title: Microwave modification of sugar cane to enhance juice extraction during milling.
abstract: Sugar extraction from cane requires shredding and crushing, both of which are energy intensive activities. Cane shredders account for almost 30% of the total power requirements for the juice extraction train in a sugar mill with four mills. Shredder hammers also wear quickly during the crushing season and need to be regularly maintained or replaced. Microwave pre-treatment of other plant based materials has resulted in significant reductions in total processing energy. This paper briefly reviews the underlying structure of sugar cane and how microwave pre-treatment may interact with sugar cane. Microwave treatment reduced the strength of sugar cane samples to 20% of its untreated value. This strength reduction makes it easier to crush the cane and leads to a 320% increase in juice yield compared with untreated cane when cane samples were crushed in a press. There was also a 68% increase in Brix %, a 58% increase in total dissolved solids, a 58% reduction in diffusion time, a 39% increase in Pol%, and a 7% increase in juice purity compared with the control samples after 60 minutes of diffusion in distilled water.
authors.affiliation: Melbourne School of Land and Environment, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brodie
authors.affiliation: Melbourne School of Land and Environment, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville.
authors.forename: Mohan V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville.
authors.forename: Madoc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sheehan
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yin
mesh_terms: D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000528:radiation effects; D006361:Heating / Q000379:methods*; D008872:Microwaves; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000528:radiation effects; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D031786:Saccharum / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D010936:Plant Extracts