Unlike the raw sugar it comes from, which is a deep rich brown color, ICUMSA 45 sugar is a beautiful sparkling white color that is instantly recognizable. The preference for ICUMSA 45 sugar is not only aesthetic however, raw sugar can contain a great deal of contaminants and bacteria, but ICUMSA 45 sugar is so refined that it can be regarded as being essentially pure, and therefore much more safe for those consuming it.

The title ‘ICUMSA 45′ reflects a rating which is conferred upon sugar by the International Commission For Uniform Methods Of Sugar Analysis when it meets a certain set of standards. The International Commission For Uniform Methods Of Sugar Analysis is an international body which has set out to ensure that there are reliable methods by which sugar can be tested and analyzed regardless of where it comes from in the world, and that there is also a ratings system which can be quoted and understood worldwide as well.

ICUMSA Ratings

Put simply, ICUMSA ratings are really a measurement of how white a sugar is. Naturally occurring raw sugars are normally a very dark rich brown, whereas highly refined sugars are so white that they sparkle.

Color description alone is not a good way to sell sugar however, because it is very difficult to describe to another person exactly what shade of brown a sugar sample is. The human eye and the descriptive powers of language are not enough to accurately rate sugar. Fortunately for the world sugar trade, there are scientific instruments called colorimeters which can provide precise numerical readings based on the color of a sugar sample.

The type of colorimeter used in the ICUMSA ratings test is known as a tristimulus colorimeter, and this machine tests a sugar sample by firing different wavelengths of light at it and observing which ones are absorbed, and which ones are reflected back. Color is essentially nothing more than a funcion of the ability of a substance to absorb some wavelengths of light and reflect others. Brown raw sugar absorbs most wavelengths of light and reflects back only brown wavelengths, which is why it appears brown, and also why it gets a very high rating on the ICUMSA scale, sometimes ICUMSA 1500 or more. Refined white sugar on the other hand, absorbs very few wavelengths of light, instead reflecting most back. This is what gives it the sparkling appearance it is known for, and also the nice low ICUMSA 45 rating.

Are ICUMSA Ratings Always Standardized?

Although the ICUMSA ratings system is global, in some cases, particularly with European suppliers, one may find that ICUMSA 42 refers to raw sugar instead of highly refined product. In order to ensure that you and any potential suppliers are on the same page, one should always inquire as to the ICUMSA rating according to the Brazilian SGS system.

Making ICUMSA 45

ICUMSA 45 sugar can be refined from sugar beet or sugar cane. In most cases, sugar cane is the source of sugar, as it is grown more widely, especially in the major sugar growing nations of Brazil and India. It makes no difference to the end product whether the sucrose was extracted from sugar beet or sugar cane, however there are some tests which can ascertain the source material if one is concerned with it.

To create the beautiful sparkling white ICUMSA 45 sugar that sits in the cupboards of millions of homes worldwide, one of two processes must be carried out. If the source of the sugar is to be sugar cane, then the sugar cane must first be crushed so that the natural juice inside the cane, and the sucrose with it, pours out of the cane, and can then be collected for refining. If sugar beets are to be used, then they must be thinly sliced then placed in hot water diffusers, much like tea bags, where the hot water breaks down the sucrose in the slices and carries it away for refining.

Once the sugar juice has been extracted from the source material, refining can begin in earnest. The juice, sometimes known as raw juice, is first mixed with a high sugar syrup, which prevents delicate sugar crystals from breaking down in the next stage of the process, which is known as ‘affination’, and involves the magma (which is the name given to the mixture of raw juice and sugar syrup) being fed into a centrifuge and spun to remove much of the water content.

The sugar left behind is known as ‘centrifugal sugar’, and in some cases, may be sold in this state. It is a light brown color, and is quite popular in rural areas of India. In order to produce ICUMSA 45 sugar however, the sugar inside the centrifugal chamber is collected, washed, and dissolved into a solution which then undergoes further refining.

At this stage, the solution is roughly 50% sugar, and 50% liquid. To this solution milk of lime is added, a substance that creates small calcium carbonate deposits inside the solution. Contaminants and colorants are attracted to the calcium carbonate and absorbed, and, being heavier than water, the calcium carbonate soon sinks to the bottom along with the impurities, leaving the sugar in solution much more pure. Once the calcium carbonate is removed, the sugar solution is then carried away for the penultimate stage of the refining process.

