EXTRANEOUS MATTER IMPACT ON JUICE QUALITY AND SUGAR MILL EFFICIENCY RESULTS

Abstract

In Cuba more than 85 % of cane available for sugar production is currently harvested either green or burned by an integral harvesting system. Green harvesting increases the amount of strange matter and the  concentration of non-sugar elements in juice. The analysis of the behaviour of mixed juice quality and process efficiency indicators of a sugar factory with strange matter increments is described in this paper. The analysis was based on available information about strange matter characteristics and its composition (fiber, pol, brix, purity and humidity) and according to typical results of Cuban sugarcane harvest. The results obtained from material balances done in Excel spreadsheet models show, as most relevant impact, a 7,9 % reduction in the sugar production every 5 percentage units of strange matter increment.