MINI PROJECT

FOOD PROCESSING ENGINEERING

IMPROVEMENT IN THE PRODUCTION OF SUGARCANE JUICE

DR SITI FATIMAH BINTI IBRAHIM

NAME ID NUM
FATIN NUR ASHIRA BT MOHD ASHRAF 55218117068
MOHD FARID BIN MOHD FAUZI 55218117093
NURUL ASYIKIN BT ABDUL LATIF 55218117105
SITI AINI SYAKIRAH BT HASHIM 55218117065
1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is perennial grass of the family Poaceae,

mainly famous in the food industry for its juice, from which sugar is processed. India is not
only the original home of sugarcane, it is also the second largest producer next to Brazil. Since
the 19th century, these sweet grasses had also been grown in Malaysia, mainly the areas of
Kedah and Perlis. These regions have the most suitable condition for sugarcanes to grow
efficiently, especially in terms of temperature. Recently, the noble canes are also grown in
smaller land areas, such as Negeri Sembilan and Selangor, to widen the production of fresh
sugarcane, due to the increasing demand. Among the variety types of canes, `Tebu Kuning'
or yellow cane is the most popular one because it has a softer and less fibrous stem, allowing
them to produce abundant juice with a distinct flavour (Siti and Baharrudin, 1994).

For many years, sugarcane has been widely utilised as a sweetening agent in the food
area, where it often exist in the form of refined sugar (Phanikumar, 2011). Sugarcane juice is
deemed as highly nutritious, due to the richness of enzymes and the diversity of minerals
present. Moreover, it also possesses many medicinal and therapeutic properties, making it to
be a great preventive and healing source for sore throat, cold and flu. Sugarcane juice is
consist of water (75-85%), reducing sugar (0.3-3.0%), and non-reducing sugar (10-21%). For
every 100 ml of sugarcane juice consumed, it offers 40 Kcal of energy, 10 mg of iron and 6
μg of carotene to the consumers. It helps in maintaining the healthiness of our body since it
has a low glycemic index, resulting our body to be hydrated quickly when exposed to heat and
physical activity. Sugarcane juice is also beneficial in refreshing and energizing the body
instantly and can be a great replacement for carbonated drinks. (Karthikeyan and Samipillai
2010).

In Malaysia, fresh sugar-cane juice is very famous among the locals, especially at night
markets and street vendors. This pleasing, sweet, and refreshing beverage is often served fresh,
where they just put the sugarcanes through the crusher. There is no other treatment used. Hence,
pathogens contamination or poor handling practice that might occur have the potential to
cause a health risk to the consumers. In addition, the high content of water and sugar present
might lead to a rapid spoilage even when it is being refrigerated (Yusof et al. 2000).
Biodegradation, which results in the loss of sucrose by formation of organic acid and ethanol,
is caused by microorganisms, such as Leuconostoc sp. (Frazier and Westhoff, 1995).
 Nowadays, the sugar-cane juice industry often store harvested canes in the shed at
ambient temperature before the processing process takes place. Marked sedimentation might
occur during this stage. Soon after the harvest of sugarcane, there is high possibility for
deterioration to happen due to the activation of endogenous invertase present in the canes
(Siswoyoa et al, 2007). These enzymes will then lead to inversion of sucrose, thus, the quality
of sugar will be affected. (Krishnakumar and Devadas, 2006). Then, the juice will be
immediately chilled and stored at chilling temperature upon the distribution process. However,
the juice extracted from the canes tend to turn dark brown due to the presence of polyphenol
oxidase. It is an enzyme that plays the main role in the discoloration of sugarcane juice,
causing it to look less fresh and pleasant. But, stated problem can be prevented by the use of
heat inactivation of enzyme.