Boiling is the stage where excess water is boiled away, and sugar crystals are then left to form in the remaining solution. In some cases, sugar dust may be added to the solution in order to make the sugar crystals grow faster. Once the crystals have formed, they are then once more spun in a centrifugal chamber to separate them from any remaining liquid. What emerges from the chamber is beautifully pure ICUMSA 45 sugar, ready for sale on the international market.

 Brazilian Sugar Exporters for Icumsa 45

Please contact me through this form below and let me know your specific requirements. I will get back to you with a price quotation for bulk orders of Icumsa 45 Sugar.

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Product: Brazilian ICUMSA 45, Sparkling White Refined Cane Sugar

Specifications

Polarization: 99.8% Minimum
Ash Content: 0.04% Maximum
Moisture Content: .04 % Maximum
Solubility: 100 % dry and free flowing.
Color: Sparkling White
Radiation: Normal and within international limits. Certified without the presence of iodine or cesium.
Granulation: Medium to fine crystal size.
Crop: From 2007 and 2008 crop.
Country of origin: Brazil

Packaging & Marking
Sugar will be packed in fifty kilogram bags (net weight). Packaging bags made out of polypropylene, polylined ethylene, or an internationally accepted equivalent.

Sugar Quantity: 1,200,000 metric tons
(One million, two hundred thousand metric tons, subject to a margin of error of five percent per shipment.)

Sugar cost: $230 USD per metric ton
Two hundred and thirty US dollars per metric ton, including shipping and insurance (CIF) to any US non-sanctioned safe world port.

Delivery Schedule & Contract Period

Delivery of sugar is to commence within a time frame of twenty eight to forty five days from the activation of the buyer’s financial instrument. Delivery of sugar is contingent upon shipping availability and conditions at the port or ports of discharge.
Monthly shipments of one hundred thousand metric tons (100,000 MT) are to be made until the full contracted amount of sugar has been shipped. This is estimated to be within a twelve month time frame.

Inspection Conditions
SGS inspections are to be carried out at the seller’s cost at the port of loading. The following conditions shall be attested to in the SGS certificates:

- Hold and hatch cleanliness
- Weight per shipment
- Quantity and quality of the sugar are tested
- Weight and quality of sugar match those which are stated in the contract
- Certificate of Radioactivity, which states that radioactivity falls within acceptable boundaries

Payment Terms
Payment may be made through the following instruments:
DLC (Documentary Letter of Credit) This must be revolving, irrevocable, transferable, divisible, cumulative, and issued or confirmed by one of the top 25 world banks. This DLC must cover the full amount for one month’s shipment, and be in US dollars. The DLC should revolve by amendment for the entire period of the contract. After drawing on the DLC after each shipment, the amount will be reinstated by means of amendment, and the expiration date will be shortened by 15 days from the current expiration date.

As guarantee of buyer’s intent to fulfill the entire contract, the seller also requires a BG (Bank Guarantee) this should be a cash backed unconditional bank guarantee, or alternatively a FFSBLC (Fully Funded Standby Letter Of Credit). In either case, the document must be issued by or confirmed by a major world bank in the top 25. This document should be written for the value of one months shipment, being USD $ 23, 000, 000. This is to be returned at the end of the contract unless the buyer breaches the contract or defaults on the contract. The seller prefers the FFSBLC unless the BG is drawn on a European Bank.
All financial instruments must be payable at the seller’s bank at the counter, and should be advised through the seller’s bank.

Financial Instruments are all subject to the 2007 Revision of Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, UCP 600, (ICC Publication No. 600.)

Seller’s Performance Bond
Upon receipt of the buyer’s financial instruments, the seller will then provide to the buyer a performance bond which will be equal to two percent of the replacement value of an average monthly shipment. This performance bond will be issued to the buyer in the form of a SBLC, and will be irrevocable and valid for the duration of the contract and for thirty days after the contract finished.

Contract Procedures

1. Buyer completes buyer’s banking information and returns the FCO (full corporate offer) to the seller.

2. Seller provides the buyer a draft contract within three banking days. The buyer and seller then enter into negotiations by amending the draft contract and sending it back and forth until both parties are satisfied. When an agreement has been reached, the buyer signs the draft contract and returns it to the seller for signing.

3. The seller signs the draft contract and returns it to the buyer within three banking days. Please note that during this time the draft contract may be exchanged via fax or email, but once signed is legally enforceable.

4.Upon receipt of the signed contract from the seller, they buyer has five banking days to instruct their bank to SWIFT by MT-799 and indicate that the bank is, on behalf of the buyer, RWA (ready, willing and able) to issue the buyer’s financial instrument, and to request approval from the seller’s bank.

