaporation unit with a concentrator, as well as vacuum devices, mixers and centrifuges.

The final set of equipment of the line consists of a vibrating conveyor, a drying and cooling unit and a vibrating screen.

The machine and hardware diagram of the production line for granulated sugar from sugar beets is shown in Fig.

Rice. Machine and hardware diagram of the production line for granulated sugar from sugar beets

Design and operating principle of the line. Sugar beets are supplied to the plant from borage or from a pine field. It is transported via a hydraulic conveyor to the beet pumps and rises to a height of up to 20 m. Further movement of it to carry out various operations of the technological process occurs by gravity. Along the length of the hydraulic conveyor 1 (Fig.), straw traps 2, stone traps 4 and water separators 5 are installed sequentially. This technological equipment is designed to separate light (straw, tops) and heavy (sand, stones) impurities, as well as to separate conveyor and washing water. To intensify the process of collecting straw and tops, air is supplied to recess 3. Sugar beets after water separators enter washing machine 6.

The washing machine is designed for final cleaning of beets (the amount of stuck soil during manual harvesting is 3...5% of beets, and during mechanized harvesting with combines - 8...10%).

The amount of water supplied to the beet washing depends on the degree of its contamination, the design of the machine and on average is 60... 100% of the beet weight. Broken off beet tails, small pieces and small root vegetables (only 1...3% of the beet weight) fall into the wastewater of the hydraulic conveyor and washing machine, so the conveyor-washing water is first sent to a separator to separate the beet tails and pieces from them, which after processing they are transferred to the conveyor belt 14.

Washed sugar beets are irrigated with clean water from special devices 7, lifted by an elevator 8 and supplied to a conveyor 9, where an electromagnet 10 separates metal objects that accidentally fell into the beets. Then the beets are weighed on scales 11 and sent from the hopper 12 to the beet cutting machines 13. The chips must be smooth, elastic and without pulp, lamellar or diamond-shaped in section, 0.5... 1.0 mm thick.

Beet chips from the grinding machines are fed into the diffusion unit 15 using a 14 belt conveyor on which a conveyor scale is installed.

Sugar dissolved in the beet root juice is extracted from the cells by countercurrent diffusion, in which the chips enter the head part of the unit and move to the tail part, releasing sugar by diffusion into the salting water moving towards the extractant. From the end of the tail part of the unit, shavings with a low concentration of sugar are discharged, and the extractant, enriched with sugar, is discharged as diffusion juice. From 100 kg of beets, approximately 120 kg of diffusion juice is obtained. The pulp is removed from the diffusion units by conveyor 16 to the workshop for pressing, drying and briquetting.

The diffusion juice is passed through a filter 17, heated in a device 28 and sent to the preliminary and main defecation apparatus 27, where it is purified as a result of coagulation of proteins and dyes and the precipitation of a number of anions that produce insoluble salts with calcium ion contained in lime milk (lime solution ). Lime milk is introduced into the juice using dosing devices.

The defecated juice is fed into the first carbonation boiler 26, where it is further purified by adsorption of soluble non-sugars and especially coloring substances on the surface of particles of fine sediment CaCO 3, which is formed when carbon dioxide is passed through the defecated juice. The juice of the first saturation is fed through a heater 25 into a gravity settling tank 24. In the settling tanks, the juice is divided into two fractions: clarified (80% of the total juice) and a thickened suspension supplied to vacuum filters 23.

The filtered juice of the first carbonation is sent to the second carbonation apparatus 22, where lime is removed from it in the form of CaCO3.

The juice of the second saturation is fed to filters 21. Sugar production juices have to be filtered several times. Depending on the purpose of filtration, various process schemes and filtration equipment are used.

Filtered juice from filter 21 is fed into the sulfitation boiler 20. The purpose of sulfitation is to reduce the color of the juice by treating it with sulfur dioxide, which is obtained by burning sulfur.

The sulfated juice is sent to the filter station 19, and then transported through heaters to the first housing of the evaporation station 18. Evaporation units are designed to sequentially thicken the purified juice of the second saturation to the concentration of a thick syrup; at the same time, the content of dry substances in the product increases from 14... 16% in the first building to 65... 70% (condensed syrup) in the last. Fresh steam enters only the first building, and subsequent buildings are heated by juice steam from the previous building. The heating surface area of ​​the evaporation station of a sugar factory with a capacity of 5000 tons of beets per day is 10,000 m2.

