New process to boost sugar industry

A Queensland woman has been working on a value-adding process that has the potential to revolutionise the Australian sugarcane industry.

Not so long ago, Australia was the top exporter of raw sugar.

But according to Canegrowers, the national peak representative body for sugarcane growers, Australia is now placed third worldwide behind Brazil and Thailand.

Yet despite struggling in recent years and the global economic downturn, Australian sugarcane growers are currently receiving good returns

"The industry is optimistic about prices and production this year," said Canegrowers chief executive Ian Ballantyne.

And if Sonia Maley has her way, the industry could get an even bigger boost.

Ms Maley has been working on what she says is a new product based on a traditional drink commonly referred to as sugarcane juice.

Renowned for being a thirst quencher, the popular drink is sold by street vendors in South-East Asia, South Asia and Latin America.

"Current milling practices crush the entire stalk of the cane and it means that all the impurities and bitterness associated with the outside skin end up in the juice,' Ms Maley said.

She says new technology splits the cane billet vertically and separates the hard outer fibre that contains most of the impurities from the soft white inner fibre, which holds the cane juice.

It is this juice that Sonya Maley says can be the basis of a brand new industry.

"Sugarcane juice as a concentrate, as a replacement for apple juice concentrate, has never been available," she said.

"It has not been done. It is a new product to the market."

Canegrowers operating manager Ron Mullins says it is something so simple but it took someone from outside of the industry to not only enhance the existing process but build on it.

"If we can develop extra markets for industry, I think the real benefit will be increased production as a result of Sonya's process," he said.

"If that meant the viability of certain areas that are currently questionable, like Mossman, I think that would be a real bonus."

Ms Maley says it has to be good news for sugarcane growers.

"The amount of land being lost to other industries in Australia is now becoming critical to the survival based on throughput of some of these sugar mills," she said.

Ms Maley says she has manufacturers that are interested in the product and now needs to produce the scale of the quantities required to test the market.

SOURCE: abc.net