Abstract

Some raw sugars produced are relatively difficult to decolorize by sugar refiners and tend to develop color during storage. The costs of sugar refining increase with the amount of coloring matter in the raw sugar feedstock. Decolorization of sweet potatoes syrup was studied using activated carbon. From the studies, it was observed that pH, contact time and concentration contribute significantly to the intensity of color produce. The results of this studies show that, the intensity of the color with extraction increase with contact time. The effect of pH on decolorization efficiency increases with increase in pH toward 8.0. Increase in contact time between the brown sugar syrup and the activated carbon enhances the decolorization of the sugar syrup. It was also observed that when the concentration of the absorbate increases the decolorization efficiency of the sugar syrup increases. A reduction of color in raw sugar or a cheap and effective method of removal in processing would lead to lower refining costs.