The resulting syrup is sent to the sulfitator 29, and then to the filtration station 30. The filtered syrup is heated in the heater 31, from where it enters the vacuum apparatus of the first product 32. The syrup is boiled in the vacuum apparatus until supersaturation, sugar is released in the form of crystals. The product obtained after boiling is called massecuite. It contains about 7.5% water and about 55% crystallized sugar.

The syrup is boiled in periodically operating vacuum devices. The massecuite of the first crystallization from the vacuum apparatus enters the receiving massecuite mixer 33, from where it is sent to the distribution mixer, and then to the centrifuge 34, where, under the influence of centrifugal force, sugar crystals are separated from the intercrystalline liquid. This fluid is called the first edema. The purity of the first outflow is 75...78%, which is significantly lower than the purity of massecuite.

To obtain white sugar from a centrifuge, its crystals are washed with a small amount of hot water - whitened. During whitening, part of the sugar dissolves, so a runoff of higher purity comes out of the centrifuge - the second runoff.

The second and first outflows are fed into a vacuum apparatus for the second (last) crystallization, where a massecuite of the second crystallization is obtained, containing about 50% crystalline sugar. This massecuite is gradually cooled to a temperature of 40 ° C while stirring in massecuite mixers - crystallizers. In this case, some additional sugar crystallizes. Finally, the massecuite of the second crystallization is sent to centrifuges, where molasses is separated from sugar crystals, which is a waste of sugar production, since obtaining sugar from it by further thickening and crystallization is unprofitable. Yellow sugar of the second crystallization is refined by the first runoff, the resulting massecuite is sent to a distribution mixer and then to a centrifuge. The resulting sugar is dissolved and the juice enters the production line.

White sugar discharged from centrifuges 34 has a temperature of 70 °C and a humidity of 0.5% when whitening with steam or a humidity of 1.5% when whitening with water. It enters the vibrating conveyor 35 and is transported to the drying and cooling unit 36.

After drying, granulated sugar is supplied to the weighing belt conveyor 37 and then to the vibrating sieve 38. Lumps of sugar are separated, dissolved and returned to the grocery department.

Commercial granulated sugar enters silos 39 (long-term storage warehouses).

Production of sugar from sugar beets at home

Different methods of making beet sugar at home from scratch: from preparing raw materials to obtaining syrup. Recipes for natural Russian products for a healthy lifestyle are now available to everyone.

Beet sugar: from the depths of history to today

It so happened historically that sugar made from cane was most widely used. Such a product was very expensive, because the main territories where plantations were grown were far beyond the borders of civilized Europe and wild Rus', and, therefore, transportation costs played a significant part in the cost of the sweet substance. The only available alternative was, perhaps, honey. However, already in the 16th century, thanks to the scientific research of Andreas Sigismund Margrave and a certain French botanist Achard, another method of extracting sugar from sugar beets became known to the world. According to its properties, sugar obtained in this way not only makes it possible for it to be widely used by the population, but also has a number of advantages over its cane counterpart, namely: it has lower calorie content and contains the maximum amount of micro- and macroelements, since it does not require refining.

Industrial production

In Russia, due to the above-mentioned reasons, beet sugar has become more widespread.

The factory receives raw materials - beets. It is thoroughly washed in a special washing shop and cut into uniform chips. At the next stage, this mass is fed into tanks, where it is filled with hot water. Under the influence of water, the sugar contained in it and some other substances are separated from the chips, which, when oxidized, give the juice a dark brown color. To obtain maximum yield from the raw material, water leaching is carried out several times. Production waste - repeatedly soaked shavings are sent to feed livestock.

At the next stage, the resulting juice is cleaned of impurities, first heated to 80 ° C - this allows you to get rid of protein substances, and then treated in sealed tanks with lime milk, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide gases. At this stage, unwanted impurities precipitate, which remains in the tanks after subsequent evaporation of the juice. Evaporation produces a sweet syrup, which is then filtered and thickened in special containers. The output is granulated sugar with molasses, which is then separated from sugar crystals in centrifuges.

