Myanmar Sugar SMEs: History, Technology, Location and Government Policy

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) engaged in sugar processing in Myanmar appeared in the last decade of the socialist era. An acute sugar deficit, restricted trade in white sugar, and high demand from the conventional dairy business led to the growth of sugar SMEs by appropriate blending of semi-finished products (syrup) in the fields, which were then processed in vacuum pans and centrifugals to obtain white sugar. This became a tradable commodity and sugar SMEs grew in clusters in big cities. They are family-owned businesses. However, they lack the bagasse-based power generation. In recent years, large modern sugar factories operated by private and military companies have emerged as key players. The current shortage of fuel feedstock and competition for raw materials have become driving forces that shift sugar SMEs from market-oriented to raw material-oriented locations. Internal competition among key players made sugar price highly volatile, too. Being placed on a level playing field, the whole industry should be upgraded in terms of price and quality to become export-oriented.

Include sugar beets and sugarcane as basic commodities : hearing before the Committee on Agriculture, House of Representatives, Seventy-third Congress, second session, on H.R. 7907. February 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23, 1934.

"Serial J."

The potential effects of the drawback extension on the sugar program [microform] : hearing before the Subcommittee on Agricultural Production and Stabilization of Prices of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, United States Senate, One Hundredth Congress, first session, on sugar drawback provisions of the Trade Bill, November 16, 1987.

CIS Microfiche Accession Numbers: CIS 88 S161-23

Virus diseases of sugar beets in California /

Mode of access: Internet.

Ecology of the green peach aphid as a vector of beet western yellows virus of sugarbeets /

Issued Aug. 1979.

Molecular characterisation, pathogenesis and fungicide sensitivity of Pythium spp. from table beet (Beta vulgaris var. vulgaris) grown in the Lockyer Valley, Queensland

Table beet production in the Lockyer Valley of south-eastern Queensland is known to be adversely affected by soilborne root disease from infection by Pythium spp. However, little is known regarding the species or genotypes that are the causal agents of both pre- and post-emergence damping off. Based on RFLP analysis with HhaI, HinfI and MboI of the PCR amplified ITS region DNA from soil and diseased plant samples, the majority of 130 Pythium isolates could be grouped into three genotypes, designated LVP A, LVP B and LVP C. These groups comprised 43, 41 and 7% of all isolates, respectively. Deoxyribonucleic acid sequence analysis of the ITS region indicated that LVP A was a strain of Pythium aphanidermatum, with greater than 99% similarity to the corresponding P. aphanidermatum sequences from the publicly accessible databases. The DNA sequences from LVP B and LVP C were most closely related to P. ultimum and P. dissotocum, respectively. Lower frequencies of other distinct isolates with unique RFLP patterns were also obtained with high levels of similarity (> 97%) to P. heterothallicum, P. periplocum and genotypes of P. ultimum other than LVP B. Inoculation trials of 1- and 4-week-old beet seedlings indicated that compared with isolates of the LVP B genotype, a higher frequency of LVP A isolates caused disease. Isolates with the LVP A, LVP B and LVP C genotypes were highly sensitive to the fungicide Ridomil MZ, which suppressed radial growth on V8 agar between approximately four and thirty fold at 5 mu g/mL metalaxyl and 40 mu g/mL mancozeb, a concentration far lower than the recommended field application rate.

The sugar cane biofactory - building blocks for the future

The sugarcane plant, with its enormous genetic capacity to accumulate carbon and manufacture and store sucrose, also has the potential to accumulate carbon and metabolically create a wide range of new molecules for industrial and other commercial uses. The extent to which this change can be developed and realised commercially is a function of the technical competence of the industry's R&D capacity, the reality of the commercial drivers which support this global agenda, and the determination of the industry to achieve such goals. The outcomes of existing R&D work already strongly support the technical challenges of this opportunity in sugarcane. The current challenge remains the commercialisation of the technology in a global market in which the current business structures and systems for the manufacture and distribution of existing (competitive) products makes the development of new product lines a higher risk than might otherwise be the case. This is despite all the claims that global markets are expecting and (in some cases) legislating the creation of more sustainable production systems. The options and issues for the development of a sugarcane biofactory system are discussed.

