Sugar syrup used for soft drinks mainly is from cane sugar with 60° -68° brix and at a filtration temperature of 70° – 85°C. The quality of sugar differs widely depending on its origin and refining process. In the beverage industry the purity of the sugar solution is measured in ICUMSA or RBU units. A high ICUMSA Or RBU reading (150 – 450) indicates a poor quality sugar and means it is difficult to process. The international accepted standard for sugar syrup with 65° brix is less than 50 ICUMSA.
To reduce the ICUMSA/RBU value the syrup often is treated with activated carbon (AC) and hyflowsupercell. The AC dosages range from 0.2 to 0.8 %. Because of the high dosage of AC, filters with a large sludge volume should be used. In cases where a continuous Filtration process is required, it is advisable to use two filters so that while one filter is filtering, the second filter can be in preparation or CIP.
For the filtration of sugar syrup, excellent results are obtained with a UMPL make Zero hold up Sparkler filter press or Vertical plate and frame filter press whichever filteration capacity system is preferred. Both these filters are designed to withstand high temperatures, leakproof, robust construction in superior stainless steel.
Furthermore the filters press (Plate & Frame) are available either as manually closing system operated plants or with hydraulic closing systems.