Furthermore, the delay in extraction of harvested sugarcanes is found to be the source

that results in various changes in term of the quality of the juice. (Densay, Luthra, Senthiya &
Dhawan, 1992). Moreover, it was also reported that the use of low temperature during storage
is very beneficial in prolonging the shelf-life of the juice for a few days. However, there was no
study conducted to detail these parameters. Understanding and knowledge of said aspects
can contribute a lot to the emerging industry, especially since sugarcane production is one of
the least studied cases in the food area. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to
determine ways to prolong the shelf life of sugarcane juice, to investigate the effect of lime as
a preservative and peeling of sugarcane skin to the attributes of the sugarcane juice, and to
find out the impact of increasing the number of crusher in producing 1 ton of sugarcane juice
per day.
1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENTS

What approaches that can be done to:

1. Prevent sugar cane juice from spoiling and turning brown quickly.
2. Increase the production of sugarcane juice to 1 tonne per month.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

The objectives of this study are:

1. To investigate the effect of lime and gamma ray as preservatives ways to prolong the
shelf life of sugarcane juice.

2. To find out the impact of increasing the number of crusher in producing 1 tonne of
sugarcane juice per month.
2.0 CONCEPT AND FINDINGS

At present, there have been several researches have been conducted as an effort to
maintain safety and prolong the shelf life of sugarcane juice. One of the important steps taken
to achieve said statement is by reducing the pH level of the juice to below 4.6. It can help to
prevent microbial spoilage from occurring quickly in the juice, as well as to subsequently
increase the shelf life. (Kunitake et al. 2014), There are also numerous studies conducted,
that implemented thermal treatment and acid additions during the production of the sugarcane
juice, to delay the browning or discolouration effects. It was reported that the sugarcane juice
stayed fresh, with a beautiful green pigment, and last longer.

Citrus microcarpa, or which it is widely known as Calamansi, is a species of lime broadly

utilized in Southeast Asia cuisines, especially in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and the
Philippines. It is one of the main sources of citric acid, an ingredient that is often added to jams,
candy, canned foods, and even meat products. This is because, the acidic pH of citric acid
makes it beneficial as a preservative, since an acidic environment will retard or prevent the
survivability of mold and bacteria in food. Moreover, citric acid production is also applied as a
flavor enhancer in beverages. It produces a slightly tart, refreshing flavor and balances the
sweetness in teas, juices, and other drinks.

Calamansi is also very rich in phenolic compounds, for instance, caffeic, coumaric acid and
sinapic acid. These compounds contribute in the food industry as natural antimicrobial agents
(Cheong et al. 2012). Because of this, calamansi can also be effective in reducing the pH of
sugarcane juice, as well as, in prevention of oxidation of phenolic compounds by polyphenol
oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) enzymes. Both are enzymes that cause formation of
melanoidin through oxidation of phenolic compounds in the juice (Qudsieh et al. 2002) which
causes browning in sugarcane juice.

In 2018, Noor A. et al had conducted an experiment that utilized different concentrations of

calamansi juice, 1.0%, 1.5% and 3.0%, in sugarcane juice. They found that the pH value
showed a decreasing trend in the sugarcane juices extracted, indicating an increase in acidity
of the juice. The addition of 1.0% of calamansi juice was enough to give a significant effect in
lowering pH to be less than 4.6, due to the high acidity in lime (pH 2.4). The reduction of pH
to below 4.6 is important as it reduces microbial spoilage and promotes enzymatic stability as
the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is reported to have an optimal reaction at pH close to
7.2 (Kunitake et al. 2014).
 Second, a combination of gamma radiation (5 kGy) with permitted preservatives and low
temperature storage (10°C) could preserve raw sugarcane juice for more than a month. The
preservatives used were citric acid (0.3%), sodium benzoate (0.015%), potassium sorbate
(0.025%), and sucrose (10%). The treatment helped in extending the shelf life to 15 d at
ambient temperature (26°C ± 2°C) and 35 d at 10 °C.

Citric acid is traditionally added to juice for lowering pH and inhibiting browning and
microbial growth (Belitz et al, 2009). Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate within
permissible limit are added to the juices for their bacteriostatic and fungistatic effects (Taylor,
2005). Radiation processing is being used for microbial decontamination of food commodities
and is increasingly finding new applications (Diehl, 1990). This has proved to be one of the
very effective alternatives for ensuring microbial quality and safety of foods. Gamma
Irradiation has been reported to be useful in preserving pomegranate and fresh kale juice (Kim
et al, 2007 and Alighourchi et al, 2008). In the current study, gamma radiation along with
permitted preservatives was used to achieve microbial decontamination and shelf life
extension of raw sugarcane juice which is in big demand for its specific flavor and taste.

