Effect of Ozonation Time on the Clarification of Juice of Sugarcane Varieties

Abstract

The process of sugar clarification has been the subject of several studies in order to improve the quality of the obtained sugar both from the point of view of new technologies of equipment and processes and regarding the study of physicochemical properties and reduction of residues in sucrose during the clarification process. The aim of this study was to characterize some physicochemical properties of sugarcane juice when clarified with ozone during different ozonation times. Three tests were carried out using the juice extracted from the sugarcane varieties RB 867515, RB 855453, and SP 891115. The following technological variables were analyzed: pH, acidity, ICUMSA color, reducing sugars (RS), total soluble solids (Brix%), polarization (Pol%), and sugarcane juice. The physicochemical characteristics of the sugarcane juice were influenced by the ozonation time and crop variety. An average reduction of 77% was observed in the color without changing significantly the content of TSS and Pol%. However, changes were observed in the pH, acidity, and reducing sugars. The variables that most contributed to explaining the dynamics of sugarcane juices as a function of ozonation time in the three varieties under study were pH, color, acidity, and air.