5. Also within five banking days of receiving the signed draft contract from the seller, the buyer must supply the seller with a proposed shipping schedule. This schedule is then subject to the seller’s approval, and the refinery’s approval.

6. Upon receipt of the RWA notice from the buyer’s bank, the seller’s bank will respond that it is RWA to issue a proof of product (POP), and PB, and it will either accept or send an amended version of the financial instrument.

7. When all the necessary documentation is approved and received, the seller must then produce six hard copies of the final contract and attach the shipping schedule, the financial instrument, and any other pertinent documentation. These documents must all be signed and sealed before being sent to the buyer.

8. The buyer then has two days to initial each page of the final contract and the appendices and to sign and seal four of the copies and return them to the seller.

9. Within the same time frame, after receiving the signed contracts, the buyer’s bank must also SWIFT the non-operative financial instrument to the seller’s bank.

10. The seller’s bank then has five days to SWIFT the proof of product to the buyer’s bank. The proof of product is made up of the following documentation:

- Export License issued by the Brazilian Government
- Approval for export also issued by the Brazilian Government
- Warehouse Receipts / Commitment from refinery to product the product if it has not yet been refined
- Shipping agreement for transport

11. In the same time frame, the seller’s bank issued the performance bond to the buyer’s bank. Receipt of this performance bond activates the buyer’s financial instruments.

12. The buyer may then opt to inspect the storage facility and or the refinery where the sugar is made. If the buyer chooses to waive this option, they must inform the seller in writing.

Shipments will then begin to be sent within the aforementioned twenty eight to forty five days after these procedures have been completed. The shipping schedule for the first ninety days is to be supplied by the buyer, but must be supplied forty five days in advance of the first shipment.

Product Documentation

Supplied with the shipment will be:
- Certificate of Origin
- SGS Certificates
- Phytosanitary Certificate
- Loading and Stowage Certificates
- Crop Certificate
- Packing List
- Clean Bill of Lading
- Commercial Invoice (Signed)
- Shipping Company Statement

 Contact me about this order:

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1.) Current / forecasted sugar supply and demand is the most important factor. In the past (years 1625 - 1750) sugar prices have been as high or sometimes higher than equal weight in gold. Luckily those days are far behind us now. General sugar output trend is getting higher every year. That does not necessarily mean the prices will go down though because in recent years sugar has found it’s use in the ethanol production (for biofuels).

2.) Quantity is the next most important factor. Minimum quantity which I will supply starts at 12.500 metric tons. The maximum is capped only by the yearly production of the target country. Sugar is often pre-sold way in advance. In such cases I can still get it, I just have to negotiate a price with those who bought the production in advance. In the past I have worked on absurd orders for quantities such as 25 million tons of refined white sugar per year on a 5 year contract.

3.) Quality of the Sugar is the next on the price deciding factors list. Today sugar is made either of Sugar Cane or Sugar Beet.  The main sugar types, sorted by quality (icumsa international rating system) are:

- Icumsa 45 (white, refined, granulated sugar - highest quality)

- icumsa 100 - 150 (extra special crystal sugar)

- icumsa 230 max (special crystal sugar)

- icumsa 600 - 800 (consumable raw sugar)

- icumsa 2000 ( raw sugar)

- icumsa 1600 max (raw sugar with higher moisture, ash content and lower polarization)

- icumsa 4600 max (very raw sugar)

4.) Location and source of the sugar are next on the price deciding factors list. The most popular export countries are Brazil, India and Thailand. The prices vary from country to country and from supplier to supplier. Most good sourcing agents have access to multiple (if not all) suppliers and can thus negotiate the best possible price for every project.

5.) Delivery methods by that I mean chosing the right shipping line, destination port accessibility, daily unloading capacity, etc.. can have a big impact on the final price. The difference in shipping cost can be double or even tripple from port to port, shipping line to shipping line.

6.) Broker chains. Each buyer eventually runs into an agent (like me) who is able to get the required type of sugar in required amounts under required terms, secure a better, handle the negotiations, paperwork, provide guidelines for the entire procedure, etc. On the other side there are suppliers who each have their own selling agents. In a perfect situation the buyer’s agent (me) and the seller’s agent come together and finalize the sale. It usually shouldn’t matter but often (like in my case) the buyer’s agent and the seller’s agent can be the same person. The seller usually pays comission to all parties involved (the comission is shared by buyer’s and seller’s agents). That comission is already a part of the final price which the buyer pays.  Then there are independent brokers who find good opportunities on both buyer and seller side. They combine the buyer who is willing to buy at the highest price with the seller who is willing to sell at the lowest price. The difference can sometimes be the broker’s proffit, although good sellers usually refuse to pay out abnormally high comissions. There can be several brokers who offer the deal to eachother, and each of them is then involved in the final sale. That is called a “broker chain”. Neither seller nor buyer like those. Some accept them, some don’t.

