Ready-to-use juice clarificant powder prepared from Deola (hibiscus Ficulneus) stem for making jaggery (Gur)

• In Jaggery manufacturing sodium hydrosulphite (hydros) is indiscriminately used for juice clarification beyond recommended limits (35 g hydros/1000 litre Juice) for clarification of cane juice to impart light golden yellow colour to jaggery. 
• Often level of SO₂ in jaggery exceeds beyond 50 ppm which is not suitable for human consumption (Bureau of Indian Standard I.S.12923, 1990). 
• Deola plant is quite effective juice clarificant for jaggery making.  Since deola plant is not available during peak period of jaggery manufacturing, a. ready-to-use clarificant powder has been prepared from deola stem.

Solid Jaggery in uniform shape and size

                    

                                             Fig: Brick shaped Jaggery and Jaggery Cubes

• Uniformity of shape and size jaggery molding frames were developed at IISR, Lucknow to manufacture brick shaped jaggery weighing 125, 250 and 500 g and 2.5 cm cube weighing about 20 g. 
• The juice extracted through mechanical crushers is boiled, clarified and concentrated. 
• Concentrated semi-solid mass after puddling in cooling pan is poured into these frames and leveled up with laddle. 
• After about 40-45 minutes when the jaggery is set, brick and cubes are removed by dismantling the frame.  The frames are reused after assembling.

Manufacturing of Granular Jaggery

       

                    Fig: Granular Jaggery

• The fresh juice with raised pH of 6 to 6.2 by adding lime as clarificant is heated in the open pan. 
•  Allowed to cool with thorough mixing for few minutes. 
• The thickened mass is transferred from pan to the aluminum trays or on cement platform and allowed for cooling for few minutes without stirring for good crystal formation. 
• At the time of solidification the mass is made into powder manually using wooden scrapers without any lapse of time. 
• Prepared powder is then sun dried to about 11.50% to 1.5% moisture content, it is then sieved through 1-3 mm sieves and packed in 400 gauge polyethylene sachets or PET bottles.
• The granular jaggery (Fig. 5) weighing 100 g contains 80-90 g sucrose, 5-6 g reducing sugar, 0.4 g protein, 0.1 g fat, 9 mg calcium, 4 mg phosphorus, 12 mg iron, 0.6-1.0 g total minerals and 385 kcal energy. 
• It is convenient for handling, drying, packaging, storage, transport and distribution.  It has about 2 years safe storage like.

Considering various cost factors and assumptions almost similar to the liquid jaggery (except for recovery of about 10%) for a plant capacity of 70 q cane/day, the cost of production for one kg of granular jaggery would work out to be about Rs.twelve.

Improved IISR Furnace

 

Fig: Double pan IISR Furnace

• Grate for consumption of fuel, gutter pan for preheating of juice for next charge, chimney for sufficient draft and provisions for preheating of air. 
• Striking temperature is achieved after about 2.75 hours of operation in first lot whereas second lot reaches striking point after two hours. 
• Major saving is due to preheated gutter pan juice
• Introduction of forced draft system saved 9% bagasse consumption as compared to the natural draft. 
• The cost of juice concentration and jaggery making worked out to be Rs. 17.50 and 12 per quintal, respectively, with the furnace price of about Rs. 15000/-.         

                      

                         Fig: Drying-Cum-Storage Bin