Sugar industry produce one to two products and a number of byproducts as its main function is synthesis of sugar. Major product of sugar industry is sugar ( brown and white ), and major byproducts are leaves, bagasse, filter cake ( also called filter mud, mud cake or compressed cake ), and molasses.

Products of sugar industry and their uses:

Sugar industry produce following products:

• Brown sugar
• White sugar

Uses of Brown Sugar:

Brown sugar is pure unrefined sugar which retain some of the molasses content in it and contain more minerals than white sugar. It has various uses like:

1. It has diverse nutritional content, therefore, used in daily meals.
2. It has antioxidant properties so, recommended more than white sugar.
3. It brings good benefits to health.
4. It is used as a sweetening agent in various bakery products and beverages in bakeries and beverage industry.
5. It has low glycemic index therefore healthier to eat.
6. It hydrolyze and form glucose and fructose. Thus, used as a source of glucose. As

C12H22O11 + H2O → C6H12O6 + C6H12O6

Uses of White Sugar (main product of sugar industry):

White sugar is refined sugar with no molasses content in it. It is widely used in our homes as sweetening agent. Some other uses are:

1. It is also used as sweetening agent in bakery items and beverages.
2. It is used to make sugar scrub by mixing equal amount of sugar and olive or coconut oil.
3. It is used to remove grass stains from the clothes. For this, add one cup sugar to half cup warm water and mix it. Then, dip the stained cloth in it over night and then wash.
4. Mix sugar and vinegar in 3:2 quantity pour it in vase. If we keep flowers in this vase sugar solution will make them last longer.
5. It is used to treat wounds.
6. It keeps bread, cookies and cakes fresh.
7. It is an instant fire booster.
8. Its syrup ( sugar syrup ) is used to treat insect stings and bug bites.
9. It is also used as glucose and fructose source.

Byproducts of sugar industry and their uses:

Main byproducts of sugar industry are:

• Leaves of sugarcane
• Bagasse
• Filter cake
• Molasses

Uses of Sugarcane Leaves:

Leaves from sugarcane are removed from sugarcane during screening process. But these are not just trash material. They are used for other purposes like:

1. They are used as a good fodder for livestock.
2. They are used to make furfural which is then used as biofuel.
3. As they are fibrous material, so used in pulp and paper industry.
4. Green leaves are used to make ethanol.
5. They are used to obtain leaf protein, char, and some gases.
6. They also have medicinal uses as they have analgesic properties.

Uses of Bagasse:

Dry pulpy residue left after juice from sugarcane is extracted is called bagasse. It is an important byproduct of sugar industry because:

1. It is used as fuel in concentration step of sugar synthesis as well as domestically.
2. Heat energy produced from burning of bagasse is converted to electrical energy. So, it is used in electricity production.
3. Ashes of bagasse are used as fertilizer in agricultural areas as they contain many important chemicals.
4. If it is burnt in vacuum then it is used as an adsorbent in water purification.
5. As it is fibrous material, so used in paper and hard board industry.
6. It is used as a source of cellulose for manufacturing animal feed.
7. Its most important application now a days is that it is used to make decomposable food packaging materials which are renewable and have low carbon emissions. So, it is used to produce environment friendly substitute for plastic.

Uses of Filter Cake:

The residue collected after pressure filtration at the end of purification step of sugar synthesis is called filter cake. It is also known as filter mud, mud cake, or compressed cake.

1. It is used as cattle feed in various dairy farms.
2. It has excellent in reuniting sand, loosening clay, inhibiting pathogens, restoring soil micro-ecological environment, enhancing soil permeability, and improving soil’s ability to retain water and other nutrients. Therefore, it is used as a fertilizer and soil conditioner.
3. It is used as biofuel.
4. It is used  as microbial carrier for various purposes.
5. It is used for the bioremediation of heavy metals.
6. As it is a sticky material so, it is used for wax production and concrete formation.

Uses of Molasses (main byproduct of sugar industry):

Molasses is mother liquor collected after sugar crystallization. It is most important byproduct of sugar industry as it is used in various other industries.

1. It is used in chemical industry for the synthesis of ethanol, acetic acid, and citric acid etc.
2. It is used as cattle feed.
3. It is used to produce dextrose which is used to treat hypoglycemia.
4. It is edible and sweet in taste so used in baking, candy making, and rum making industries.
5. When it is applied to skin, it stimulates lactic acid production in skin which act as a defense against skin damaging conditions. Thus, used as skin softening agent.
6. It is used in food industry as it adds sweetness, color, luxurious texture, and aroma to barbecue sauces, meat glazes, chilis, and red meat stews.
7. It act as a conditioner for hair, add luster and shine to hair strands.
8. It helps in restoring hair color in premature grey hair conditions.
9. It is richer than honey in many minerals like iron, calcium, potassium, and vitamin ( B ). It also contain more antioxidants than honey and is lower in calories. Thus, can be used as substitute of honey.