Refined sugar is the most popular and well known sugar in the developed world. Everybody knows what ICUMSA 45 sugar looks like, even if they don’t actually know what the term ‘ICUMSA 45′ means. Of course, those in the sugar industry know that this term is used to describe highly refined, sparkling white sugar – or white sugar, as it is known to most consumers.

The process by which sugar is refined is very interesting. After all, sugar starts off in life as a piece of cane, or perhaps even a beet, and when the brown raw sugar juice is first extracted from the cane or beet, it hardly seems likely that the sparkling white crystals that are spooned over cereals and into cups of coffee in millions of homes the world over could have originated from such an unlikely place.

There are many ways to refine sugar, though the different processes used in refineries across the globe normally follow a series of basic steps. In no particular order, these steps are boiling, centrifuging or affination, crystallization, and carbonization. These steps are generally combined in a variety of different ways to purify sugar, remove the unwanted coloration, and produce high quality sugar that is suitable for human consumption.

The typical sugar refining sequence goes thus: boiling, centrifuging, carbonization, boiling, crystallization, and finally centrifuging once more. This is far from being set in stone however, much like the old adage about skinning a cat, there is more than one way to refine sugar. Some refineries may repeat one step several times, but miss others out completely, such as in the Russian ‘one strike’ refining technique, which involves no centrifugal stage whatsoever, but a much more intensive carbonization stage which uses a great deal of milk of lime to remove impurities.

A typical generic refining process is outlined here in order to explain the various stages in greater detail.

As has been mentioned, sugar starts life as either sugar beet or sugar cane. It makes no difference to the final product whether sugar is extracted from beet or cane, and which is used generally depends on the climate in which the sugar is being produced. Sugar cane does better in tropical and subtropical climates, whereas sugar beet can withstand colder conditions. In either case, the sucrose needs to be extracted from the plant in order to make sugar. Sugar cane is relatively simple to extract sucrose from, as it has a high moisture level, and shredding and crushing the cane results in sucrose rich juice pouring out. Sugar beets, which are less popular than sugar cane as a source of sugar, but which can grow in conditions that sugar cane would die in, as for instance in the icy Russian climate, require a little more processing. Sugar beets are normally washed and thinly sliced, then placed into a hot water diffuser, where, like thousands of little tea bags, they are subjected to flowing hot water which leeches the sucrose out of the flesh of the beet.

In the case of refining sugar from sugar cane, once the raw juice has been extracted it is necessary to process it to extract the sucrose from the raw brown juice. In some cases the juice may first be boiled to reduce water content, or strained to remove any large particles of cane or beet which have snuck through into the juice.

Raw sugar is produced by evaporating the water away, leaving a thick brown mass of sugar which can contain a great deal of bacteria and other contaminants.

In order to refine it into ICUMSA 45 sugar, it must undergo several stages of refining. In the first of these, a process known as ‘affination’, the raw sugar is mixed with a thick, high sucrose liquid. The mixing of the sucrose liquid and the raw sugar creates a substance called “magma”. This magma is then sent into a centrifugal chamber and spun at high speed. Spinning the magma in this way separates the solid crystal parts of the sugar out from the brown liquid, which is known as molasses.

An alternative to this procedure is not to evaporate the water from the raw sugar juice but to simply boil it, allow it to crystallize, and then centrifuge it to remove the sugar. The sugar that emerges from this process is VHP sugar, a raw sugar with a very high sucrose content which can then be sent straight to the carbonization or phosphation stages of refining.

During production of VHP sugar, the liquid that driven off from the sugar in the first centrifugal process is known as first molasses. This will be boiled and centrifuged again to produce second molasses, and then once more to produce third molasses, otherwise known as blackstrap molasses. The sugar from these two centrifugal stages is dissolved in water and then centrifuged once more to create more VHP sugar. VHP sugar was originally a product of Brazil, and it is still Brazil’s most plentiful sugar export.

In some mills, especially Brazilian mills, this is all the processing that the sugar will undergo. VHP sugar is then sent off to other refineries, generally in other countries.

Whether a refinery is working with imported VHP sugar, or whether it has taken raw sugar and partially purified it through affination, it is necessary to remove the coloration and microscopic contaminants that are still present in the sugar.

