DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sjet.2026.v14i02.005

Pages: 125-132

Sugar beet and sugarcane serve as the primary raw materials for global sugar production, with juice clarification playing a vital role in determining sugar quality and recovery rates. This study focuses on a comparative evaluation of lime clarification methods applied to sugarcane mixed juice and raw beet juice, using varying concentrations of milk of lime. Juice samples obtained from Elguneid Sugar Factory, Sudan, were treated with milk of lime at concentrations of 1, 2, 3, and 5° Baume. Key parameters, including pH, Brix, Pol%, purity%, reducing sugars, color, and phosphate content, were analyzed following ICUMSA standard methods. The study revealed that beet juice was clarified at a higher pH range (9.27–11.84) compared to cane juice (6.02–6.26). Beet juice also displayed higher values for Brix (18.02–22.92%), Pol% (17.33–21.05%), and purity (89.12–92.45%), while cane juice showed increased levels of reducing sugars (0.43–0.73% vs. 0.0050–0.0064%) and color intensity (8052–11808 vs. 2003–10500 ICUMSA units). The optimal lime concentrations identified were 5° Baume for cane juice (achieving 90.00% purity) and 3–5° Baume for beet juice (resulting in 91.94–92.45% purity). Overall, beet juice demonstrated superior clarification performance. The findings indicate that the higher reducing sugar content in cane juice contributes to lower purity levels and more intense coloration compared to beet juice. These results underline the importance of feedstock-specific optimization in the clarification process to enhance sugar production efficiency and quality.