Beet sugar has a darker color than cane sugar, so it is finally washed with water and dried.

Making sugar from beets at home

You can now replace store-bought sugar with real Russian products: refined beetroot and sweet syrup.

Refined beetroot

Wash and peel the beets. Then cut it into thin rings and place it in a clay pot. Immerse the container in the oven to steam, without allowing our workpiece to burn. Look into the pot from time to time - the beets should become soft. Then pour the beet slices onto a baking sheet and place them back in the oven. Now the beets should dry. For longer storage and improvement of the general properties of our beets, then it is better to lightly fry the dried rings in a frying pan. Just a little - it will also improve the smell somewhat.

For consumption, all you have to do is grind these slices into flour, so they can be used to replace store-bought sugar in cooking.

For tea, you will need to roll these whole slices a little in flour and fry them in butter. Tasty and healthy.

Making syrup: first method

Peel the roots and heads and rinse the beets without peeling the skin. Place the washed root vegetables in dense rows in a pan with already boiling water. Watch the fire. The beets should be boiled in boiling water. After 1 hour, remove the root vegetables from the pan, wait for them to cool and remove the skins.

Cut the beets into thin slices no thicker than 1 mm. Once crushed in this way, place it under a press to obtain juice, after wrapping it in a clean canvas bag. Place the squeezed mass back into the pan, add hot water at the rate of half the volume of root vegetables. This blank is for the second spin. Let it sit for half an hour, and then strain the liquid into the container where you collected the juice from the first extraction. Place the evaporated cakes back into the canvas bag and repeat the squeezing process. Heat the collected juice to 70-80°C, and then strain through gauze folded several times.

The last stage is evaporation. The juice must be evaporated until it is completely thickened in a low enamel basin or other flat vessel.

Obtaining syrup: second method

Prepare the beets for cooking, as in the first method, now removing a thin layer of skin. It is necessary to steam in an autoclave for about an hour maintaining a pressure of 1.5 atm. If you don’t have an autoclave, you can use a boiler, which should have a grate at the bottom, but it will take more time.

Having received soft beets, they are crushed and passed through a press twice. The strained juice is then evaporated, as in the first method.

Store the syrup in a cool place, protected from direct sunlight, like any preserved food.

In cooking for baking, the proportion of syrup to flour is approximately 0.75-1: 1. For making jam, the ratio of syrup to berries by weight is 2: 1.

One of the most promising areas in business today is food production, or more precisely, the production of essential products included in the main food basket. Among others, these include sugar production.

Sugar production: overview of the country's sugar market, prospects for beginners

For the period 2016-2017. Sugar production throughout the country has increased markedly. Among the determining factors that influenced the success of the sugar business in Russia are:

1. Increasing the sown area of ​​plant crops (sugar beets, sugar cane);
2. Investment by the state and private companies;
3. Modernization of industry (purchase of new equipment, reduction in the amount of necessary raw materials and fuel).

As a result, gross sugar production in Russia increased by 35%. And this despite the fact that during the period 2016-2017 weather conditions were far from ideal. This was especially felt when harvesting sugar beets in the southern parts of Russia, where there was frequent precipitation in the fall.

Sugar exports leave much to be desired. The overwhelming majority of products are sold both within the country and in the common markets of border states. Among the strongest competitors you can track Belarus, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Brazil. Other EU countries are not far behind.

The sugar business is a profitable business in Russia. Therefore, it is not surprising that there is high competition here. About 33 large sugar producers are now registered in Russia (and this does not include private enterprises). Therefore, a newcomer will have to try hard to ensure that its products are successfully sold in the domestic market.

It is worth considering that sugar consumption is unlikely to increase in the near future. With the current financial situation, not everyone can afford to buy sugar for use: only for general needs. Sales of sugar are gradually decreasing in the summer seasons as well. The usual “rituals” of making jam and compote are already becoming a thing of the past.

