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SUGARCANE JUICE- THE SWEET
NECTAR
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COMPOSITION OF
SUGARCANE JUICE
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PHYSICAL APPEARANCE-
The Juice expressed from cane is an opaque liquid covered with
froth due to air bubbles entangled in it. Its color varies from
light grey to dark green, depending on the coloring matter in
the rind of the cane crushed. It contains in solution all the
soluble substances like sucrose, fine particles of bagasse, wax,
clay (adhering to the cane), coloring matter and albumen. The
proportion of albumen increase when unripe cane or green cane
tops are crushed with the ripe cane.
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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION-
Sugarcane
contains about 70% of
water, in which sucrose & other
substances are held in solution, forming about 88% by weight of
juice in the stem. The remaining 12% represents the insoluble
cane fiber component.
Cane wax, cane fiber and
starch, being insoluble in the juice, are removed along
with those substances precipitated by lime.
Cane wax, C24H50O, occurs as a
whitish deposit on the exterior surface of the cane stem, close
to each node.
The cane juice has an acidic pH ranging between 4.9 to 5.5. The
juice
acidity corresponds to about 0.2%.
About an equal quantity occurs in combination with the mineral
bases as salts.
Mineral
salts are all derived from the soil, and constitute the
incombustible ash of the plant. The total quantity of these
salts does not exceed 1% by weight of the entire cane plant,
proving that the sugarcane removes less mineral matter from the
soil than many other crops.
Another major component of the juice is the
colloids.
The colloids are particles existing in a permanent state of fine
dispersion and they impart turbidity to the juice. These
colloids do not settle ordinarily unless conditions are altered.
The juice
is viscous owing to the presence of colloids as
waxes, proteins, pentosans, gums, starch
and
silica.
The gums belong to the polysaccharide group of carbohydrates;
and may be divided into two classes: - (a) natural gums, or
pentosans; and (b), mucilage, and pectic compounds.
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TABLE
FOR COMPOSITION OF SUGARCANE JUICE
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PARAMETER
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VALUE (%)
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Water
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70 to 75%
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Sucrose
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11 to 16% (avg. = 13.0%)
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Reducing sugars
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0.4 to 2%
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Organic non-sugars
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0.5 to 1%
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Mineral matters
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0.5 to 1%
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Fiber
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10 to 16%
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COMPOSITION
OF NON-SUGARS IN SUGARCANE JUICE
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| Acids |
Nitrogen
Compounds |
Coloring
Matters |
Other Organic
Non-sugars |
Mineral Matters |
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Organic
Acids Glycolic
Malic
Oxalic Succinic
Tannic |
Organic
Compounds-
Albumin
Albumoses
Amines
amino-acids
nuleins
Peptones
Xanthene
Compounds |
Soluble
anthocyanin, saccharetin |
Soluble
pectin gum (xylan) |
Mostly
soluble alumina, lime, magnesia, potash, soda,
sulphur, chlorine |
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Inorganic
acids-
Phosphoric Sulphuric |
Inorganic
compounds
of ammonia and nitrogen |
Insoluble
chlorophyll |
Insoluble
cane fiber, cane wax |
Insoluble
silicates |
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