This is achieved by a process called carbonization, which involves dissolving the sugar crystals in to a solution that is 50% sugar and 50% liquid. Milk of lime is then added to this solution, and as it travels through the solution it forms calcium carbonate deposits which attract impurities and lock them away inside the deposits. The calcium carbonate settles at the bottom of the tank and is separated from the solution which is now entirely sucrose and water. An alternative to this process involves the use of phosphorous, which performs a very similar function, cleaning out impurities and leaving only sucrose in the liquid solution. If phosphorous is used, this stage is usually known as phosphation.

Once the decontamination and decolorization stage is finished, it is time to remove the water and let sugar crystals grow. In order to achieve this, the sucrose and water solution is boiled to remove the excess water, and sugar dust is sprinkled into the concentrated solution to encourage the growth of sucrose crystals. Once grown, the crystals are once more spun in the centrifugal chamber to remove the remaining liquid.

Et voila. The final product is highly refined sugar, free from contaminants and ready to be packaged and shipped to supermarkets for consumers to purchase, or to manufacturers who will use it in foodstuffs.

Sugar from Brazilian Sugar Refineries

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Sugar buyers are often warned about scams in the sugar industry. Because this is such a large industry, and because there are so many dealers and brokers, not to mention buyers, sellers, and mills in the world, it can sometimes be difficult to gage what is a good, safe deal, and what is not.

Much of the sugar trading process is designed to provide reassurance and proof that both the buyer and the seller are acting in good faith. Normally in order to conduct a successful sugar trade, a buyer must submit a letter of intent, followed by banking details which allow the seller to conduct a soft probe of the buyer’s accounts and ascertain whether or not funds really are in place to cover the cost of the trade, then a contract must be signed and a stand by letter of credit (or bank guarantee) supplied which serves as guarantee that the buyer will perform. The guarantee is usually an amount equal to several months worth of shipments, and can be drawn upon if the buyer does not pay. The seller normally provides a soft quote, then a firm corporate offer, as well as a proof of product, and a performance bond (2% of the total value) in the form of a letter of credit or bank guarantee. The seller must also sign the contract which is agreed upon by both parties, and it is the seller’s responsibility to have the sugar shipment inspected by independent SGS inspectors before it leaves the port. These inspection certificates are normally required in order for the seller to obtain payment.

As is fairly obvious even from that brief and simplified description, the sugar trading process has safeguard after safeguard built into it, yet still there are instances where buyers can scammed. This most often occurs when buyers get greedy, and seeing offers for large amounts of sugar at rock bottom prices leap at the chance to get a deal. The fact of the matter is that sugar is normally traded on the international market at a fairly fixed price, and discounts are rare. There are two red flags that should prompt any buyer to be wary, and those are heavily discounted sugar, and inordinately large amounts of sugar.

Buyers should be aware that it is not only unscrupulous brokers who sometimes claim to have access to sugar that does not exist, sometimes a mill will claim to have large amounts of sugar that they simply do not have. Scam offers often claim that the sugar is a result of a canceled order, or is simply a ‘bargain’ offer. Buyers flock to take advantage of these offers, but then find that the proof of product (POP) is not forthcoming, or worse, a fraudulent POP has been issued.

Buyers need to know the market in which they are buying, and understand it before they start trying to buy sugar. Brazil is the largest exporter of sugar in the world, but most of this sugar is VHP raw sugar. If you are trying to purchase ICUMSA 45 sugar, you should be aware that relatively small amounts of ICUMSA 45 sugar are produced in Brazil, and the bulk of this sugar is made for existing buyers. There is no such thing as an order of 70-100 million tons, so do not be fooled. If an offer seems substantially better than the bulk of other offers on the market, it is highly likely that it is a scam offer.

If you need large amounts of sugar, be prepared to secure these in advance. Most buyers who require large amounts of Brazilian sugar have deals which may last for a year or more, and involve multiple smaller shipments over a period of time. Brazilian sugar is also heavily traded on the futures market, and it may be possible to secure a deal for sugar which has yet to be produced, or even planted. Most of the ICUMSA 45 produced in Brazil is secured in this fashion, so be prepared to make a long term commitment if you are serious about securing an ongoing and reliable sugar supply.

The good news is that sugar prices have been trending downwards for some time now, however since Brazil has begun using sugar to produce Ethanol fuel, a lot of it will be used in that manner and there will be less of it to go around. Future sugar secured at today’s prices could prove to be a good investment if the price of sugar rises again in the coming years.