Quality control of pharmaceutical ingredients:developing a caking test for industry

Objectives - Powdered and granulated particulate materials make up most of the ingredients of pharmaceuticals and are often at risk of undergoing unwanted agglomeration, or caking, during transport or storage. This is particularly acute when bulk powders are exposed to extreme swings in temperature and relative humidity, which is now common as drugs are produced and administered in increasingly hostile climates and are stored for longer periods of time prior to use. This study explores the possibility of using a uniaxial unconfined compression test to compare the strength of caked agglomerates exposed to different temperatures and relative humidities. This is part of a longer-term study to construct a protocol to predict the caking tendency of a new bulk material from individual particle properties. The main challenge is to develop techniques that provide repeatable results yet are presented simply enough to be useful to a wide range of industries. Methods - Powdered sucrose, a major pharmaceutical ingredient, was poured into a split die and exposed to high and low relative humidity cycles at room temperature. The typical ranges were 20–30% for the lower value and 70–80% for the higher value. The outer die casing was then removed and the resultant agglomerate was subjected to an unconfined compression test using a plunger fitted to a Zwick compression tester. The force against displacement was logged so that the dynamics of failure as well as the failure load of the sample could be recorded. The experimental matrix included varying the number of cycles, the amount between the maximum and minimum relative humidity, the height and diameters of the samples, the number of cycles and the particle size. Results - Trends showed that the tensile strength of the agglomerates increased with the number of cycles and also with the more extreme swings in relative humidity. This agrees with previous work on alternative methods of measuring the tensile strength of sugar agglomerates formed from humidity cycling (Leaper et al 2003). Conclusions - The results show that at the very least the uniaxial tester is a good comparative tester to examine the caking tendency of powdered materials, with a simple arrangement and operation that are compatible with the requirements of industry. However, further work is required to continue to optimize the height/ diameter ratio during tests.

CHARACTERIZING AND IMPROVING PRODUCTION OF FERMENTABLE SUGARS AND CO-PRODUCTS FROM A FOREST PRODUCT INDUSTRY WASTEWATER STREAM

Hardboard processing wastewater was evaluated as a feedstock in a bio refinery co-located with the hardboard facility for the production of fuel grade ethanol. A thorough characterization was conducted on the wastewater and the composition changes of which during the process in the bio refinery were tracked. It was determined that the wastewater had a low solid content (1.4%), and hemicellulose was the main component in the solid, accounting for up to 70%. Acid pretreatment alone can hydrolyze the majority of the hemicellulose as well as oligomers, and over 50% of the monomer sugars generated were xylose. The percentage of lignin remained in the liquid increased after acid pretreatment. The characterization results showed that hardboard processing wastewater is a feasible feedstock for the production of ethanol. The optimum conditions to hydrolyze hemicellulose into fermentable sugars were evaluated with a two-stage experiment, which includes acid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. The experimental data were fitted into second order regression models and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was employed. The results of the experiment showed that for this type of feedstock enzymatic hydrolysis is not that necessary. In order to reach a comparatively high total sugar concentration (over 45g/l) and low furfural concentration (less than 0.5g/l), the optimum conditions were reached when acid concentration was between 1.41 to 1.81%, and reaction time was 48 to 76 minutes. The two products produced from the bio refinery were compared with traditional products, petroleum gasoline and traditional potassium acetate, in the perspective of sustainability, with greenhouse gas (GHG) emission as an indicator. Three allocation methods, system expansion, mass allocation and market value allocation methods were employed in this assessment. It was determined that the life cycle GHG emissions of ethanol were -27.1, 20.8 and 16 g CO2 eq/MJ, respectively, in the three allocation methods, whereas that of petroleum gasoline is 90 g CO2 eq/MJ. The life cycle GHG emissions of potassium acetate in mass allocation and market value allocation method were 555.7 and 716.0 g CO2 eq/kg, whereas that of traditional potassium acetate is 1020 g CO2/kg.

Long-term Prospects For The Environmental Profile Of Advanced Sugar Cane Ethanol.