Soon after extraction, filtration was performed within an hour of extraction for clarification
of the juice using 3-layered muslin cloth. The preservatives like citric acid, potassium sorbate,
and sodium benzoate were added in combinations within the permissible limits which is citric
acid (0.3%), sodium benzoate (0.015%), and potassium sorbate (0.025%). Powdered sucrose
was also added to nullify the acidity taste of added preservatives. The processed sugarcane
juice after addition of preservatives was transferred to sterile conical flasks, cotton plugged,
and exposed to gamma radiation at ambient temperature (26°C ± 2 °C) in a Gamma Chamber
dose rate, 5.5 kGy/h. Radiation dosimetry was performed using ceric-cerous sulfate
dosimeters (ASTM 1993). After radiation processing, the samples were stored at 3 different
temperatures, ambient (26°C ± 2°C), 4°C, and 10°C.

The combination of citric acid (0.3%), sodium benzoate (0.015%), and potassium
sorbate (0.025%) reduced the bacterial and fungal count until day 7 of storage at ambient
temperature without much affecting the taste of juice. However, sucrose (5% to 10%) was
added to reduce the sour taste of the juice due to addition of these acids. Samples with
sucrose (10%) and citric acid (0.3%), sodium benzoate (0.015%), and potassium sorbate
(0.025%) rated better in organoleptic evaluation. A 5 kGy dose was found to be sufficient to
achieve the complete microbial decontamination of processed juice and hence this dose was
used to prolong the shelf life. Thus, addition of preservatives is helpful in reducing the dose
requirement from 10 to 5 kGy. On the other hand, juice treated with 0.3% citric acid and 5 kGy
radiation dose showed an increase of 3 log cycle of TBC and YMC by day 7. Also, a
combination of citric acid (0.3%), sodium benzoate (0.015%), potassium sorbate (0.025%),
sucrose (10%), and 5 kGy gamma radiation dose was found to be effective in preserving raw
sugarcane juice. This combination increased the shelf life of juice up to 15 d under ambient
storage (26°C ± 2 °C) conditions and up to 35 d at 10 °C without adversely affecting its
biochemical, antioxidant, and organoleptic attributes, whereas microbial load was reduced
below detectable level.

The cost to build a commercial cobalt-60 food irradiation plant is in the range of US $3
million to $5 million (based on research by the University of Wisconsin), depending on its size,
processing capacity, and other factors. This is within the range of plant costs for other
technologies. For example, a moderately-sized, ultra-high temperature plant for sterilizing
milk, fruit juices, and other liquids costs about US $2 million. A small, vapour-heat treatment
plant for disinfestations of fruits costs about US $1 million.
3.0 METHODOLOGY

3.1 MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENTS

• Materials: sugarcanes, lime

• Equipment: Filter, multi-effect evaporator, conveyer belt, centrifuge, crusher,
shredder

3.2 PROCEDURES

transportation freeze shredder crusher

continous
purify heat filter
clarifier

multiple effect
dilution canning freeze
evaporators

store
Transportation

Export the sugarcanes from the supplier in a frozen state (-18 C) to maintain the freshness of
the cane and prevent microbes from growing, which will affect the shelf life of the canes.

Pre-storage

After peeling, store the canes in the freezer, within 24 hours, until further use. Make sure to
keep them in food grade plastic bag inner agricultural mash outer bags to allow the canes to
stay fresh. This will ease the workers during transportation in processing the sugarcane juice.

Equipment and tools

Sterilize everything that will be in contact directly to the canes, including cans, tools and
equipment, in order to avoid contamination which will cause the canes to deteriorate faster.

Juice Extraction

On arrival at the sugar processing plant, sugarcane is loaded onto a conveyor table. It passes
through various sugar equipment including a shredder, which uses a series of knives to chop
the cane into smaller lengths and shred it into finer pieces. This process exposes the inner
material of the sugarcane and prepares it for efficient juice extraction. The shredded cane then
proceeds to a crusher, which uses a set of roller mills to extract the juice. A counter current
stream of maceration water is used to remove the juice from the crusher.