Essentially, buying sugar is like making any other major purchase. Buyers need to do their research and be realistic about what is on offer. Most people wouldn’t try to buy a Lamborghini Countach that was advertised for $50.00, because they would be aware that a car normally worth over $100,000 just isn’t going to be sold for $50.00. The same logic applies to sugar trading. At the time of writing, sugar prices are currently around ten cents per pound. Therefore, offers selling sugar for four cents a pound are likely to be scams. It is quite easy to obtain data on the current price of sugar, one simply needs to consult the Intercontinental Commodities Exchange (ICE), formerly known as the NYBOT.

Whether buyers are acting independently, or using the services of a broker, they need to do the necessary research to understand whether or not they are getting a good deal, and whether or not deals proposed to them are likely to be scams. Most sugar scams are not perpetrated by mastermind criminals using advanced technology. Most of them are fairly simple to see through as long as the buyer has their wits about them, only enters into reasonable deals, and takes all due care to see that documentation is authentic.

As a buyer, your success at securing a reliable sugar source is largely in your own hands. Yes there are scammers out there, but there are also a great many honest sellers, brokers, and mills who will contribute to the success of your operations rather than cheating you out of your hard earned dollars. Seek out reliable suppliers and brokers in the same fashion you would seek out any other kind of business partner, and don’t waste time chasing after impossible deals which will only result in disappointment, and sometimes even financial ruin.

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Sugar has become such an important staple of many modern diets that it seems hard to believe that there was once a time when the sweet white crystals which are now consumed by the ton could not be found anywhere in the world.

The first sugar is said to have been cultivated in ancient India, where archaeological evidence suggests that sugar cane was grown there around 10,000 BC. Sugar cane cultivation also occurred in the South Pacific, and there is evidence to support the theory that the natives of the Polynesian Islands may have also cultivated sugar cane as early as 6,000 BC. Where sugar cane actually originated is a hotly debated point in some circles, but the current popular theory is that it originated in Polynesia, and was taken to India in an event now lost in the mists of prehistory.

Though Indians and Polynesians grew sugar cane for the purposes of extracting the sweetness within (it was quite common for sugar cane to be chewed upon, not unlike a modern confection), the first large scale sugar producing operations are said to have originated in Arabia, where Indian sugar growing techniques were refined and adapted into ones which were suitable for mass production. The Indian sugar secret was discovered by the Arabs in 510 BC, when Persia invaded Indoa. The techniques which the Persians developed were transported with them to North Africa and Spain, where further sugar producing operations were set up.

It was not until the Crusades that the West learned of the existence of sugar, and it was 1099 AD before sugar came to be known in England. As trade routes between the East and the West opened up, imports of sugar became more common, though sugar was a very highly priced commodity and luxury. Some sources suggest that at one time, sugar was as valuable as gold.

Sugar plantations began to be established in many tropical climates in the 15th century, with the Canary Islands, and the Azores being sites of large plantations. It was towards the end of this time that the Portuguese discovered sugar and took it to Brazil, where it was very successful.

The first sugar cane plantations are recorded in Brazil in 1516, and the first commercial sugar operation was begun in 1550. The first Brazilian refinery was built in northern state of Pernambuco, and refineries are still being built in the Pernambuco region to this day. Sugar plantations are therefore not just a modern economic triumph for Brazil, in some ways they are also historical artifacts.

By 1540, there were around three thousand sugar mills operating in the ‘New World’, a region of the world largely comprising the Americas. These mills sparked a small boom in manufacturing in Europe because of the need for cast iron parts and other mechanical elements, and a great deal of entirely new techniques were developed in this period as mill owners sought out ways to make their mills more productive.

Columbus also took sugar cane to grow in the Caribbean in the 1600′s. It was quickly discovered that the Caribbean climate was eminently suited to growing sugar cane, and large scale growing operations were founded there in short order.
By the mid 1700′s there were one hundred and twenty sugar refineries operating in Britain Between them, these refineries are estimated to have produced around 30,000 tons of refined sugar every year. However, in spite of this increased production, sugar was a luxury, and was heavily taxed by the government, making it a special spice that only the rich could afford.

This had all changed by the end of the 18th century when Britain and Europe saw the first ‘sugar boom’. Production was high, prices were low, and sugar was a commodity within reach of all members of society, even the poor. This was due to the flourishing of large plantations which Europeans had set up on Carribean islands using slave labor, and the abolishing of the sugar tax, which had inflated prices for a long time. Where it was once used almost exclusively as a sweetener for hot beverages, sugar began to be used in a range of confectionery and chocolates, and was sometimes even sold to be eaten on its own, usually in cone form.

