[Syrupmakers] Diatomaceous Earth?

Sun Oct 14 18:49:20 CDT 2018

Paul,
 In  regard to production loss from bacteria, there are a number of
factors which need to be considered. Does the cane already have red rot
problems? Does the cane have multiple cracks or is freeze damage present?
 Just remember that anytime a stalk’s rind is breached, that is an entry
point for bacteria.  Bacteria loves carbohydrates.
 It was our experience, back in the 70s, that healthy cane could be stored
7 to 10 days with little problems.  I would not recommend storing in to
tight a stack or in a high moisture environment.

 A moderate amount of bacteria actually lowers the pH which normally
results in a lighter syrup.

 We used a rising film evaporator. This was basically a vertical shell and
tube heat exchanger with steam around the outside of the tubes. The juice
was pumped at a specific rate up through the tubes.  This, coupled with
our vacuum cooker, greatly reduced the amount of time the syrup resided
at temperatures above 160°.

 There were also times we would use a centrifuge, toward the end of the
cooking process, to clarify the syrup.

 We had a lot of fun. There are times that I almost wish we were back
make’n sorghum again.

Ivan

 Hi Ivan,
>
>
>
>   Thank you very much for such a detailed and well written reply regarding
> the DE, and suggesting vacuum evaporation.  I haven’t heard of thin film
> evaporation, so I have some reading to do now!  Sounds like you had
> quite a sophisticated operation.
>
>
>
> As far as letting the cut stalks “rest” before pressing – how common is
> this practice?  I’ve heard of people doing it before, but am sure I’ve
> read papers in the past that found this practice reduced sugar levels due
> to bacteria, which lead me to believe it wasn’t the best practice.
>
>
>
> Paul
>
>
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows
> 10
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Syrupmakers <syrupmakers-bounces at syrupmakers.net> on behalf of
> ieck at ckt.net <ieck at ckt.net>
> Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2018 9:15:03 PM
> To: A list for sorghum and cane syrupmakers
> Subject: Re: [Syrupmakers] Diatomaceous Earth?
>
>
> Hello Paul,
>  I have not read how others have responded to your question so if I am
> repeating please forgive.
>  We have used literally tons of diatomaceous earth and it should be viewed
> as simply a filtering aid. In short, we would  preheat and pre-skim 1200
> gallons of juice.  Just after this skimming process was done, we would
> thoroughly mix 50 pounds of diatomite and keep it suspended in the juice
> while we were pumping it through a pressure leaf filter.  This filtering
> process left very little skimming to do on our evaporator pans.
>  Toward the end of our sorghum making career, we were using a thin film
> evaporation process coupled with finishing the product under 21 inches of
> vacuum.
>  You will find that the better you clean your juice and the faster you can
> get it to 80 brix and then cooled to  160° or less, the lighter your
> sorghum will be.  The longer your syrup stays at a temperature over 160°
> the more it will caramelize. This caramelization will add color and
> stronger flavors. This is why we used “thin film” and vacuum in our
> process.
>   I would caution against the use of any base or acid additives.  If your
> green juice becomes acidic it will produce a lighter syrup but not
> always a desirable flavor. If you add some form of alkaline, you will
> find that it will actually produce a darker syrup.
>
> Pleasant regards,
> Ivan
>
>  Very interesting Gail!  I did a quick search, but couldnâ€™t find any
>> reference to using baking soda to help separation.  That doesnâ€™t mean
>> that your wrong though....anyone else have info on baking soda?
>>
>> Keith: Iâ€™m not quite sure what you mean by the rising of the juice.
>> Could you expand?  If the addition of lime makes a thicker foam, which
>> helps the separation process, then I would imagine that the baking soda
>> addition might work in the same way, since baking soda does cause the
>> boiling juice to foam.  How do you neutralize the alkalinity of the
>> lime?
>>
>> Does anyone else have any other secrets/techniques to help in
>> separation?
>>
>> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
>> Windows
>> 10
