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How is juice extracted from sugarcane stalks at a factory?
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Sugarcane
Field of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) in St. George Parish, Barbados.
At a factory, sugarcane juice is extracted through two primary methods: milling or diffusion.1
Preparation
Before extraction, the cane is chopped into chips by revolving knives and often further broken into shreds by a shredder. This process exposes the plant tissue and opens the cell structure to facilitate efficient juice recovery.2
Extraction Methods
- Milling: The prepared cane passes through a crusher and a series of up to eight four-roll mills. As the cane is crushed, it is sprayed with a countercurrent of water—known as maceration or imbibition water—to help extract the juice.2
- Diffusion: The cane is moved through a multicell, countercurrent diffuser. While this method typically yields a higher percentage of sugar than milling, it also extracts more nonsugars and requires complex water-treatment systems to manage the significant volume of water used.2
After the juice is removed, the remaining fibrous material is known as bagasse.2