Example sugar prices

Below are some examples which were valid in beginning of May, 2008:

These were taken from some of my actual work, and the comission is already included. Note that these prices are not in container loads, they are in ship loads. Price examples are CIF (cost, insurance and freight included) from Brazil to Dubai:

12.500 metric tons - $265 USD / mt
25.000 metric tons - $260 USD / mt
50.000 metric tons - $255 USD / mt
75.000 metric tons (per month for 12 months): $240 USD / mt
125.000 metric tons (per month for 12 months): $219 USD / mt
300.000 metric tons (per month for 12 months): $210 USD / mt
5.000.000 metric tons (one time order, split into 12 deliveries): $190 USD / mt
20.000.000 metric tons (one time order, split into multiple deliveries over time): $185 / mt

Prices for one time orders (called “spot” orders) are generally higher, When the buyer commits to a longer term order, the price can be adjusted to the total quantity and is thus lower.

To my knowledge it was impossible to get lower prices anywhere in the world in May 2008 when this was written.

If you have any questions, or need a soft price quote, please contact me.

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Refining Sugar and ICUMSA Ratings

Special Crystal Sugar is defined as being sugar that lies between ICUMSA 150 and ICUMSA 230, but what does that really mean? In order to understand the ICUMSA ratings system, one needs to understand how sugar is extracted and refined.

Most sugar comes from one of two natural sources, either sugar cane or sugar beet. Sugar cane is the more popular of the two sugar sources, and sugar is extracted from sugar cane by a process of rolling and crushing the cane forcing the natural juice inside the cane to mix with the sucrose and pour out of the rollers, where it is then collected and taken away for refining.

Extracting sugar from sugar beet is a slightly more difficult proposition. Sugar beet is generally sliced finely and then fed into a diffuser where the slices are exposed to running hot water which leeches the sugar from the beet flesh.

When first extracted, raw sugar is a deep brown color. There are a variety of ways of refining sugar, but almost all of them require that the raw sugar juice is mixed with a high sugar juice and then put into a centrifugal chamber, which spins the molasses away from the sugar crystals. The product of this process is known as centrifugal sugar, and is still a brown color. This process is sometimes known as “affination”.

The next stage of the process is the stage where the sugar loses its brown color and becomes white. This is normally achieved by carbonization, which involves adding milk of lime to the sugar juice. The milk of lime forms calcium carbonate (chalk) deposits in the juice. These chalk deposits collect colorants and contaminants as they form and fall to the bottom, making it easy for them to be removed by a process of sedimentation.

What is then left is a clean sucrose juice from which the sugar must be extracted. This is normally done by boiling the mixture, removing a great deal of the water, and creating a solution in which sugar crystals can form. These crystals are then sent into another centrifugal chamber where the water is spun away, leaving sugar crystal behind.

This is a very simplistic description of the process, and, as has been mentioned, there are many different ways to refine sugar. In most cases however, the three steps outlined above will be used at some stage in the refining process.

Sugar Ratings

As you can see, it is the color of sugar that gives the best indication of how refined it is. Raw sugars are dark brown, whereas refined sugars are so white that they really do sparkle. The ICUMSA ratings system uses these properties to measure the quality of sugar.

ICUMSA is an acronym for the International Commission For Uniform Methods Of Sugar Analysis, which is an international body concerned with ensuring that a standardized system for sugar analysis exists globally so that sellers and buyers can accurately describe the products they have to sell, and those that they wish to buy.

ICUMSA testing is carried out with an instrument called a tristimulus colorimeter. This is a device which is capable of measuring how much light a substance absorbs. The more light a substance absorbs, the darker it appears to be to the human eye. Our perception of brightness and darkness, and even colors is actually based on the ability of the substances we are looking at to absorb various wavelengths of light. A red jacket, for example, is actually made out of a material that absorbs all the wavelengths of light in the spectrum apart from the red ones and then reflects those back to our eyes.

The colorimeter works in much the same way as a human eye, but is more useful because unlike an eye, it is capable of producing a number at the end of its analysis which accurately describes exactly how light or dark the sample was.

