Extraction of Sugar Solution from Sugar Beet Cossettes by Electroporation and Compressive Load

Extraction of sugar solution from sugar beet cossettes has been studied at different parameters of electric pulses, with electric field intensities varying from 0.52 to 1.52 kV/cm. Sugar beet has been exposed to different number of electric pulses of different duration. Experiments where the only treatment was compressive load gave us maximum juice yield of 30.64 %, with PEF treatment added juice yield rose to a maximum of 80.32%. The whole process lasted 30 minutes. The first 5 minutes we pressed with pressure of 9.254 bars, then electric pulses were applied, followed by additional 25 minutes of pressing. To compare juice yields and specific energy consumption, we also performed experiments replacing PEF treatment with more established thermal treatment at temperatures (30, 40, 50, 60, 72) °C.