During this time, sugar production began to undergo a revolution. Steam engines found a place in the sugar industry, and the first steam engine powered mill began operations in 1768 on the island of Jamaica. The development of the steam powered mill was followed by innovation in the processes by which sugar cane juice was boiled. Edward Charles Howard, a British chemist, developed a closed vessel system in 1813 which enabled more sugar to be extracted from the raw sugar cane juice, because the closed vessel was under higher pressure, and the water therefore boiled at a lower temperature, evaporating away and leaving the sugar crystals unharmed. Prior to this a great deal of sugar was lost due to overheating and caremalization.

Norbert Rillieux, an African-American engineer further improved upon this design in around 1845 when he came up with a multi-stage closed evaporating system, where the solution moved through a series of chambers, each of which was at a lower pressure than the one before, and each of which was also heated by the steam extracted from the vessel before. This was a highly efficient and effective means of evaporating water from sugar cane juice, and multi-stage evaporators are still used in some refineries to this day.

Sugar cane was the primary source of sugar right up until towards the end of the 19th century. Sugar beet came to be a major source of sugar in Europe during the late 1800′s when the Napoleonic wars began, and Britain cut off trading routes to Europe, forcing the Europeans to find alternate sources of sugar. The sweetness of sugar beet had been noted over a hundred years earlier, but it wasn’t until the war that methods were developed to extract the sugar from the beet. England did not turn to sugar beet until the first World War, when its own sugar imports began to encounter difficulties.

Sugar has grown over centuries to be a major commodity in the world market. Today’s sugar market is a complicated place, with many nations imposing tarrifs and other trade restrictions on sugar, pushing up prices within some countries. Other countries subsidize sugar heavily, making it incredibly cheap.

Sugar cane is still the primary source of sugar, and the major producers of sugar are now Brazil and India, who are neck and neck in the sugar production stakes. Sugar beet is still grown in Europe and Russia, though it makes up but a fraction of the total world sugar production. The world leader in sugar exports is presently Brazil, though this may change if India decides to enter the sugar export market more heavily.

World sugar production is now over 45 million tons per year. There is now so much sugar produced that supply currently outstrips demand by around 23%. This has lead to a decline in sugar prices in recent months, and many nations, including the European Union are now cutting back on production in order to stop wastage.

Though sugar production outstrips sugar consumption at present time, sugar consumption grows every year as populations increase and traditional diets in many Asian nations give way to more Westernized ones. A sweet treat that has established itself firmly in the global diet, it would be no great surprise if sugar was still a major commodity in another 10,000 years time.

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2008 has seen the continuation of the general downturn of the global sugar market with regards to sugar prices, but surprisingly buoyant sugar growers are continuing to produce vast amounts of sugar each year, in spite of the fact that there is a global surplus of well over 10 million tons predicted for 2008. Many nations, notably Brazil, Thailand, India, and Australia, are in a process of ramping up sugar cane growing, sugar production, and sugar exports.

Interestingly enough, if these figures are compared with global sugar production figures, it is abundantly clear that being a large sugar producer does not immediately equate to being a large sugar exporter. China, for instance, does not even appear of the table of top sugar exporters, but it is the world’s fourth largest producer of sugar. Thailand, on the other hand, is the world’s second largest sugar exporter, but is only the world’s fifth largest sugar producer, lagging almost 5 million tons behind China in terms of actual sugar production.

Global demand for sugar is increasing steadily by around two percent a year. This demand is being fueled by population growth, and the Westernization of traditional diets, especially those in Asia and the Middle East. In 2007/2008, it is estimated that global sugar consumption may exceed 155 million tons, a figure which has increased substantially since 1991/1992 when global sugar consumption was only 110 million tons. Exporters may be able to command a lower price in 2008 than they may have grown accustomed to receiving over the past decade, but with consumption steadily rising, production and exports are likely to remain high as well.

The sugar export data below refers largely to the 2006/2007 period which has now ended and is therefore complete, though some forecasts for the 2007/2008 period are also included.