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: Syrupmakers <syrupmakers-bounces at syrupmakers.net> on behalf of
>> Keith
>> Evans <dr.ofsheetrock at gmail.com>
>> Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2018 9:50:15 AM
>> To: A list for sorghum and cane syrupmakers
>> Subject: Re: [Syrupmakers] Diatomaceous Earth?
>>
>> I too have heard of the use of baking soda and water added to the juice
>> to
>> make it rise in the kettle, if it falls. By "it" , I mean the juice when
>> it rises. Haven't heard of baking soda being used for separation. I'm in
>> South East Alabama.
>>
>> On Sat, Oct 13, 2018, 11:44 AM
>> tenacity at fidnet.com<mailto:tenacity at fidnet.com>
>> <tenacity at fidnet.com<mailto:tenacity at fidnet.com>> wrote:
>>
>>  Here in the midwest I have heard of using baking soda to bring the
>> "debris" to the top quickly. I have not tried this myself. but
>> understand
>> it is used by some Amish regularly. Anyone tried using it? And in what
>> quantity for what size pan? We have both a 100 gallon and a 30 gallon
>> batch pan. Would love to hear any experiences.
>>
>>
>>
>> Gail in Missouri
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: "Paul Lefebvre"
>> <paullefebvre at hotmail.com<mailto:paullefebvre at hotmail.com>>
>> Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2018 10:20am
>> To: "A list for sorghum and cane syrupmakers"
>> <syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net<mailto:syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net>>
>> Subject: Re: [Syrupmakers] Diatomaceous Earth?
>>
>> Thanks for the reply Keith,
>>
>>     Here in Canada, pickling lime is banned as a food additive, so
>> itâ€™s
>> nearly impossible to get.  â˜¹
>>
>> Paul
>>
>> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
>> Windows
>> 10
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: Syrupmakers
>> <syrupmakers-bounces at syrupmakers.net<mailto:syrupmakers-bounces at syrupmakers.net>>
>> on behalf of Keith Evans
>> <dr.ofsheetrock at gmail.com<mailto:dr.ofsheetrock at gmail.com>>
>> Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2018 8:04:11 AM
>> To: A list for sorghum and cane syrupmakers
>> Subject: Re: [Syrupmakers] Diatomaceous Earth?
>>
>> I've never used DE , but I use a pickeling lime at around 160Â° to help
>> with separation. It causes a bigger foam (crust) for particles to get
>> trapped in, therefore being able to remove those fine particles easier.
>>
>> On Thu, Oct 11, 2018, 12:57 PM Paul Lefebvre
>> <paullefebvre at hotmail.com<mailto:paullefebvre at hotmail.com>> wrote:
>> Hi All,
>>
>>    I was wondering if anyone on this list uses Diatomaceous Earth in
>> their
>> production of syrup.  Maasdam Sorghum Mill briefly mentions the
>> addition of Diatomaceous Earth in
>> this<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV6ztHccDy0> video at around 6:00
>> to help remove particles, but doesnâ€™t go into the exact specifics for
>> using it, and was hoping I could get some feedback from anyone out
>> there who knows more.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Paul
>>
>> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
>> Windows
>> 10
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Syrupmakers mailing list
>> Syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net<mailto:Syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net>
>> http://syrupmakers.net/mailman/listinfo/syrupmakers_syrupmakers.net
>> _______________________________________________
>> Syrupmakers mailing list
>> Syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net<mailto:Syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net>
>> http://syrupmakers.net/mailman/listinfo/syrupmakers_syrupmakers.net
>> _______________________________________________
>> Syrupmakers mailing list
>> Syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net
>> http://syrupmakers.net/mailman/listinfo/syrupmakers_syrupmakers.net
>>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Syrupmakers mailing list
> Syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net
> http://syrupmakers.net/mailman/listinfo/syrupmakers_syrupmakers.net
> _______________________________________________
> Syrupmakers mailing list
> Syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net
> http://syrupmakers.net/mailman/listinfo/syrupmakers_syrupmakers.net
>