This work assessed the environmental impacts of the production and use of 1 MJ of hydrous ethanol (E100) in Brazil in prospective scenarios (2020-2030), considering the deployment of technologies currently under development and better agricultural practices. The life cycle assessment technique was employed using the CML method for the life cycle impact assessment and the Monte Carlo method for the uncertainty analysis. Abiotic depletion, global warming, human toxicity, ecotoxicity, photochemical oxidation, acidification, and eutrophication were the environmental impacts categories analyzed. Results indicate that the proposed improvements (especially no-til farming-scenarios s2 and s4) would lead to environmental benefits in prospective scenarios compared to the current ethanol production (scenario s0). Combined first and second generation ethanol production (scenarios s3 and s4) would require less agricultural land but would not perform better than the projected first generation ethanol, although the uncertainties are relatively high. The best use of 1 ha of sugar cane was also assessed, considering the displacement of the conventional products by ethanol and electricity. No-til practices combined with the production of first generation ethanol and electricity (scenario s2) would lead to the largest mitigation effects for global warming and abiotic depletion. For the remaining categories, emissions would not be mitigated with the utilization of the sugar cane products. However, this conclusion is sensitive to the displaced electricity sources.

Quality and sensorial characteristics of osmotically dehydrated mango with syrups of inverted sugar and sucrose

Osmotic dehydration is becoming more popular as a complementary treatment in the processing of dehydrated foods, since it presents some advantages such as minimising heat damage to the colour and flavour, inhibiting enzymatic browning and thus dispensing the addition of sulphite and, mainly, reducing energy costs. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of using inverted sugar and sucrose syrups as osmotic agents in the dehydration of mango. The conditions used in the dehydration process were: syrup/fruit ratio of 3:1 (v/w); temperature of 45ºC and constant stirring. The in natura and osmo-dehydrated fruits were evaluated in relation to pH, moisture content, water activity (a w) and soluble solids (ºBrix). Solids incorporation and loss in mass after the dehydration process were also determined. The sensory acceptance of the in natura and osmo-dehydrated fruits was determined for the attributes of aroma, flavour, texture and overall acceptance using a hedonic scale. Osmotic dehydration resulted in a reduction in moisture content and water activity, an increase in Brix and maintenance of the pH. The treatment with inverted sugar syrup resulted in more significant alterations in moisture content, a w, Brix, solids incorporation and loss in mass than the treatment with sucrose syrup. Mangos osmo-dehydrated with inverted sugar (55.3% inversion rate) syrup obtained acceptance similar to in natura mangos, this treatment being considered the most adequate for dehydration purposes.

A new classification of foods based on the extent and purpose of their processing

This paper describes a new food classification which assigns foodstuffs according to the extent and purpose of the industrial processing applied to them. Three main groups are defined: unprocessed or minimally processed foods (group 1), processed culinary and food industry ingredients (group 2), and ultra-processed food products (group 3). The use of this classification is illustrated by applying it to data collected in the Brazilian Household Budget Survey which was conducted in 2002/2003 through a probabilistic sample of 48,470 Brazilian households. The average daily food availability was 1,792 kcal/person being 42.5% from group 1 (mostly rice and beans and meat and milk), 37.5% from group 2 (mostly vegetable oils, sugar, and flours), and 20% from group 3 (mostly breads, biscuits, sweets, soft drinks, and sausages). The share of group 3 foods increased with income, and represented almost one third of all calories in higher income households. The impact of the replacement of group 1 foods and group 2 ingredients by group 3 products on the overall quality of the diet, eating patterns and health is discussed.

