| ≥1 piece |
Sugar beets are grown in the ground, so they are thoroughly washed before being processed.
Once washed, the beets are sliced and placed in a diffuser where water runs against the beet slices to extract Raw sugar juice.
After diffusion, the remaining pulp from the beet slices is pressed to extract the remaining sugar.
Next, the raw juice goes through a process called "carbination." calcium hydroxide is added to the juice and carbon dioxide is bubbled through the mixture, creating insoluble calcium compounds. Sulfur dioxide is added to lower the juice's pH level.
After the calcium carbonate is filtered out, the juice is treated with activated carbon, charcoal, or decoloring ion exchangers to remove the color from the liquid.
Following filtration, the juice is boiled to remove water and form sugar crystals. From there, it is sent through a centrifuge to separate the sugar crystals from the molasses.
Finally, the sugar crystals are dried and stored.