This test is so accurate when carried out properly that it has become the standard for international sugar trading. When one purchases Special Crystal sugar, or ICUMSA 150 – 230 as it is known technically, it will, under normal circumstances, be independently ICUMSA tested at the port before it is shipped to the buyer. This provides assurance to the buyer that the type of sugar they ordered is the type of sugar that they will be receiving.

Icumsa 150 - 230 Prices

Please contact me through this form below and let me know your specific requirements. I will get back to you with a price quotation shortly.

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In India, sugar is big business, and sugar is the second largest agro-processing industry in India today. It is estimated that there are over forty five million people in India who are involved in the growing of sugar, and that sugar cane crops cover almost four and a half million hectares of land. In many parts of India, sugar is considered to be more than just a sweetening agent, and is consumed in vast quantities as a food stuff. This is especially true for those living rurally, for whom sugar is one of the main staples of their diet.

Growing Sugar In India

Most of the sugar produced in India originates from sugar cane, which is usually planted between January and March each year. Unlike Brazil, which has one major growing region, India’s sugar cane growing regions are scattered throughout the country’s many states, but which can all be categorized into one of two climatic zones, either sub-tropical, or tropical.

Major tropical sugar cane producing states include: Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and also Gujarat.

Major sub-tropical sugar cane producing states include: Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Bihar, Punjab, and also Haryana.

Sugar cane production is much more successful in the tropical states of India, though much work has been undertaken in recent years to find new ways to grow sugar cane more successfully in subtropical climates. On average, India struggles with intemperate climates, poor soil, and rough terrain and produces on average around sixty five tonnes of sugar per hectare, which compares favorably with major countries such as China and the United States of America, but is less than the yields of Brazilian, Australian, and some European sugar cane plantations.

The Monsoon season also has a large impact on Indian sugar cane, in some cases providing much needed rain, but in others flooding sugar cane fields and destroying almost half the crop.

Sugar in India is usually harvested between August and January

The Traditional Indian Sugar Problem

There are three main types of sugar produced in India. There is the refined sugar which is well known and traded on the international market according to ICUMSA standards and ratings, and then there are also traditional sugars known as Gur, which is solidified juice of sugar cane, and Khandsari, which is low grade centrifugal sugar.

Indian sugar refineries face a unique challenge due to the existence of Gur and Khandsari, as the government regulates sugar mills and refineries quite extensively, forcing them to operate within mandatory cost return margins. An Indian sugar mill must pay a government stipulated minimum price for sugar cane, and this price is generally a great deal higher than what a traditional sugar maker would pay for the same cane. They may also only sell their sugar at a certain price, which also puts a squeeze on potential earnings.

Gur and Khandsari are essentially products of cottage industry, and they are not anywhere near as regulated as the sugar mills and can price their products as high or as low as they wish. Some sugar cane growers choose to turn their cane directly over to Gur production as it is a simple and easy way to produce a sugar product that is sure to sell at a price of their own choosing.

As a result of these factors, less than seventy percent of the sugar cane produced in India is channeled into refined sugar production.

Types Of Indian Sugar

Indian Sugar falls into the following categories:

Raw Sugar

Raw sugar is simply sugar that has been extracted from the sugar cane, but which still has molasses surrounding the sugar crystal. It has a deep brown color and is very sticky.

Molasses

Molasses is the sweet brown viscous liquid which covers the sugar crystals and which is drawn off in the refining process. Molasses has many uses including as a ingredient in alcohol production, and as animal feed.

Non Centrifugal Sugar

Non Centrifugal Sugar is known as Gur or Jaggery, and is traditional Indian sugar. This type of sugar is very popular in rural areas of India, as it is both traditional, and can be produced through relatively simple manual labor and does not require a high level of technology to manufacture. Gur is not used in the same fashion as the white sugar that many of us are familiar with (ie, as a sweetening agent), but rather it is consumed as a whole food.

There is also a type of traditional sugar known as Khandsari which does require the use of a centrifuge to make, but this is also carried out in small scale local mills rather than large refineries.

Centrifugal Sugar

Centrifugal Sugar is sugar that has been partially refined by being mixed with a high sugar juice, having crystallized, and then having had most of the molasses spun off in the centrifuge.

Refined White Sugar

This is sugar which has undergone the centrifugal process and has gone on through the refining process. Depending on how much refining it undergoes, it may be the sparkling white ICUMSA 45 which is well known as a sweetener in developed countries, or it may be less refined, ranging from ICUMSA 50 to ICUMSA 150.

 Indian Sugar Prices

Please contact me through this form below and let me know your detailed requirements. I will get back to you with my best offer.

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