Brazil 22.2 (20.9 million tons in 2008) Brazil easily sits at the top of the sugar exporting table, exporting five times more sugar than any other country. Brazil produced over 35 million tons of sugar in this period, but domestic consumption accounts for around 14 million tons of Brazilian sugar production. Brazilians are well known for their love not only of producing sugar, but consuming it, (the average Brazilian consumes 55 kilograms of sugar every year) and will also happily purchase sugar regardless of fluctuations in the price. Brazil’s increased sugar production in spite of the tumbling of world sugar prices reflects the healthy margins that Brazilian sugar producers expect to see even when sugar prices fall. Unfortunately, with unfavorable exchange rates between the BRL and the US Dollar, and the increased cost of equipment associated with sugar production, not to mention the increased cost of transporting sugar around the world as fuel prices rise, profit margins are dropping for Brazil’s sugar producers, though not enough for sugar production to take a significant hit.

Thailand 4.5 (5.8 million tons in 2008) Thailand exports the bulk of its sugar, up to 70% of it, in fact. Because Thai people are not traditionally huge sugar consumers, though this is rapidly changing, especially in major cities, the majority of Thai sugar is free to be exported around the world. Thailand sells mostly to neighboring Asian countries, and is continuing to increase production in spite of the falling sugar prices which are currently impacting the world’s sugar exporting nations.

Australia – 3.9 million tons. Australia has been quietly climbing up the ranks as a sugar exporter with barely a murmur of excitement. Now the world’s third largest exporter of sugar in spite of the fact that it is only the world’s seventh largest sugar producer, Australia exports a very large percentage of its sugar crop every year, with exports in some states, such as Queensland, accounting for almost 80% of all sugar grown there.

SADC 2.3 million tons. The SADC is a community of African countries, and the title SADC stands for Southern African Development Community. The major sugar producing countries in this coalition are Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. South Africa produces the bulk of the sugar of the SADC, exceeding 50% of total production in previous years. In the 2007 growing season, South Africa produced about 2.25 million tons out of a total production of around 5.2 million tons. As a direct result, South Africa also exports more than any other country in the SADC, exporting about 1.1 million tons in the 2007 season. The second largest exporter in the group was Mauritius, with exports of around half a million tons of sugar, followed by Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and Malawi.

Guatemala 1.9 million tons. The third largest producer of sugar in Latin America, Guatemala is the fifth highest sugar exporting nation in the world. Similarly to Thailand and Australia, it consumes relatively little of its own produce, and exports around 75% of its sugar. The achievement of being the world’s fifth largest sugar exporting nation is especially exceptional when one considers that it was only just over a decade ago that 36 years of civil war came to an end.

India 1.34 million tons. (Up to four million tons in 2008) India’s sugar exports were very low in the 2006/2007 season despite a high production level because of the Indian government banning exports in 2006 in a bid to try and stop prices from spiraling out of control. Exports were reintroduced in 2007 on a small scale, and are expected to almost triple in 2008. India is the second largest sugar producing nation in the world, vying closely with Brazil for the top spot. It is estimated that India will produce over 25 million tons of sugar in 2008, and may even have an internal surplus of over 12 million tons to deal with. India’s people are great consumers of sugar, and there are many local raw sugars which have importance both as a mineral rich foodstuff, and as a part of their culture.

Europe – 1.2 million tons. Europe’s sugar exports have been curbed, along with sugar production as a result of fears of sugar surpluses, not to mention exports violating various trade agreements. The European Union produces around 15 million tons of sugar yearly, much of which exceeds local demands.

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It looks as if 2008 is going to be one of the cheapest years in recent history for purchasing Brazilian sugar as Brazil and India are both in the process of rapidly expanding their sugar producing capabilities, and a global surplus of around 11 million tons of sugar is forecast for the 2007/2008 period.

When trying to understand the international sugar market, it is impossible to underestimate the impact that the growing global demand for sugar ethanol has upon sugar production. Because both sugar ethanol and sugar are products of sugar cane, and because there is only so much sugar cane to go around, Brazil and other sugar cane growing nations are constantly playing an economic balancing act, putting a portion of their sugar cane towards ethanol production, and a portion towards sugar production. In the current climate it seems highly likely that Brazil will be focusing more heavily on ethanol production both this year and in the years to come. Because of India’s rapid sugar production, coupled with Brazil’s large output, raw sugar prices have been falling steadily since early March 2008. Raw sugar prices picked up briefly in mid April, then continued their downward trend. White sugar has followed much the same pattern, disheartening Brazilian sugar exporters who are facing rising production costs even as their export profits are plummeting.

