Methods of microbiological control in beet sugar and other sugar-containing plant material processing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9551043-B2
Application number	US-201414557886-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2014
Priority date	Dec 5, 2013
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

Methods are described for producing sugar from sugar-containing plant material with microbiological control, which includes treating a sugar-containing plant raw material and/or a component derived therefrom, and/or a medium containing the plant raw material and/or the component, with monochloramine. Monochloramine usage in the method can reduce loss of sugar from bacterial consumptions in the processing of sugar-containing plant materials, such as sugar beets, without causing adverse effects on the sugar product, such as the brightness of white sugar.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing sugar from sugar-containing plant material with microbiological control, comprising treating of a sugar-containing plant raw material or a medium containing the sugar-containing plant raw material, with monochloramine, wherein the sugar-containing plant raw material is a sugar-containing vegetable material, a sugar-containing fruit material, a sugar-containing tree sap/juice, or other sugar-containing plant material, separately or in any combination thereof, wherein the monochloramine is dosed in a system in which the method is performed at a dosage of from about 1 g to about 1000 g monochloramine per ton of sugar-containing plant raw material, wherein the treating comprises adding the monochloramine to the sugar-containing plant raw material or the medium at the dosage, and wherein the microbiological control reduces bacteria count of bacteria that consume sugar.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sugar-containing plant raw material is sugar beet, sugar cane, maize, sorghum, sugar palm sap or juice, maple tree sap or juice, coconuts, nectarines, pineapples, mangoes, jackfruit, peaches, cantaloupe, apricots, bananas, grapes, apples, pears, cherries, oranges, or any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monochloramine is added in an aqueous diluted form.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monochloramine is added in an aqueous diluted form at a concentration of from about 100 ppm to about 15,000 ppm.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adding comprises spraying the monochloramine in an aqueous form on the sugar-containing plant raw material.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monochloramine is added in an aqueous form to process water that contacts or is brought into contact with the sugar-containing plant raw material or the medium containing the plant raw material.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monochloramine is added at multiple addition points and the dosage is a total dosage for all addition points.

8. A method for processing beet sugar in sugar production with microbiological control, comprising treating beet sugar raw material or a medium containing the beet sugar raw material with monochloramine, wherein the monochloramine is dosed in a system in which the method is performed at a dosage of from about 1 g to about 1000 g monochloramine per dry ton of beet sugar raw material, wherein the treating comprises adding the monochloramine to the beet sugar raw material or the medium at the dosage, and wherein the microbiological control reduces bacteria count of bacteria that consume sugar.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the monochloramine is added in an aqueous diluted form.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the monochloramine is added in an aqueous diluted form at a concentration of from about 100 ppm to about 15,000 ppm.

11. The method of claim 8 , which comprises controlling microorganisms with the monochloramine, wherein the microorganisms are selected from Leuconostoc mesenteroides, lactobalillus , and coccus species, or any combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 8 , which further comprises the steps of washing raw sugar beets, slicing the washed sugar beets, thermally-extracting sugar-containing plant parts from the sliced sugar beets as raw juice, purifying the raw juice to produce thin juice, evaporating the thin juice to produce thick juice, boiling the thick juice to form a crystal-syrup mixture, centrifuging to separate the sugar crystals from syrup, and drying the sugar crystals, wherein the monochloramine is added introduced in at least one of the steps.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the monochloramine is added in more than one of the steps.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein monochloramine treatment is performed on the beets before slicing, on diffuser pulp press water, on diffusion makeup water, at a sliced beet heat exchanger, at a depuration (purification) stage, at a sugar dust catcher, in molasses by-product, on stillage (vinasse), or any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 8 , wherein the monochloramine is formed on-site before adding to the beet sugar raw material or the medium, and wherein the monochloramine is formed by reacting ammonia or an ammonium salt with sodium hypochlorite.

16. The method of claim 8 , wherein the monochloramine is added at multiple addition points and the dosage is a total dosage for all addition points.

Assignees

• Buckman Laboratories Int Inc

Inventors

• Van Haute Eddie
• Chauwin Jean Michel
• Mascia Marco Ulisse

Classifications

• C13B10/083 Primary

  Treatment of sugar beet before extraction (C13B5/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C13B10/025

  Treatment of sugar cane before extraction (C13B5/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C13B10/006

  Conservation of sugar juices · CPC title

• C13B50/002

  Addition of chemicals or other foodstuffs · CPC title

• C13B10/08 Primary

  Extraction of sugar from sugar beet with water · CPC title