Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C13—SUGAR INDUSTRY
  • C13B—PRODUCTION OF SUCROSE; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
  • C13B50/00—Sugar products, e.g. powdered, lump or liquid sugar; Working-up of sugar
  • C13B50/004—Agglomerated sugar products; Agglomeration
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C13—SUGAR INDUSTRY
  • C13B—PRODUCTION OF SUCROSE; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
  • C13B50/00—Sugar products, e.g. powdered, lump or liquid sugar; Working-up of sugar
  • C13B50/02—Sugar products, e.g. powdered, lump or liquid sugar; Working-up of sugar formed by moulding sugar

Definitions

• the present invention relates to brown cube sugar, having as ingredients ordinary crystalline white sugar and sugar syrup.
• the invention also relates to a method for producing brown cube sugar, wherein crystalline white sugar is moistened by steam/steam-water treatment, whereafter sugar syrup is dosed and mixed thereinto, and the resultant mixture is formed into cubes and dried by conventional techniques used in the art of cube sugar production.
• Ordinary white cube sugar is produced from refined crystalline sugar. It comprises pure carbohydrate and contains no trace elements, minerals, flavours or colours of the sugar cane or sugar beet employed as the raw material, since these substances remain in the molasses after the separation of sugar. Yet many consumers desire a product including, in addition to sugar, other naturally occurring nutrients and flavours. For this reason, several varieties of brown cube sugar have been introduced into the European market. They are brown in colour; therefore they also correspond in appearance to the consumer's idea of a natural product.
• moulds laid on a flat base are filled with moistened sugar by a vibrating action, one sugar cube being formed in each mould, the sugar spilled over the edges of the mould is removed, and the cubes are discharged from the moulds by vibration, dried, and cooled.
• crystalline white sugar is moistened and each cube is compressed in a separate mould, whereafter the cubes are dried and cooled.
• the quality (hardness, dissolving time) of sugar cubes can be regulated by means of the crystalline white sugar employed as the raw material, the amount of moisture and the process parameters (moisturizing time and temperature, proportion of steam and water in the moisturizing step, compressive force).
• brown cube sugar having a uniform and smooth texture and appearance, the taste, colour and trace element content of which can be easily controlled and which can also be produced from beet sugar. It is a further object of the invention to provide brown cube sugar that can also be produced with the Vibro equipment, which yields small rapidly dissolving sugar cubes of regular shape.
• sample batches of brown cube sugar were produced from a mixture of crystalline white sugar and molasses obtained from sugar separation, employing the Vibro equipment.
• the moisture content of the mixture to be formed into cubes was controlled by varying the amount of molasses employed.
• the resultant products met the requirements set on brown cube sugar with regard to taste, colour and appearance. They were, however, too sensitive to moisture: when the relative humidity exceeded about 45%, the cubes bound moisture from the air and were softened.
• the invention thus relates to brown cube sugar prepared using as raw materials crystalline white sugar and a syrup containing colours, flavours and trace elements.
• the invention further relates to a method for producing brown cube sugar, being characterized in that crystalline white sugar is treated with steam or a steam-water mixture with simultaneous agitation, a syrup containing colours, flavours and trace elements is mixed with the moist sugar, and the mixture is formed into cubes by a process known per se in the art of cube sugar production.
• the sugar-syrup mixture is formed into cubes preferably by the vibration process. Therein the sugar-syrup mixture is vibrated into moulds in Vibro equipment. The cubes discharged from the moulds by a vibrating action are passed into a drying tunnel. Immediately thereafter they are packed, and the product dries into final hardness during storage.
• Factors influencing the quality and production technology of the product include the quality of the crystalline white sugar and syrup employed as raw materials, the mixing temperature, the temperature and moisture content of the steam-water mixture and the mixing time.
• the crystalline white sugar employed in the production of brown cube sugar according to the invention may be of different sucrose contents and grain sizes, for example a crystalline white sugar having a mean grain size of 0.30-0.70 mm, preferably 0.36-0.40 mm, and a coefficient of variation of 25-45%.
• the syrup employed may be a sugar syrup, for example food-grade molasses derived from cane sugar. Also small amounts of starch syrup can be added to the sugar syrup.
• the temperature and humidity of the sugar are adjusted to be suitable.
• a suitable temperature is 40-60°C, preferably 50-55°C, and the quantity of steam or steam-water mixture employed is such as to impart to the sugar-syrup mixture a humidity of about 2-3.5% by weight, preferably 2.7-3.0% by weight.
• the syrup is heated to approximately the same temperature as the sugar has, and it is added to the sugar in an amount of 2-10% by weight, preferably about 5% by weight based on the total weight of the mixture.
• Bars (Höweler) or cubes (Elba) are compressed from the mixture, or the mixture is formed by the vibration method (Vibro) into cubes and the cubes are dried by heating at a temperature of about 100-150°C to a moisture content of 0.3-2.0% by weight. The final balancing of the moisture content takes place during storage.
• the mixture was stirred for 7 minutes at a temperature of 50-56°C, after which cubes were formed from the mixture in Vibro equipment, and the cubes were dried at a temperature of 110-140°C to a moisture content of 1.0-1.7% and packed immediately thereafter.
• the brown sugar cubes obtained hardened into final hardness during storage.
• the cubes were shelfstable at a relative humidity below 60% without becoming softened.
• the product also had a fine and smooth texture and an excellent taste and appearance.

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• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Biochemistry (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Confectionery (AREA)
• Jellies, Jams, And Syrups (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=8536879

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (3)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 1993
  • 1993-01-22 FI FI930267A patent/FI95399C/fi not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1994
  • 1994-01-21 EP EP94100888A patent/EP0607991A3/fr not_active Withdrawn

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