Cost of Sugar Production In Brazil

For a very long time, Brazil was one of the lowest cost sugar producing nations in the world, with sugar in the Sao Paulo region costing around 5 cents per pound to grow. This gave Brazilian sugar producers a great deal of wriggle room when sugar prices fell, as profit margins normally remained relatively high. Unfortunately, recent developments have seen an unprecedented rise in the cost of sugar production, and in mid 2007, it was announced that Brazil was no longer the most economical producer of sugar in the world, but instead tied for the position with Australia and Guatemala. The elevated cost of production has been caused not only by a falling dollar, which has more than halved to settle at BRL 1.80 from its high of BRL 3.60 to the US Dollar in 2005, but also by the increased cost of machinery associated with sugar production due to the sudden influx of interest in the sugar market, not to mention the high prices of transporting sugar around the world as fuel prices have surged ever upwards.

History Of Brazilian Sugar Prices

In the 15 year period from 1985 to 1999, sugar prices in Brazil fluctuated quite substantially, sometimes almost doubling in price from year to year, and in other years falling up to 30%. From 1999 to 2002, overall prices for refined Brazilian sugar rose from six cents per pound to around 8 cents per pound, peaking in mid 2000 with a price of 12.5 cents per pound. Whilst this may seem superficially to not be much better than current day sugar prices, we must also take into account both the relative value of the Brazilian Real and the US Dollar during this time frame, but also the lower production and export costs. In real terms, Brazilian sugar exporters were making much larger profits in the late 90′s than they are today.

Competition Driving Down The Price Of Brazilian Sugar

A major problem for Brazil in terms of sugar exports is the rise of India as a sugar producer. Whereas Brazil once stood for a long time as the world’s major sugar cane producer and exporter, India is now hot on its heels. What India lacks in soil quality, technical know how, and cane quality, it makes up for in sheer determination to plant and mill as much sugar as possible. Brazil has taken a much more scientific approach to the problem of producing sugar, choosing to invest heavily in research and development. It is certain that Brazil’s knowledge of sugar cane is still unparalleled in the world. Brazil used genome sequencing technology to sequence the sugar cane genome, and today there exist over sixty different strains of Brazilian sugar cane which have been developed to yield more sucrose and grow in a wider range of conditions than traditional sugar cane. Brazil has also taken care not to let the sugar race destroy its environment, and in May 2008, the Sao Paulo region suspended the granting of licenses to new sugar mills and refineries in spite of heavy demand because of concerns relating to the potential impact of these facilities.

India, on the other hand, has taken less care in its build up, and though it is working on improving sugar cane yield and milling efficiency, the main thrust of Indian production is simply to plant lots of sugar cane and build as many refineries and mills as possible. This is a strategy that has paid off to a certain extent, but ultimately no country benefits from flooding the international market.

In the current environment, it is a buyer’s market for Brazilian sugar. However it is unlikely that sugar prices will continue to fall for an extended period of time. There is still a great global demand for sugar, and reckless resource management and greed could stymie the Indian sugar industry if it is not careful. In addition to this, the ever growing demand for sugar ethanol could see sugar production in Brazil and other sugar cane growing countries falling considerably as high profit ethanol production becomes the focus. If this happens, Brazilian sugar could once more become a commodity in relatively short supply, with a price to match.

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It should be said that sugar mills in Brazil have continuously been on the forefront of sugar development for the past few decades. The processes in place at many sugar mills in Brazil are known to be some of the most efficient in the world, and sugar mills in Brazil are well known for their emphasis on innovation. This was demonstrated in 1993, when Brazil invented a new form of raw sugar called VHP or very high pol sugar. This was raw sugar which needed further refining to be made suitable for human consumption, but unlike other forms of raw sugar was 99.4% sucrose, which meant that refineries purchasing the sugar had relatively little waste product, and were able to produce more refined sugar from a single shipment of raw. The invention of this sugar revolutionized the world sugar trade.

Brazil’s sugar industry has continued to go from strength to strength, and many resources have been channeled into research and development at mills all around the country. The thrust of recent innovation has been in developing new strains of sugar cane which contain a higher amount of sucrose and which can grow in more varied climatic conditions and soils. This has allowed Brazil to produce more sugar cane, more sugar, and more sugar ethanol than any other nation in the world. The rivalry between India and Brazil has come to a head in recent years, and India has threatened Brazil’s world leader status on more than one occasion. However Brazil maintains its lead, due in large part to its higher quality sugar cane, though also to better soil and growing conditions.