An alternative method of juice extraction is by diffusion; however, this typically is only

employed in regions where sugarcane quality is high. Although the efficiency of extraction is
higher using diffusion, the process uses large amounts of water, which adds to the cost of
water treatment.
Clarification

Sugarcane juice from the extraction process contains many impurities. The juice is
heated and purified by the addition of flocculation aids and lime. Heat helps to kill natural
enzymes in the juice, which would otherwise break down the sucrose. Lime is a suspension
of calcium hydroxide in solution and increases the pH of the juice from its natural acidic level
to a neutral pH of 7.0. The control of pH is critical throughout sugar processing. Sucrose
hydrolyses to glucose and fructose at a pH less than 7.0 and all of these sugars decompose
substantially at a pH greater than 11.5.

Sugar cane juice can turn brown and oxidized quickly, due to the high pH content in it.
To lower the pH content, add citrus fruit, such as lemon, lime or grapefruit. The colour of the
sugar cane juice will be light green for a longer time, as this action will also help to prolong the
shelf life of the juice.The neutralized juice is pumped to a continuous clarifier where it is
inoculated with flocculants. Clear juice flows off the top part of the vessel, while flocculated
impurities, called muds, settle at the bottom.

Concentration

Clarified juice is processed through multiple-effect evaporators – which are often

comprised of three to five stages of evaporation to concentrate the juice. From a consistency
of 10-15 percent sucrose, the juice is concentrated to a syrup containing 55-59 percent
sucrose.
3.3 MACHINE CAPACITY

Name : 15HP speed cleaner plastic bottle

crusher sugar cane crusher machine/metal
plastic shredder
Capacity : 300-400kg/hr
Dimension: 1300mmx1000mmx1530mm
Power : 11kW

Name : Food industry vibrating screening

machine for sugarcane juice liquid filter
Capacity : 10 – 10,000 kg/hr
Dimension: 1360mmx1360mmx1160mm
Power : 1.5kW

Name : Automatic continuous disc type

milk whey centrifuge clarifier
Capacity : 12,000 kg/hr
Dimension : 1250mmx1000mmx1550mm
Power : 18.5kW
Name : Multi effect evaporator for high
difficult industrial sewage
treatment
Capacity : 2,000 kg/hr
Dimension : 1650mmx1500mmx1550mm
Power : 18.5kW

Name : Adjustable speed mini portable

food industry conveyor belt
Capacity :-
Dimension : 1200mm
Power : 60W
3.4 MASS BALANCE CALCULATION

x = soluble solid (sugar)

y= water
 Feed
800 kg/hr

Auto – 300 – 400

kg/h
Solid waste
11 kW Crusher 440 kg/hr
Manual – 300 - 350
kg/h
1.1 kW Juice
360 kg/hr
x=15%
y=85%
Impurities
10 kg/hr – 10 000 20 kg/hr
Filter x=100%
kg/hr
1.5 kW y=0%
Juice
340 kg/hr
x=22%
y=78%

Juice
12 000 kg/hr Clarifier 408 kg/hr
18.5 kW x=0%
y=100%
Juice
748 kg/hr
x=10%
y=90%
Steam
2000 kg/hr 612 kg/hr
18.5 kW Evaporator x=0%
y=100%
Juice
136 kg/hr
x=55%
y=45%

Water
Dilution 359 kg/hr
x=0%
y=100%
Juice
495 kg/hr
x=15%
y=85%

Canning/Packaging
4.0 ESTIMATED COST

4.1 RAW MATERIALS INCLUDING PACKAGING MATERIALS

Description Amount

Sugarcane
2,200
Empty cans
800
Labels
473
Total
3,473

4.2 UTILITIES

Description Amount

Power
9,000
Water
1,000

Total
10,000
4.3 MACHINERIES AND EQUIPMENT

Description Amount (RM)

Food industry vibrating screening machine

for sugarcane juice liquid filter 12,000

Multi effect evaporator for high difficult

industrial sewage treatment 30,000

Adjustable speed mini portable food

industry conveyor belt 800

Automatic continuous disc type milk whey

centrifuge clarifier 100,000

15HP speed cleaner plastic bottle crusher

sugar cane crusher machine/metal plastic 7,500
shredder
Manual sugarcane juicer crusher machine
commercial sugarcane 1,800

Cobalt-60 food irradiation plant

10,800,000

Total 10,952,100
5.0 JUSTIFICATION AND REASONING

The purposes of this study are very important to boost the production of sugarcane
juice by improving a sugarcane juice extraction machine, fabricated and constructed. The juice
extraction machine, or crusher in exact, may increase the efficiency and the rate of juice
extraction during the production. So, at the end of the project, the required improvements are
the modification for the crusher machine, the use of gamma ray and also the use of
preservatives.

