Process for production of purified beet juice for sugar manufacture
US6387186B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 19, 1999 |
| Grant date | May 14, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 19, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC13B20/165
- WIPO fieldFood chemistry
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The present invention relates to a process for producing sugar from beets, comprising the steps of: (a) macerating beets or pieces thereof; (b) mechanically separating juice from the macerated beets; and (c) membrane filtering the separated juice, producing a retentate and a permeate. The mechanical extraction of juice can be done on a moving porous vacuum filtration belt with countercurrent flow of macerated beets and water. The pH of the vacuum extracted juice can be adjusted to at least about 7 by addition of sodium hydroxide. This process does not use conventional beet diffusion. No lime and no carbon dioxide are required to be contacted with the juice or the permeate in this process.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.