Discover the world of thick juice: an insight into our sugar production
One of our fundamental processes is thick juice refining. This annual event is invaluable for our sugar production. During this period, we process stored thick juice from the beet campaign into crystal sugar. Discover more about this process below.
What is thick juice?
At Cosun Beet Company, we process sugar beets into crystal sugar. During the beet campaign, which runs from September to the end of January, we process 75% of all beet supply directly into crystal sugar. The remaining 25% is stored as thick juice. Thick juice is essentially water with a sugar concentration of 68% and forms the precursor to crystal sugar.
Storage in Large Tanks
We store the thick juice in large tanks next to our factories in Dinteloord, Vierverlaten, and Anklam. This allows us to spread our production and have a sufficient sugar supply throughout the year. The thick juice tanks are, especially in Dinteloord, clearly visible from the road. During the beet campaign, the thick juice is pumped into these tanks through a wide underground pipeline.
Thick Juice Refining
From about the third day of the beet campaign, the tanks begin to fill. By the end of the beet campaign, the tanks are filled to the brim. With all the tanks in the Netherlands (Dinteloord and Vierverlaten), we are talking about approximately 480 million kilos of thick juice. During thick juice refining, the thick juice is returned to the factory through the same pipeline. There, it is reheated, causing the remaining water to evaporate and crystal sugar to form within a few hours. This period lasts about seven weeks, from May to June.
From Watery to Syrupy
When the thick juice is pumped into the tanks, it is still warm from the evaporation process of thin juice (water with 17% sugar) to thick juice. It is then a watery brown liquid. As it cools in the tank, it becomes increasingly syrupy and similar in thickness to syrup for making lemonade.
Quality Preservation
Thick juice remains good on its own due to the high sugar concentration. We do not add anything to preserve it for a long time. However, we maintain the pH level and condition the air in the tanks. This prevents water from forming on top of the thick juice, which would lower the sugar concentration and could cause infection risks.
Thorough Cleaning
Once all the thick juice is out of the tanks, a thorough cleaning begins. A cleaning crew is busy with this all summer. Everyone works hard to ensure everything is ready for the next beet campaign. Then the tanks are filled with new thick juice again!