Extraction machine of sugarcane juice is a combination of shafts, gears of varying

sizes, pulley, crushing rollers, bearings, fasteners, the metal framework and prime mover or
power source (Soetan, 2008). In this project, we will focus on upgrading the crushing rollers
of sugarcane juice extractor because the production of crusher can be affordable to industries
that can go a long way in satisfying the needs of the masses during production. The design
must include the details of actual crushing force (strength), crusher diameter, length and actual
power selected for the electric motor. (Ugye & Oladele, 2019). These rollers must be made
from stainless steel due to their ability to handle food materials without getting them
contaminated. Stainless steel does not rust or corrode, which makes them ideal for food
handling, and thereby, sugarcane juice handling (MAKINDE-OJO, 2010).

For example, the machine from PT 6-2HP sugarcane juice machine extract max is
equipped with six rollers in the machine, allowing 6-7 sugarcane to run though the compressor
in one time. Next, from ZAMA sugarcane juicer, industrial strength model can accommodate
6 or 7 cane sticks at one time. For 1 hp motor, it has a productivity of 250 kg/hr, where the
maximum insertion size of the sugarcane can be 57.15 mm in diameter, and adequately
crushes the sugarcane with one insertion (ZAMA, 2010). In achieving the aim of increasing of
production to 1 tonne per month, we have taken an alternative to double the number of the
crusher machine. If one machine can use 6-7 cane sticks per run, then two machines can use
12-14 cane sticks instead. Hence, this helps to significantly raise our production of sugarcane
juice per month.

So, the advantage in using more numbers of crushing rollers will not only be beneficial
in increasing the volume of sugarcane juice produced, but it also can ensure the end product
to smooth, with no lumps. The number of rollers crushing super foaming helps to contribute
the good taste of sugarcane juice. Thus, the juice from the sugarcane can be 100% extracted.
 Figure 1: Extraction Sugarcane Juice Machine With 6 Crushing Rollers.

Furthermore, after extracting the sugarcane juice, preservative is one of the solutions
to avoid the juice spoilage, especially from a lactic acid bacteria and yeasts during the storage.
This is because sugarcane juiced can easily turn to brown colour after its extraction, and it is
very challenging to maintain its freshness. Based on (Mishra, Gautam, & Sharma, 2011), the
suitable preservative used for sugarcane juice are citric acid (0.3%), sodium benzoate
(0.015%), potassium sorbate (0.025%), and sucrose (10%). Citric acid is used to lower the pH
value and to inhibit the browning and microbial growth, while sodium benzoate and potassium
sorbate are added for bacteriostatic and fungistatic effects. Moreover, sucrose is added to
reduce the sour taste of the juice because it is non-reducing sugar, which means that it is very
stable in alkaline medium. Lastly, the addition of these preservatives will not affect the phenolic
content and flavonoids as stated by (Mishra et al., 2011).

Last but not least, the combination of gamma radiation with permitted preservatives
will also increase the shelf life of raw sugarcane juice for more than a month. Such processed
juice was irradiated at different doses of gamma radiation (1 to 10 kGy) for complete
elimination of bacterial, yeast, and mould count. From previous study, researcher found that
the complete microbial decontamination of processed juice using gamma radiation will be
sufficient at 5 kGy dose. Thus, addition of preservatives was helpful in reducing the dose
requirement from 10 to 5 kGy (Mishra et al., 2011). However, gamma radiation tends to be
used only in big or multinational companies due to the requirement of high cost in running this
type of preservative, especially in building the plant. The small or medium companies still can
achieve a successful sugarcane juice production by implying the flow of method stated before,
with an affordable budget.
6.0 REFERENCES

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Testing Of A Sugarcane Juice Extractor For The Cottage Industry By Makinde-Ojo ,
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Juice Using Preservatives and Gamma Radiation Processing. 76(8).
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