Overview

A leading sugar manufacturing facility was looking to reduce dextran levels in its process to improve boiling performance, reduce viscosity, and support better sugar processing efficiency. High dextran levels can increase massecuite viscosity, affect crystallization, and make downstream sugar recovery more challenging.

To address this challenge, The Catalysts Group implemented Enzydex, a specialized dextranase enzyme, at 3 ppm. The evaluation demonstrated an average 45% reduction in dextran levels across key process streams, along with improvements in boiling performance, viscosity management, sugar processing time, and centrifuge purgability.

Plant Profile

Parameter Details
Industry Sugar Manufacturing
Application Dextran Control in Sugar Processing
Process Cane Sugar Processing
Plant Capacity 6000 TCD
Product Evaluated Enzydex
Substrate Dextran
Dosage 3 ppm
Dosing Points Mill House & Filtrate Juice

The Challenge

  • Elevated dextran levels were contributing to increased viscosity and affecting sugar processing performance
  • Higher dextran concentration can interfere with sucrose crystallization and crystal growth
  • Increased viscosity can affect boiling, massecuite handling, and centrifugation efficiency
  • The plant required an effective solution to control dextran and improve overall processability

Catalysts Solution

The Catalysts Group implemented Enzydex, a specialized dextranase enzyme designed to break down dextran and reduce its impact on process viscosity and crystallization. Enzydex was applied at 3 ppm through dosing at the Mill House and Filtrate Juice stages. The enzyme programme was evaluated by monitoring dextran levels across critical process streams before and after application, along with observing associated operational benefits.

Performance Highlights

The Enzydex application delivered a significant reduction in dextran across the sugar process, with an average reduction of 45% across the evaluated streams.
  • PJ & MJ Dextran: Reduced by 43% and 61%, respectively
  • Filtered Juice & C.J. Dextran: Reduced by 41% in both streams
  • Unclarified Sulphur Syrup & A M/C Dextran: Reduced by 40% and 44%, respectively
  • A Heavy & B M/C Dextran: Reduced by 59% and 42%, respectively
  • B Heavy, C M/C & Final Molasses Dextran: Reduced by 46%, 38% and 43%, respectively

Before vs After Performance

Process Stream Before Enzydex After Enzydex Reduction
PJ 2508 1431 43%
MJ 2400 929 61%
Filtered Juice 3191 1882 41%
C.J. 2980 1751 41%
Unclarified Sulphur Syrup 3826 2306 40%
A M/C 1520 849 44%
A Heavy 4272 1746 59%
B M/C 4320 2489 42%
B Heavy 10,719 5826 46%
C M/C 9476 5910 38%
Final Molasses 15,945 9015 43%
Average Reuction — — 45%

Key Outcomes

  • Achieved an overall 45% average reduction in dextran across the evaluated process streams
  • Recorded the highest reduction of 61% in MJ and 59% in A Heavy
  • Reduced dextran in Final Molasses by 43%, lowering the dextran load carried into downstream processing
  • Supported improved heat exchanger performance and reduced boiling time
  • Helped reduce overall pan viscosity, supporting smoother boiling operations
  • Contributed to improved purgability at centrifugals, supporting downstream process efficiency

Conclusion

The commercial evaluation demonstrated that Enzydex effectively controlled dextran across critical stages of sugar processing, achieving an average 45% reduction across the evaluated streams. The reduction in dextran was accompanied by improvements in processability, including reduced viscosity, improved boiling performance, and better centrifuge purgability.