ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on membrane applications in the sugar industry, covering applications in both the cane and beet sugar processing industry. It discusses the applications of membranes in the starch industry, focusing first on membrane applications in the corn, wheat, and potato starch processing and then on the production of starch-based sweeteners. Sugar production is one of the most labor-intensive and energy-consuming industry segment in the food industry. For raw sugar cane juice purification, ultrafiltration has been proposed as an alternative to conventional liming. In both sugar cane mills and refineries, molasses are a by-product of the crystallization process and is sold at a low price as cattle feed and for alcohol production. The corn wet milling process is a well-defined and well-established process for the production of corn starch by separating the corn into its four key components: starch, germ, fibers, and protein. The first potential membrane applications in the wet milling process are related to the steeping water.