Most sugar mills in Brazil are also highly efficient in their operations, recycling a great deal of the raw materials used in the production of sugar. Efficiency teams oversee every part of the process to try and find places where efficiency can be improved, and to ensure that efficiency standards are being maintained.

Efficiency starts from the very beginning of the milling process, with sugar cane quite often grown in fields close to the mill. The mills either owns or leases these fields, and when they are harvested the cane has only a short journey to the mill. Care is also often taken to ensure that no cane is lost en route, and many mills actually pay a worker to pick up any cane which falls from the trucks.

Once at the mill, the cane is washed to remove the dirt from the field. The water used to wash the cane is not allowed to go to waste, but is collected and sent back to the ponds, still carrying the dirt and silt which was washed out of the harvested cane. Even then, the dirt is not allowed to rest, but sediments at the bottom of the pond and is taken back out to the field where it is used as a fertilizer.

Meanwhile, the washed cane is carried through into the plant for processing. It is shredded and pounded to extract all the juice, and crushed in heavy rollers as well. The juice is then carried through into a tank where any small pieces of cane are skimmed off the top of the juice and put through hot rollers.

The insoluble part of the cane, known as bagasse, is also recycled. In many cases it is taken away and burned to power the sugar mill. Bagasse often provides more energy than is actually needed to power the sugar mill, and the excess energy is sold for profit on the national grid.

Depending on the function of the mill, sugar juice will either be refined into high grade sugar, or it will be processed into raw VHP sugar. Both processes involve boiling, crystallizing, and centrifuging the raw sugar juice, though extra steps are undertaken during refining processes to purify the sugar and remove contaminants, colorants, and leave it a sparkling or bright white color.

There are a great many workers involved in keeping a sugar mill running, from those who work in the fields harvesting the cane, to those who oversee its production. Most mills also have a scientific division which is dedicated to analyzing sugar production variables such as the quality of the cane, its sucrose content, the soil in which it is grown, rainfall over the growing period of the cane, the impact of insects and other biological pests, irrigation, chemical treatments, and many more factors.

Sugar mills in Brazil are leading the world in standards of production efficiency, and the eyes of the world are very much on them as other countries seek to emulate Brazil’s success, particularly in the field of bio-fuel production. 15% of energy in Brazil comes directly from sugar cane, and overall Brazil’s non petroleum based renewable energy sources account for over 45% of the power used in the country every year.

With millions upon millions of dollars flooding into sugar mills in Brazil, the coming years are sure to be exciting ones, and we can reasonably expect to see even more innovation from Brazil’s sugar mills as more is spent not just on production of various sugar cane based products, but on research and development that may see other countries being able to join Brazil in weaning themselves off fossil fuels.

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Brazilian sugar cane is the most plentiful sugar cane in the world. A world leader in sugar and sugar ethanol production, Brazil grows over 300 million tons of sugar cane yearly, a figure which is only set to rise in the coming years. Sugar cane is very big business in Brazil, and over the past few decades, much time and a great deal of resources have been poured into both developing new strains of sugar cane, and understanding just how sugar cane works much better than any other nation on the globe. Brazil’s government even went so far as to fund a project to sequence the sugar cane genome. As a direct result of this investment in research and development, Brazil not only grows a great deal of sugar cane, it grows a great deal of high quality, high sucrose sugar cane.

Growing high sucrose cane is important as it increases the sugar yield which can be gained per stalk of cane, and increases productivity at the mill. High sucrose content is as important in sugar ethanol production as it is in sugar production, however some mills have different types of sugar cane crops set aside for each purpose.

Brazil has always been an innovator in the sugar field. In the early 90′s it developed VHP (very high pol) sugar, a type of raw sugar that contains 99.4% sucrose and so needs much less refining than other types of raw sugars. Now Brazil is focused on creating even better strains of sugar cane that can grow more successfully in a wider range of climatic regions and terrains.

Cultivation of Sugar Cane

Sugar cane needs relatively fertile soil in order to really flourish and grow well. Because of this, fields are usually left bare for a few weeks after harvesting to regenerate. They are then ploughed, and into the furrows are planted sugar cane ‘setts’, which are slices of mature young sugar cane between ten to fifteen centimeters long. The setts are fertilized, covered with soil, watered, and left to grow. It can take several weeks for them to begin to sprout, and then another several months for the new cane to grow to harvesting height. The normal sugar cane growing phase is around twelve to sixteen months long.

