CANE SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS
Equipment used
Core sampler
Shredder
Hydraulic Press
Weighing Scale
Digital Universal Refractometer (DUR)
Automatic Saccharimeter
Cane Analysis
Core sampler
| The core sampler consists of a horizontal tube or probe fitted with a cutting crown at its tip. It can travel from 1 to 4 m above ground level. The probe is mounted on a platform which moves on rails to allow free to and fro movement of the equipment, thus enabling a sample to be taken at any point in the cane load. In operation, the probe penetrates the cane load diagonally at 45o . The sample remains inside the probe and is ejected by means of an internal piston. | 
Core Sampler
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Shredder
| This machine shreds the cane sample to a size which is suitable for juice extraction by the hydraulic press. |  |
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| Hydraulic Press The hydraulic press is used to extract juice from the prepared cane sample. The sample is placed in a perforated bowl and a pressure of 200 tonnes is applied for 2 minutes by means of a piston. The extracted juice is analysed and the residual cake is weighed. | 
Hydraulic Press
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Weighing Scale
| An electronic weighing scale is used for weighing samples and residual bagasse cakes. It is of the single pan type with an optical scale, with a range of 0 to 3000 g. |  |
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Digital Universal Refractometer (DUR)
| The digital universal refractometer is used to determine the brix of the juice. The readings are automatically corrected to a temperature of 20oC. The refractometer is connected to a printer and the readings are recorded automatically to a computer . | 
Refractometer
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Automatic Saccharimeter
| This apparatus is used to measure the Pol or apparent sucrose content of the juice sample. The juice must first be clarified using basic lead acetate and then filtered. The clarified filtrate is poured into the funnel of the flow-through tube of the saccharimeter. The Pol reading is obtained on a digital display . The apparatus is connected to a printer and a computer to record the data. The accuracy of the instrument is regularly checked using standard quartz plates and distilled water. | 
Saccharimeter
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Cane Analysis
The basic parameters for assessing the sucrose content of the cane are :
The Brix of the Juice
The Pol of the Juice
The Purity of the Juice
The Weight of the residual bagasse cake which gives the fibre % cane
First the load is probed diagonally at 450 by means of a core sampler. The sample can be taken on either side of the load.
The sample is reduced to a finely divided state by passing it through a shredding machine.
A 1 kg sub sample of the shredded cane is subjected to a pressure of 200 bars for 2 minutes in a hydraulic press to obtain the juice and a residual bagasse cake. The latter is weighed and the readings are automatically recorded to a computer.
The juice is divided into two portions for Brix, Pol and Purity determinations according to established procedures.
All measurements are recorded automatically in a computer.
The procedure is illustrated in the Chart
for chart. 
Other data provided by the factory and the weighbridges are also used to determine the quantity of sugar, molasses and filter cake accruing to growers.
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