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WHAT IS ICUMSA?
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(Source: ICUMSA Handbook)
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An ICUMSA rating is an international unit for expressing the purity of the sugar in solution, and is directly related to the color of the sugar.
"ICUMSA (International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis) is a global body which brings in concert the activities of all the National Committees for Sugar Analysis in over thirty member countries.
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ICUMSA is the only international organization concerned solely with analytical methods for the sugar industry. In addition to use by that industry, ICUMSA methods are recognised by authorities such as the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the
OIML, the EU, and the US Food Chemicals Codex.
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Work is carried out under various subject headings, each headed by a ‘Referee’. Methods are recommended for tentative approval by ICUMSA in the first instance.
Upon meeting all of the Commission's requirements, methods are accorded official status. Methods which are demonstrably useful and have found an established application, or which do not lend themselves to collaborative testing are given an Accepted status".
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For Brazilian sugar, the lower the ICUMSA value, whiter is the sugar. Ironically, this is not the case in the European Union. SGS of Sao Paulo has published specifications for ICUMSA numbers for E.U. product which run contrary to the Brazilian specifications.
For example-- In Brazil, SGS has an ICUMSA rating of 45 RBU (Reference Base Units) for refined sugar, indicating the highest quality. Other grades of lower quality have a higher ICUMSA of 150. This rating method is confirmed by the Institute of Sugar and Alcohol in Brazil.
However, SGS of Sao Paulo, in the same memo, lists ICUMSA 46 for the highest EU grade and ICUMSA 42 for E.U. raw, which is opposite to Brazil.
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