ICUMSA100 Sugar
ICUMSA 100 sugar is refined sugar of a lower grade and lower cost than ICUMSA 45. A light white color, it does not 
posses the visual appeal of sparkling white ICUMSA 45, however ICUMSA 100 is nevertheless food grade sugar and safe for human consumption.
ICUMSA Ratings
The ICUMSA ratings system is one set out by the International Commission For Uniform Methods Of Sugar Analysis. This is an international body responsible for regulating the testing of sugar and ensuring that the testing procedures used in various sugar producing and refining countries are uniform across the board. The sugar trade is a global multi billion dollar industry, and so it is essential that buyers and sellers from different countries can effectively communicate information regarding the specifications of the sugar they are selling or seeking to purchase. ICUMSA ratings are an integral part of the sugar trading process, and an understanding of what they are and how they work is advantageous to anyone wishing to enter the sugar trade.
Essentially, ICUMSA ratings are a measurement of how white a sugar is. The color of sugar is directly proportional to how refined it is. ICUMSA 45 sugar, the highest grade of commercial sugar, and the most refined, is so white that it actually sparkles in the light. Raw sugar, on the other hand, is a very rich deep brown color.
ICUMSA testing allows sugar to be graded by its color, and is conducted using a piece of scientific equipment called a colorimeter. During testing a sugar sample is inserted into the specially calibrated colorimeter, and various wavelengths of light are fired at the sample. Depending on the color of the sample, these wavelengths will either be absorbed, or reflected. The amount of light reflected by a sugar sample determines the final ICUMSA rating.
This method of testing works because the property we know as ‘color’ is actually a function of the ability of a substance to absorb various wavelengths of light. Brown sugar absorbs almost all wavelengths apart from a few ‘brown’ wavelengths, which are reflected. White sugar, on the other hand, reflects almost all wavelengths light, which blend together to produce the appearance of a white color.
The Brazilian SGS method of sugar testing assigns low values to highly refined sugar (as in the case of ICUMSA 45 sugar), and high values to unrefined sugar (sometimes in excess of ICUMSA 4000 for very raw sugar). The Brazilian SGS method is the most widely used method, but in some regions of the world, this may be reversed, and raw sugars may be described as having a rating of ICUMSA 42. In order to avoid confusion, it is always wise to ensure that sugar is quoted according to the Brazilian SGS ICUMSA ratings system.
How Sugar Is Refined
ICUMSA 100 sugar is a refined sugar product. Sugar can be refined in a variety of ways, but the methods most commonly used are described below. The exact method used will vary from factory to factory, and will depend on both the refiner’s preferences, the source of the sugar, and other environmental and economic factors.
Raw Sugar
Raw sugar is extracted from sugar cane by crushing the cane and extracting the sucrose rich raw juice. This juice may then either be boiled to concentrate it, and encourage the growth of sucrose crystals before being sent into a centrifugal chamber which separates the liquid from the crystals; or it may simply undergo an evaporation process, in which most of the liquid is evaporated away, leaving a dark and sticky brown sugar substance which is not at all safe for human consumption. The first of these processes results in VHP raw sugar, a high sucrose raw sugar which requires less refining at later stages, whilst the second results in standard raw sugar.
Refining Raw Sugar - Affination
When the refinery receives the raw sugar product, the first stage of processing it undergoes on the way to becoming ICUMSA 45 is affination. This involves mixing the raw sugar with a high sucrose syrup to create a mix known as ‘magma’. The magma is then sent in to a centrifugal chamber and spun at high speeds until the liquid is gone, and the crystals alone remain. Whilst this process is essential for refining raw sugar, it may, in some cases, be unnecessary for VHP sugar, which has already undergone a similar process in its production. In those cases, VHP sugar skips the affination stage, and goes right to the next one, carbonization.
Sugar Carbonization or Phosphation
Sugar from the affination stage is washed and dissolved into a liquid solution for the next stage of the refining process. Carbonization is a term which describes the process in which colorants and contaminants are removed from the sugar. Carbonization involves milk of lime being introduced to the sugar solution. The milk of lime causes small calcium carbonate deposits to build up in the solution and as these travel through the solution they attract colorants and contaminants to them. The colorants and contaminants are thus removed from the solution, leaving it comprised only of pure sucrose and water. The calcium carbonate deposits are removed by a process of sedimentation, and the sugar solution moves on to the final stage. In some cases, phosphorous is used instead of milk of lime in a similar process which is known as phosphation.
Sugar Boiling & Crystallization
The purified liquid is then boiled to remove excess water, and crystallization begins. When the sugar crystals have formed, they are once more sent into a centrifugal chamber where the excess water is removed, and the remaining product is the sugar which is sold worldwide.
Sugar Icumsa 100 Exporter
To get a recent price quotation, please contact me with your detailed requirements. Note that the minimum order is 12.500 metric tons, while the maximum depends on production and shipping/port capabilities