Physico-Chemical Method of Preserving Sucrose in Harvested Sugarcane at High Ambient Temperature in a Sub-Tropical Climate

Abstract

Sugarcane in subtropical areas is harvested under a wide array of temperatures, grading from 8 to 42°C. The crushing of harvested cane is often delayed for longer than 72 h leading to a steep decline in sucrose content, especially late in the harvest season when ambient temperatures are high. The average reductions in Commercial Cane Sugar (CCS) in untreated billets and whole cane during late harvest were 0.735 and 0.502 units/day. These losses were reduced to 0.310 and 0.365 units/day following treatment with a chemical formulation containing benzalkonium chloride (0.2%) and sodium metasilicate (0.5%). These chemicals also decreased the formation of reducing sugars in billets from 13.19 to 5.13 and 15.69 to 6.18 mg/ml per day in upper and lower billets, respectively. This study might be useful in minimizing postharvest sucrose losses in sugarcane at high ambient temperature.

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.…”

“…In harvested canes, presence of acid and neutral invertases has been reported in north Indian states where cane deterioration is uncontrollable [ 64 ]. Acid invertase activity in harvested canes is a quality decreasing indicator [ 30 ]. Increase in acid invertase activity as well as endogenous and exogenous microbial activity with increase in delay in crushing has been evident in number of studies for sucrose losses occurring in harvested canes [ 65 , 30 ].…”

“…Acid invertase activity in harvested canes is a quality decreasing indicator [ 30 ]. Increase in acid invertase activity as well as endogenous and exogenous microbial activity with increase in delay in crushing has been evident in number of studies for sucrose losses occurring in harvested canes [ 65 , 30 ]. Our study showed that increase in invertase activity in control and treated canes did not vary up to 2 days of harvest while thereafter variation begins.…”

“…CCS % was calculated by the formula CCS% = 1.022*S - 0.292*B (S - sucrose and B - o Brix) [ 29 ]. Purity coefficient was also estimated as per Solomon et al [ 30 ]. The cane weight was also measured before crushing of canes of different treatments.…”

Sugar Yield of Sweet Pearl Millet and Sweet Sorghum as Influenced by Harvest Dates and Delays Between Biomass Chopping and Pressing

“…Studies on sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) and sweet sorghum reported that biomass pressing should be initiated soon after harvest to prevent deterioration of soluble sugars [14][15][16]. Wu et al [10] have reported that a 20 % loss of fermentable sugars in sweet sorghum juice will occur after 3 days of storage at room temperature and 50 % after 1 week.…”