Thailand

Workshop

Insoluble and Soluble Starch

from Sugarcane

1. Characteristics of sugarcane starch

2. How insoluble starch persists across the factory
3. Soluble and insoluble starch - how they affect processing
 What is Starch?
A Tangled Ball of Glucose Chains
amylopectin
amylose

Crusher Juice

Insoluble
Starch Granule
1 to 5 micron in size
 Sugarcane Starch Characteristics

Parameter Sugarcane
Concentration of starch in juice
Up to 6,000*
(ppm/Brix)
Average size of starch (μm) 2.8
Size range of starch (μm) 1-5
Shape of starch Irregular spherical
Gelatinization temperature (˚C) 75.2
Amylose content (%) 16 – 22.5
Susceptibility to a-amylase after
100
10 to 60 min digestion (%)
Swelling of starch at 80 ˚C
30
(swelling factor)
* Used new USDA starch method

From: Alves et al (2014). Carbohdry. Polymers

Eggleston et al (2015). Sugar Tech.
 Corn Potato Sugarcane

Grass Family Easy to solubilize (3-5 min boiling Grass Family

Hard to solubilize in water) Hard to solubilize
Commercially available Commercially available Not Commercially
Different amylose:amylopectin available
ratio to grass starches
 Starch Transitions with Heat and Time

Hydrolysis of Corn starch

A Model for Sugarcane Samples
25°C 50°C 77°C 96°C 108°C

insoluble swelling swollen disintegrating soluble

Heat & Water

 Up Until 2013 it Was Presumed:

Amylases

insoluble Soluble
(amylose and
Clarification & amylopectin)

Evaporation

But now we know this is not the case…

 Increasing Starch as Samples are Boiled?

ICUMSA GS1-17 method Factory Syrup

1,700

1,650
f(x) = 2.0498328022741 x + 1487.85267087155
R² = 0.965849544837162
Starch (ppm/Brix)

1,600

1,550

1,500

1,450

1,400
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Boiling time (min)

From: Eggleston G, et al. (2013a). Sugar Industry Technologists, Inc., 72: 326-339.
But now we know insoluble starch can exist in large
quantities in downstream products
View under No iodine added With Iodine (Filtered)
microscope

Final Evaporated
Syrup

65% insoluble starch

Factory Raw Sugar
Understanding Starch Persistence in Downstream
Sugar Products (Boiling House)

If insoluble starch is not solubilized in the

clarification process…
Then, it most likely persists in sugar products!

Sugarcane starch behaves much more like corn starch in the factory than potato starch
(much slower to solubilize across the factory)
 USDA Research Method
Total, Soluble, and Insoluble Starches
Step 1: Gelatinization Step 2: Sonication
Factory Product

Step 1 Step 2

X Y
• Step 3: Sample Analysis
Advantages
Treated Not
• Total Processing Time: 6 min
Treated • Processing limitation (15 Brix):
267,000 ppm/Brix Insoluble Starch
Y X Z • Applicable to all Factory Products & By-
Products
Total Starch Soluble Insoluble • Incorporates Color Blank
Starch Starch
 Multiple Problems
Associated with Insoluble
Starch at the Factory and
Refinery
 Problem

Starch has been increasing worldwide due to

one or a combination of following:
• (a) green (unburnt) cane mechanical
• harvesting
• (b) newer varieties
• (c) varying environmental conditions

Eggleston and Monge, 1999 to 2011

 Crusher Juice

1 to 5 micron in size

Eggleston et al. (2016). ISJ, in prepn.

 Insoluble Starch Exists in Raw Sugars and
White, Refined Sugars
ICUMSA
USDA Research Method
GS1-17
Sugar Sample Soluble Insoluble
Total Starch Total Starch
Starch Starch
(ppm/Brix) (ppm/Brix)
(ppm/Brix) (ppm/Brix)
Raw Sugar A 445 793 644 149
Raw Sugar C 577 1250 994 256
Raw Sugar D 430 1104 709 396
Refined Sugar I n.d. 94 91 3
Refined Sugar J 6 160 135 25
Refined Sugar K n.d. 47 37 10
n.d. = not detected

Cole et al (2014). Proc. SIT, Canada.

