Fine Grinding of Sugar
Sugar belongs to the carbohydrate group. From an economic perspective, industrially produced sucrose, or common table sugar, is particularly important. It is used as a sweetener and serves as a quick source of energy. Sucrose is mainly found in sugar cane or sugar beets. It is a disaccharide, a double sugar composed of the linked monosaccharides (simple sugars) glucose (grape sugar, dextrose) and fructose (fruit sugar). In addition to sucrose, glucose, and fructose, lactose, a disaccharide derived from whey, is also an important additive or excipient in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Disaccharides and monosaccharides have a sweet taste and are generally highly water-soluble. They are usually marketed as white crystals or crystalline powders with varying grain sizes for industrial processing or direct use. The smaller the grain size, the faster they dissolve in aqueous media.
Powdered sugar is produced by milling granulated sugar. During this process, the formation of lumps is a common problem. This can complicate further processing, for example in the confectionery industry, where lumps interfere with the proper production of glazes and fillings. To prevent the formation of these lumps, starch and other products are often added to the sugar.