Processing sugar beets separates sucrose from insoluble pulp, soluble non-sugars, and water. The roots are washed, cut into strips and conveyed slowly toward the top of a diffusion tow- ers where hot water is added which extracts the sugar from the beet pulp. The sugar is dried and crystallized within granulators, cooled and sold as granulated sugar, blended with flour to make powdered sugar or mixed with molasses to make brown sugar.
Sugar is an important source of carbohydrate, the body's primary energy source. Sugar can con- tribute to the flavor, aroma, texture, color, and body of healthy, but not-very-tasty, foods. It helps bread rise by acting as a food for the yeast. In baked products, it contributes to flavor and crust color as well as prolonged shelf life. Sugar preserves jams, jellies and canned goods against the growth of yeast and molds.
The sucrose molecule is composed of twelve atoms of carbon, twenty-two atoms of hydrogen, and eleven atoms of oxygen (C12H22O11). Sugar beet processing produces refined sugar and 2 main byproducts: pulp and molasses. Pulp, the vegetable matter remains after the beet pulp is pressed and dried is formed into pellets and used as a nutritious feed for cattle. Molasses, an unrefined sugary syrup is produced by cooking shredded sugar beet for several hours, then pressing the resulting sugar beet mash and concentrating the juice produced until it has the consistency similar to that of honey.
In a number of countries, sugar beets are used to make a type of "rum,” known as tuzemak. In some European countries, especially in the Czech Republic and Germany, sugar beets are also used to make a form of vodka.
The first U.S. sugar beet mill opened in 1838, but the first commercially successful mill was es- tablished by E. H. Dyer in 1879. Historically, sugar was only produced from sugar cane and then only in relatively small quantities. This resulted in sugar being considered a great lux- ury, particularly in Europe where cane could not be grown.
The history of man and sugar is a subject in its own right but suffice to say that, even today, it isn't easy to ship food quality sugar across the world, so a high proportion of sugar is made in two stages. Raw sugar is made where the sugar grows and white sugar is made from the raw sugar in the country where it is needed. Beet sugar is easier to purify and most is grown where it is needed so white sugar is made in only one stage.