Minimization of post-harvest sucrose losses in drought affected sugarcane using chemical formulation

Abstract

Sugarcane is a significant crop for production of sugar and ethanol in the world. In present perspective, drought is one of the frequently occurring abiotic stresses hampering the productivity of sugarcane causing heavy losses in sugar recovery. Post-harvest sugarcane deterioration attains more importance. Measures have been recommended in harvested canes to prevent these losses in general and under drought conditions but application of chemical formulation has not yet been tested over drought effected ones. Thus, we tried to investigate the efficacy of chemical formulation [Benzalkonium chloride (BKC) + Sodium metasilicate (SMS)] on sucrose losses occurring in harvested canes grown under drought and normal conditions. Results showed that application of chemical formulation had higher effect on drought canes in comparison to normal grown canes. Loss in cane weight was reduced to 8.25% and 11% in drought treated and normal treated grown canes, respectively, after 240 h of harvest in comparison to their respective control. In sucrose content and Commercial cane sugars %, drought treated canes showed an effect of BKC + SMS by reducing the losses to 1.26 units and 1.42 units, respectively, whereas in normal ones, reduction was of 0.38 units and 0.10 units, respectively. Biochemical analysis revealed that in reducing sugars, reduction in increase were of 44.51% and 25.50% in drought and normal grown canes, respectively, after 240 h of harvest. Dextran and soluble acid invertase estimations revealed that after application of BKC + SMS, reduction of dextran and invertase activity were of 49.74%, 66.84%, respectively, and 33.92%, 42.75%, respectively, in drought and normal grown canes, respectively. Total microbial load, showed effectiveness of 25.01% in drought grown canes while 14.41% in normal grown ones after 240 h of harvest. Our study was planned to use the anti-bacterial efficiency of both the chemicals over harvested canes so that the major sucrose losses occurring due to microbial deterioration could be inhibited. The use of this chemical formulation proves to be an effective one over post-harvest sucrose losses, particularly in drought grown canes.

Sugarcane harvest time for processing and technological quality of brown sugar

“…The PB results of the present work corroborate the findings by Misra et al (2020) of 21.12% PB for sugarcane evaluated immediately after harvest. Our work also confirms the results observed by Naseri et al (2020), who found 17.19% PB and also observed values for ºBB which are similar, but smaller than that seen in our study, with small variations between 18.38 to 19.95%.…”

Impact of chemical treatments on Leuconostoc bacteria from harvested stored cane/stale cane

“…Considering results against controls, BKC + SMS formulation and sodium chloride was found to be as effective as formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde. Similar results were also observed by this chemical formulation in another study on freshly harvested canes under normal conditions [ 30 ] and under drought conditions [ 16 ] due to their synergistic effect of anti-bacterial and anti-inversion property. This might be the reason behind the strong zone of inhibition in our study against this bacterium.…”

“…This is attributed to loss in sucrose content due to delay in crushing as stale canes causes inversion of sucrose into glucose and fructose. Many studies had reported rise in reducing sugars with increasing time interval after harvest [ 15 , 16 ]. The variation in increasing pattern of reducing sugars with the increase in time started from 2 days of staling.…”

“…The main component of sugarcane is sucrose which is mainly responsible for sugar production [ 16 ]. This content has been reported to deteriorate with increase in time duration from harvesting to crushing in several studies [ 67 , 30 ].…”

“…Studies have indicated that this bacterium and dextran formation is more in stale canes than in freshly harvested canes [ 4 , 15 ]. This is so as dextrasucrase enzyme is secreted by Leuconostoc mesenteroides/dextranicum and is responsible for production of dextran [ 16 , 17 ]. It is this enzyme that catalyses glycosyl residues to transfer to polymer of dextran [ 18 ].…”