Regions Of Sugar Cane Growth

At one time, sugar cane was grown almost exclusively in the rocky northeast of the country. However as prices for traditionally grown commodities such as coffee and soy dropped, farmers in the center south started looking towards the new big earner – sugar. The Sao Paulo region, in the center south of Brazil is now the biggest sugar producing region in the world. It is well known for its fertile soils, its forgiving climate, and flat terrain that makes planting and harvesting sugar cane much easier than in the hilly north.

As global demand for sugar and sugar ethanol increases, more and more land is being turned over to sugar cane production. There are now well over 330 mills operating in the country, and by the year 2010, there are likely to be almost 500 mills. Some existing mills have more than doubled their size in the past year. Brazil has the land to spare however, at the present moment it is estimated that less than 5 percent of cultivatable land is being used for sugar cane production.

The research which has been done into new strains of sugar cane is helping sugar cane production grow without encroaching onto land which is needed for food or other enterprises. Sugar cane strains now exist that can grow in conditions which traditional sugar cane could never survive. It is also estimated that some high sucrose strains of sugar cane can be grown for up to twelve generations before they lose their sucrose content. It is estimated that there are now more than 60 distinct strains of sugar cane in Brazil.

Brazilian Sugar Cane Products

Sugar cane is a very versatile crop, and from sugar cane is made sugar, sugar ethanol, molasses, tableware, alternative fuel sources, and even paper. This section looks at the various uses of sugar cane, and how it is processed into the various forms which are exported and consumed the world over.

Sugar

The most well known product of sugar cane is of course, sugar. Sugar is extracted from sugar cane by shredding it and sending it through a series of rollers and grinders that crush the cane, extracting the sucrose rich juice. Brazil’s most plentiful sugar product is VHP sugar, which is a raw sugar product that undergoes some processing before being sold to concentrate the sugar content to over 99.4%.

This is done by boiling the sugar juice, allowing it to cool, and sprinkling fine sugar dust into the juice to encourage crystallization. When the sucrose crystals have formed, they are put into a centrifugal chamber along with the liquid they were formed in, and spun at very high speed. This separates the crystal from the juice, which is also called first molasses. The sugar crystals from the first centrifuging are high quality VHP.

The process is then repeated twice more, creating second molasses and final molasses, along with lower grade sugars known as ‘B’ grade and ‘C’ grade respectively. ‘B’ and ‘C’ crystals are then once more dissolved, centrifuged, and regrown in order to create more high quality VHP.

Molasses

The molasses left over from the centrifuging process is often sold as a food supplement because it contains concentrated minerals, and it is also quite often used as a feedstock for animals. Some people make use of molasses in baking, though it is usually the sweet first molasses that finds its way into cakes and treats, and last but not least, final molasses, also known as blackstrap molasses is said to be an excellent cure all for constipation, as well as a good source of iron for pregnant women and vegetarians.

Bagasse

Bagasse is a major byproduct of sugar cane processing. Bagasse is the solid dry material that is left over when sugar cane is crushed. At one time this was thought of as being nothing but a waste product, and burned in fields, but nowadays it is used as a source of energy to power the sugar mill. Many sugar mills generate so much power from bagasse that they are able to sell the remainder of it on the national grid.

Bagasse that is not used to power sugar mills finds many other uses. Some bagasse is turned into charcoal briquettes which provide a clean burning, tree free source of heat. Other bagasse is sterilized and molded into tableware, replacing plastic and Styrofoam which destroy the environment. Unlike its synthetic counterparts, bagasse biodegrades within three months at the longest. It can also safely be microwaved and frozen, giving it a functional edge over traditional disposable tableware.

Brazilian Ethanol

Ethanol is produced by fermenting sugar from sugar cane until it turns to alcohol. Ethanol is a leading bio-fuel, and is now the second largest fuel source in Brazil.

As is evident, Brazilian sugar cane continues to go from strength to strength. It is highly likely that the sugar cane growing industry in Brazil will continue to boom throughout much of the next decade, as increasing global populations require more sugar to feed themselves, and as demand for bio-fuels increases rapidly.

Brazilian Sugar Prices

We supply Brazilian sugar directly from the mills. Please contact us with your detailed requirements and we will get back to you with a price quotation shortly

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