The objective of this project is to establish the origin, formation and removal of high molecular weight (HMW) compounds in sugar processing. The evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) is the requested equipment to be used with other existing equipment available at Audubon Sugar Institute to meet this objective.
Samples representing the various stages of sugar processing ranging from cane juice to molasses will be taken from the Louisiana sugar mills and brought to Audubon Sugar Institute for analysis. These samples will be injected through a gel permeation chromatographic (GPC) column to separate the HMW compounds. The eluent leaving the column will then be passed through an ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometric detector and then through the ELSD. The chromatograms and ELS diagrams generated for each sample will be compared. Column calibrations and the internal standards will be done to evaluate the quantity and molecular weight of each peak. These results will show the quantity of HMW compound produced, their formation and their removal in each step of each sugar mill.
Analyzing samples taken at different times of the grinding season will provide the information on the variation of HMW compounds throughout the period. Comparing between the results of all the mills will also establish the effects of cane varieties and different processing conditions in the mill.
The equipment would significantly extend the capability of Audubon Sugar Institute to make further progress in important sugar research, which will benefit the Louisiana sugar industry.