The Process Of Making Jaggery Through Sugarcane

In India, the sugar industry is a booming industry second only to the textile industry in terms of size. This industry is a significant contributor to rural employment and the economy as a whole. Jaggery made of sugarcane juice is commonly made and consumed in households, confectioneries, restaurants, and bistros. Raw jägery is also used in numerous other industries like the pharmaceutical industry. 

Jaggery made of sugarcane can also be used as a sugar substitute for diet conscious people. The cost of manufacturing sugar is higher than that of jaggery due to the complexity and high cost of equipment involved. But jaggery is a relatively simple product that doesn’t require a lot of capital investment.

Benefits of jaggery

• It causes the body to produce heat during winters.
• It works to boost the immune system.
• Engages digestive enzymes, aiding in constipation prevention.
• Jaggery reduces joint pain as well.
• This helps detoxify the body.
• Menstrual cramps can also be relieved by eating jaggery.
• The iron content of jaggery is high. As a result, it prevents anaemia.
• Furthermore, it helps to reduce respiratory issues.
• It promotes weight loss and increases metabolism.

Process of making jaggery

There are a variety of ways to prepare Jaggery made of sugarcane, which is a traditional Indian product. However, to reduce their tiresome task, people prefer Sugarcane Jaggery Online.

In order to make jaggery, sugarcane is crushed and the juice extracted, the juice is filtered and boiled, then cooled and solidified, giving the finished product. A conventional crusher is used to extract the juice, which is strained subsequently and boiled over low heat. To make the juice bright golden in colour, chemical bleaching agents, or natural items such as Ladyfingers (Bhindi), are added during boiling. 

The extraneous matter is continuously removed during boiling to give the juice a bright golden colour. After boiling the juice, the cooled juice is turned into jaggery blocks by cooling in pots made from iron or aluminium. A mould’s size is determined by the weight of the block. A 1kg block will require one of these moulds. Jute cloth is used to package the blocks, which are sent out. Jaggery yields around 10%, which is about 10kg of jaggery from 100kg of sugarcane.

The process of making jaggery involves the following steps:

Extracting Juice

Juice is usually extracted using three roller mills. They are usually powered by an electric motor or a diesel engine. A significant amount of juice is extracted. A cotton cloth or fine mesh screen is used to remove suspended matter after juice extraction.

Juice clarification

• Sugar juice is made up of colloidal matter, inorganic salts, fibres, nitrogenous substances, gums, organic acids, inorganic acids, pectin, etc. The best way to get sugar juice is through the water. It is clarified through this process, removing any impurities.
• Clarifiers generally are either organic or inorganic, depending on the clarification process. Organic clarifiers include bendi, sukali, and doela, which are plants derived from natural sources. A lime, hydrous power, or superphosphate is an inorganic clarifier.
• The screen juice is placed in an open pan and heated slowly to allow air to escape. Once the air escapes, coagulations are performed and clarifying substances are added. The scum appears at the surface of the juice, which is constantly being removed. 70oC to 800oC is the ideal temperature in this process.
• To reduce the juice’s acidity, some lime water in less quantity is added at the same time, but not to the extent of making the juice neutral, since the taste and colour of the gur produced will be inferior. The pH is maintained between 6.2 and 6.5 during this lime process. Sometimes superphosphate is added. For the gur (jaggery), it is also necessary to add P2O5 and 0.25 per cent concentrated hydrous power. Perforated strainers remove scum while the juice temperature is rising.

Juice concentration

The boiling mass temperature should be around 110 to 115 degrees after clarification by vigorous boiling. Boiling usually takes about 2 to 3 hours. After semi-fluid material has been formed, it is transferred into rectangle boxes or bucket-shaped boxes depending on the requirements. A solid form is then formed after the mass has cooled.

Composition and specification 

Apart from its many health benefits, cane juice also contains several substances. Since Jaggery made of sugarcane contains all the constituents that are normally separated in molasses when making sugar, its nutritional value is slightly higher than that of crystallized sugar. Jaggery can be recovered from 8 to 12% of the total solids in cane, depending on the solids content.

The colour, taste, hardness and crystallinity of jaggery are graded in the market according to visual appearance and according to colour, taste, hardness and crystallinity. Assuming that there is no reduction of sugar, moisture, or colour in jaggery, then the percentage of sucrose should be considered.

Conclusion

Jaggery made of sugarcane is among the traditional ingredients of Indian cooking. Rural and urban areas both have a demand for jaggery. It is used in a variety of everyday meals. Jaggery is more seasonal than sugar since sugar cane is harvested at the same time. There are approximately six months of availability each year, so it has a short shelf life. Sugarcane Jaggery Online is best consumed within a few days after purchase.