Sugar production technology

Extracting sugar from beets is a multi-stage process that takes place in several stages:

1. Purification of raw materials from impurities. Sugar beets are transported through a conveyor into a beet washer, where they are cleaned and separated from heavy and light impurities;
2. Slicing beets into shavings. For this purpose, a special apparatus with the most sharpened blades is used. Small chips obtained from beet processing are easier to further process;
3. Extracting juice from chips. The diffusion apparatus releases dark-colored juice from the chips, which contains 13% sugar. The resulting liquid mixture must go through several stages of purification;
4. Juice cleansing. Here the main method is the precipitation of non-sugars using lime and carbon dioxide. In special installations, the juice with precipitated substances is filtered, and the output is light yellow juice with a sugar content of 13%. It is further clarified by adding SO2;
5. Condensation of juice. To isolate sugar in the form of crystals, 13% of its content is not enough. The concentration is increased by condensing the juice to syrup in an evaporator (60-75% sugar);
6. Preparation of crystallized sugar. In vacuum installations, the syrup is processed, and as a result, yellow crystallized sugar with outflow (liquid) is formed in a 1:1 ratio. This mixture is called massecuite.
7. Further processing of the massecuite and production of white sugar. The massecuite is re-entered into the centrifuge, after which higher quality sugar is formed.

As a result of the production of sugar from sugar beets, we obtain sugar itself, as well as processed products: molasses, pulp and filter cake.

Molasses contains 50% sugar, but is not subjected to further processing in a centrifuge. This resource can be used in the production of alcohol, citric acid, and animal feed. Fertilizers are made from filter cake. Pulp is used as a source for feed production. All this can be used as an additional source of income.

The principle scheme for producing sugar from sugar cane is no different from that used in beet production. However, the process itself is simpler, and the output is raw sugar: a product not suitable for consumption. Raw sugar can be processed into refined sugar either in the factory itself or in separate production facilities.

Stages of sugar production:

1. Reed cleaning from impurities;
2. Chopping and slicing cane;
3. Juice release;
4. Juice purification;
5. Juice thickening;
6. Crystallization of sugar.

There are some features in the equipment at the cane crushing stage. Here, in addition to the cutting blade, crushers and mills are used. Crushers more thoroughly crush the chopped cane stalks, and in the mills the primary unfiltered dark-colored juice is extracted from the resulting mass.

The resulting output the mass representing fiber is called bagasse. It contains 0.7-0.8% sugar and is used to produce paper and building materials, as well as fuel in thermal power plants. Molasses and filter cake are also formed during production.

Raw sugar is formed by boiling the massecuite of the first filtration and the massecuite of the second filtration. Moreover, the size of the resulting crystals is the main indicator of the quality of such sugar.

Production of refined sugar

Refined sugar is pressed sugar packaged in the form of cubes. The production of such a product is very profitable, but the equipment requires large financial investments.

The equipment is installed standard. This includes pressers, packers, devices for drying, and packaging sugar in boxes. Let’s not forget about equipment for filtering and processing sugar.

Stages of manufacturing refined sugar:

1. Mixing granulated sugar or raw sugar with water (you can add glycerin for stickiness). Here we prepare the ground for further filtration;
2. Processing of the resulting solution. This includes the stages of extracting juice containing sugar, forming syrup and then massecuite (the scheme is similar to making sugar from beets or cane, but the processing is more thorough);
3. Packing wet sugar into molds and pressing it. For this purpose, special rotating forms are used, as well as pressing rollers;
4. Drying the resulting sugar and packaging it.

Refined sugar is pure sucrose with an impurity content of no more than 0.1% according to modern requirements. Therefore, processing of raw materials requires care and scrupulousness. The use of high-quality equipment is one of the reasons for the high cost of this type of business.

Today, the production of figured sugar is one of the new trends in the “sweet” business. Refined sugar has a standard rectangular shape, but from such pieces you can make a wide variety of types of figured sugar.

Figured sugar is most often made to order. In the market you can find simple forms of sugar, for example, card suits, hearts, stars, skulls.

Figured sugar is also used as a decoration for other confectionery products. Naturally, such custom-made products may differ in both shape and size.

Milk sugar production technology

Milk sugar is a yellow or white powder that is formed from whey. This product has a wide range of applications because... it is used in the food industry, technical purposes and pharmacology.

It is best to use cheese whey in production, because... it is the richest in lactose content (at least 5%).

