Cultivation
Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) is grown in regions with a moderate and subtropical climate. The main producing countries are France, Germany, USA and Russia. In 2008, almost 227 million tons of sugar beet were harvested worldwide.
Since the middle of the 18th century sugar beet has been developed to yield a higher sugar content. This increased from originally 7% to about 18% today.
For a long period, sugarcane represented the only plant source of sugar. Today, sugar beet provides about 45% of the world's sugar production.Utilisation
Sugar beet is the base for different foodstuffs and ingredients:
sugar in a range of different forms (granulated sugar, icing sugar, rock sugar, gelling sugar)
sugar is used to produce artificial honey (inverted sugar syrup), caramel and caramel colouring which is used as a sugar coloring agent.
sugar beet syrup, also known as sugar beet molasses, is a thick syrup containing up to 60% sugar produced from cleaned and boiled beet.
By-products of sugar manufacture:
molasses: used as animal feed and in culture media for the biotechnological production of alcohol, citric acidand nutritional yeast
sugar beet pulp: animal feed
Energy crops, renewable primary products
biofuel ethanol and biomethane
sugar as raw material for the chemical and cosmetic industries
biodegradable material