Developments in sugarcane agriculture that affect processing

Extensive research shows that sugarcane quality directly affects sugar yiel d and quality. Quality can be influenced by ever-changing developments in s ugarcane agriculture including new cultivars, chemical ripeners, cultural p ractices and harvesting systems, and new disease and insect pests. These de velopments differentially affect the yield of sugar per unit area and the c ane and juice quality. Additional research has shown that these changing de velopments can have serious deleterious effects on the levels of soluble so lids, sucrose, purity, fiber, reducing sugars, total polysaccharides includ ing starch and dextran, phenolics, inorganic ash, proanthocyanidin, and oth er parameters of cane or juice. This paper will discuss how these developme nts in sugarcane agriculture affect processing.