Sugar and total energy content of household food purchases in Brazil

Objective To study the role of energy derived from sugar (both table sugar and sugar added to processed foods) in the total energy content of food purchases in Brazil.Design Food purchase data were collected during a national household budget survey carried out between June 2002 and July 2003 on a probabilistic sample representative of all households in the country. The amount of food purchased in this 12-month period was transformed into energy and energy from sugar using food composition tables. Multiple linear regression models were used to study the association between amount of energy from sugar and total energy content of food purchases, controlling for sociodemographic variables and potential interactions between these variables and sugar purchases.Results There was a positive and significant association between energy from sugar and total household energy purchases. A 1 kJ increase in sugar purchase corresponded to a 3·637 kJ increase in total energy. In the absence of expenditure on meals outside the home, i.e. when household food purchases tend to approximate actual food consumption by household members, sugar purchase of 1926·35 kJ/d (the 90th percentile of the distribution of sugar purchases in Brazil) was associated, depending on income strata, with total energy purchase over 40\201360 per cent of the recommended daily value for energy intake in Brazil.Conclusions The present results corroborate the recommendations of the WHO and the Brazilian Ministry of Health regarding limiting the consumption of sugar

Uma nova classificação de alimentos baseada na extensão e propósito do seu processamento

Este artigo descreve uma nova classificação de alimentos baseada na extensão e propósito do processamento industrial usado na sua produção. Três grupos são definidos: alimentos não processados ou minimamente processados (grupo 1), alimentos processados utilizados como ingredientes de preparações culinárias ou pela indústria de alimentos (grupo 2), e produtos alimentícios ultra-processados (grupo 3). O uso da classificação é ilustrado aplicando-a a dados coletados por Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares conduzida em 2002/2003 em uma amostra probabilística de 48.470 domicílios brasileiros. A disponibilidade diária foi de 1.792kcal/capita, sendo 42,5por cento de alimentos do grupo 1, 37,5por cento do grupo 2 e 20por cento do grupo 3. A contribuição do grupo 3 aumentou com a renda familiar, correspondendo a um terço do total calórico nos domicílios mais afluentes. Discute-se o impacto sobre a qualidade geral da dieta, padrões de alimentação e condições de saúde que poderia ocorrer com a substituição de alimentos do grupo 1 e ingredientes do grupo 2 por produtos alimentícios do grupo 3

Topochemical distribution of lignin and hydroxycinnamic acids in sugar-cane cell walls and its correlation with the enzymatic hydrolysis of polysaccharides

Background: Lignin and hemicelluloses are the major components limiting enzyme infiltration into cell walls. Determination of the topochemical distribution of lignin and aromatics in sugar cane might provide important data on the recalcitrance of specific cells. We used cellular ultraviolet (UV) microspectrophotometry (UMSP) to topochemically detect lignin and hydroxycinnamic acids in individual fiber, vessel and parenchyma cell walls of untreated and chlorite-treated sugar cane. Internodes, presenting typical vascular bundles and sucrose-storing parenchyma cells, were divided into rind and pith fractions. Results: Vascular bundles were more abundant in the rind, whereas parenchyma cells predominated in the pith region. UV measurements of untreated fiber cell walls gave absorbance spectra typical of grass lignin, with a band at 278 nm and a pronounced shoulder at 315 nm, assigned to the presence of hydroxycinnamic acids linked to lignin and/or to arabino-methylglucurono-xylans. The cell walls of vessels had the highest level of lignification, followed by those of fibers and parenchyma. Pith parenchyma cell walls were characterized by very low absorbance values at 278 nm; however, a distinct peak at 315 nm indicated that pith parenchyma cells are not extensively lignified, but contain significant amounts of hydroxycinnamic acids. Cellular UV image profiles scanned with an absorbance intensity maximum of 278 nm identified the pattern of lignin distribution in the individual cell walls, with the highest concentration occurring in the middle lamella and cell corners. Chlorite treatment caused a rapid removal of hydroxycinnamic acids from parenchyma cell walls, whereas the thicker fiber cell walls were delignified only after a long treatment duration (4 hours). Untreated pith samples were promptly hydrolyzed by cellulases, reaching 63% of cellulose conversion after 72 hours of hydrolysis, whereas untreated rind samples achieved only 20% hydrolyzation. Conclusion: The low recalcitrance of pith cells correlated with the low UV-absorbance values seen in parenchyma cells. Chlorite treatment of pith cells did not enhance cellulose conversion. By contrast, application of the same treatment to rind cells led to significant removal of hydroxycinnamic acids and lignin, resulting in marked enhancement of cellulose conversion by cellulases.