Starch Transitions with Heat and Time and How it Affects
Viscosity in the Factory
 Viscosity (index values)
Heating from 20 °C to 95 °C and
cooling to 20°C

swelling

n
io
at
Vacuum Pan/

ad
Gelatinization

gr
Granule

Crystallizers

tr o
Re
Temperature
(°C)


Mixed Clarification/
Juice Evaporation
 amylase application to A2 amylase application to A3

87 oC 65 oC 87 oC 65 oC

Pre A1 1 A2 2 A3 3 Pre A1 A2 1 A3 2

Clarified Clarified
Juice Pre B1 B2 B3 Juice Pre B1 B2 B3

Pre C1 C2 C3 Pre C1 C2 C3

Amylase added to A2
Amylase added to A3
Wherever the
amylase was
Brix Adjusted added the viscosity
Viscosity of the syrup was
reduced slightly
but significantly
Higher Sugarcane Starch Levels and Low Commercial Amylase Activities
Caused Some LA Factories to Add V. High Doses of Amylase in 2011
-Still Did Not Attain Starch Below Penalty Levels

 amylase was added to the last evaporator only

 We later found out that this factory had ≥ 65% insoluble starch in
the final evaporator syrups!
 In 2012, seven factories in Louisiana had difficulties making
raw sugar with starch levels below the penalty level (250 ppm)
across the season

penalty level
 Insoluble Starch is a Major Cause Filterability
Problems of Raw Sugars at the Refinery
Quality Control Check Good Filtering Poor Filtering
Powdered Sugar from
Raw Sugar Raw Sugar Raw Sugar Raw Sugar
Domino (3% or
30,000ppm/Brix) #6 #5 #4 #3

GS 1-17
Total Starch 7,680 963 674 1,307 3,328
(ppm/Brix)
USDA
Total Starch 27,127 205 176 698 2,142
(ppm/Brix)
Soluble
Starch 49 75 158 91 90
(ppm/Brix) 
Insoluble
Starch 27,077 130 18 606 2,051
(ppm/Brix) 
% Soluble 0.2% 36.7% 89.8% 13.1% 4.2%
% Insoluble 99.8% 63.3% 10.2% 86.9% 95.8%
Not only was the total starch greater in the “Poor” filtering sugars, but 87% of the starch
was insoluble!
 Filterability Problem (Carbonatation Refinery)

Filterability problems are caused by insoluble starch

(percursor to swollen starch)!

Insoluble Swollen Soluble

Filterability Problem (Phosphatation Refinery) Refinery)

“I think insoluble starch may be creating unwanted channels in our
ion exchanger and interfering with other decolorization processes”
- Jack Thompson, LSR
What was Known About Starch in the Carbonatation
Refinery

• Total starch affects CaCO3 crystal growth (fines < 5μm)

• Suspended solids (<5 µm) can affect all types of refineries by

blocking filtration.

• It was not known which starch form affects the refinery and
how.

• Raw sugars entering the refinery are often tested for filterability
in the hope of predicting carbonatation performance (e.g.,
Domino method).

Cole et al, 2015. ASSCT, USA.

 Both Starch Types Produce CaCO3 Fines
Smaller CaCO3 Crystals (More Fines)

52% Insoluble/48% Soluble

89% Insoluble/11% Soluble Control
9
Both Insoluble &
8 soluble starch
11% Insoluble/89% Soluble produce CaCO3
7
fines.
6

Cole et al, 2015. ASSCT, USA.

 How Does the Ratio of Insoluble to Soluble Starch
Affect Press Filtration?
250 ppm Total Starch

35
Most Common Starch
Good

30 Ratio in Raw Sugars

25
Flow Rate (mL/s)

20
15
10
Bad

5
0
0% : 100% 20% : 80% 55% : 45% 80% : 20% 100% : 0%
Ratio of Insoluble /Soluble Starch (%)

Cole et al, 2015. ASSCT, USA.

Summary: Processing Areas Detrimentally Affected by the
Presence of Insoluble Starch at the Sugarcane Factory and
Refinery
Factory Refinery
Increases viscosity and reduced Impedes carbonation clarification and
recoverable sugar filtration processes

Strongly impedes the action of amylase to Causes the consumption of considerably

control starch more lime during carbonatation
clarification

Creates unwanted channels in

decolorization beds

May also be the cause of acid beverage

floc as it was never detected before

Eggleston (2016). ICUMSA.