Open AccessSweet Sorghum Juice and Syrup Production Using Conventional Sugarcane Mill and Evaporator
Author(s) -
Rex B. Demafelis,
Kristel M. Gatdula,
Justine Allen Malabuyoc,
El Jirie Baticador
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of environmental science and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.156
H-Index - 9
ISSN - 0119-1144
DOI - 10.47125/jesam/2017_sp1/05
Subject(s) - brix , bagasse , sorghum , sweet sorghum , pulp and paper industry , biofuel , mathematics , fertilizer , sugar , brewing , food science , ethanol fuel , chemistry , environmental science , agronomy , microbiology and biotechnology , fermentation , engineering , biology
In light of heightened discussions regarding food vs. fuel issue, different feedstocks have emerged to compromise in meeting the desired volumetric requirement of bioethanol in the country. Sweet sorghum is considered as one of the promising feedstocks taking into account its remarkable characteristics such as shorter crop duration, less water and fertilizer requirement and its compatibility in terms of planting in idle lands. This study focused on the prospect of producing sweet sorghum juice and syrup using conventional sugarcane mills and evaporators. Parameters vital in juice extraction and evaporation sections have been determined to assess its qualities and compared with that of sugarcane. For the milling station, the first expressed juice obtained a Polarity of 6.54 %, apparent purity of 50.97 % and 12.83° Brix. For the mixed juice, same parameters were determined (Polarity of 4.76%, apparent purity of 46.21%, Brix of 10.26°). Lastly, the bagasse contained 1.66% Pol, 50.11% moisture and 48.23% fiber. Pol extraction was also calculated as 88.29%. In terms of syrup production, a Brix of 65° and Polarity of 50.05% were achieved. To assess the performance of the evaporators, % evaporation was computed and a value of 83.87% was obtained.