Stages of making milk sugar:

1. Separation of cheese whey with separation of milk fat and casein dust. It is carried out in special separator installations;
2. Thermal denaturation of whey proteins and their filtration. It is carried out in special baths at a temperature of 90-95 degrees. in an acidified environment. Due to destructive factors, whey protein coagulates and settles, after which it can be easily separated from the solution. After filtration, the “whey” solution should be deoxidized by adding sodium hydroxide.
3. Whey thickening. The evaporation process is carried out at a temperature not exceeding 55 degrees in the presence of defoamers (afromin, oleic acid). At the end of condensation, the resulting syrup is heated to 70-75 degrees;
4. Crystallization of milk sugar. The procedure can last from 15 to 35 hours with constant stirring of the syrup. The main danger at this stage is the formation of adhesions, or druses;
5. Separation of crystals from molasses and their purification. Moreover, cleaning is carried out as needed. The resulting crystals are further ground in special equipment, forming a powder.

Curd whey is also used in production, but this has its own characteristics. Firstly, the whey solution is not acidified during its denaturation. And secondly, the yield of milk sugar itself is slightly less due to the fermentation of lactose during the production process.

How to set up a sugar production plant

Search for premises

The production room must be large enough, because... Making sugar requires a lot of large equipment. It is worth paying special attention to the warehouse, because... Sugar tends to absorb odors. Accordingly, the warehouse must have good ventilation and dryness.

The easiest way is to buy a ready-made room. When signing a contract, it is worth taking into account the “age” of both the equipment and the production site itself. It is also possible to choose the premises yourself and buy the necessary equipment, but at this stage you can make a lot of mistakes. This is especially true for beginning businessmen.

The main blocks of the sugar factory include:

• manufacturing facility;
• warehouse for raw materials and products;
• personal hygiene rooms;
• household rooms for staff.

And naturally, the premises must be equipped in accordance with all the requirements of the law of the Russian Federation. This is important because novice producers may face a large fine.

Recruitment

When starting your own sugar business, you should immediately think about the work team. It must include people with the following specialties:

1. Director of the company;
2. Actually, there are at least 10 workers;
3. Purchasing and Sales Manager;
4. Mechanic;
5. Security guards;
6. Cleaners;
7. Accountants.

Paperwork

Registering your production with the state is the first step when registering a business. There are two options for events here: either you recommend yourself as an individual entrepreneur or as an LLC. You can find out how to document your business activities by clicking on the appropriate links. The last option is convenient from a practical point of view, because the roads to cooperation with large companies are open here. Individual entrepreneurs do not have this option.

The following documentation will be required for registration:

The list is approximate, so check in advance the need for a particular document.

Financial side of business

Sugar production requires significant investments at the start. Therefore, analyzing the economic situation during the opening of a sugar production plant is one of the main tasks of a businessman.

Purchasing a finished premises with all equipment costs about 30 million rubles. excluding wages to employees, supply of raw materials and advertising (which will cost another 1-5 million rubles). There is also the option of renting premises and setting up your own production line. Here the starting capital must be at least 5 million rubles. subject to good profits and a large number of products.

40 thousand rubles. – this is the cost of 1 ton of sugar. Taking into account the fact that the minimum acceptable quantity of products is 30 tons per month, during this period you will have 1.2 million rubles. At the initial stages, income may be limited to 200 thousand rubles/month, so the payback period will stretch over 1-2 years of continuous work.

Search for supply channels for raw materials for production

The main resource for production is sugar beets or sugar cane. Suppliers can be both domestic entrepreneurs and foreign competitors (France, Germany, USA). The use of alternative types of raw materials is now practiced, among which are:

1. Japanese starchy rice;
2. Palm sap from Asia;
3. Breadsorghum stalks from China.

Issues of marketing and sales of finished products

The sugar business is an industry with a high level of competition in the market. Naturally, for the owner of such production, the question of marketing remains open. What needs to be done when opening a new company?

1. Establish ways to sell products. These could be catering establishments, grocery stores, and confectionery production. Do not forget about additional sources of income in the form of waste (molasses, bagasse, filter cake);
2. Create your own website. This will make it easier for you to “promote” your products and provide information about them;
3. Come up with an original logo, develop your own brand. Don't forget about your own design of sugar packaging.

One of the most important steps to achieve success in your chosen business is, which will allow you to imagine the whole “picture” of your future activity and avoid many mistakes common to beginning entrepreneurs.