Cane Testing Service

Specialised Cane Testing Services

The Cane Testing Service (CTS) provides a specialist service under contract to individual Mill Group Boards to determine the quality of individual grower cane deliveries to the mill for cane payment purposes. This analytical chemistry service assesses the recoverable value content in cane delivered to the mill by growers, providing a neutral and objective basis on which to calculate recoverable value payment by miller to grower. The CTS also provides a technical audit of the distribution between millers and growers ensuring fair and equitable division of proceeds. Click here to contact a Cane Testing Service Centre.

Historically, the measure of quality for cane payment purposes in the South African sugar industry has been the sucrose content of the cane, but as of 1 April 2000, the start of the new sugar season, payment for sugar cane is on basis of its Recoverable Value (RV) content.

The recoverable value is a measure of the value of the sugar and molasses that will be recovered from the sugar cane delivered by the individual grower and is calculated as follows:

RV % cane	=	S - dN - cF
where S	=	sucrose % cane
N	=	non-sucrose % cane
F	=	fibre % cane
And D	=	the relative value of sucrose which each unit of non-sucrose diverts from sugar production to molasses
C	=	the loss of sucrose from sugar production per unit of fibre

The factors d and c are calculated for each season and is approximately 0,38 and 0,02 respectively.

The recoverable value basis of cane payment provides the necessary incentives for improving still further the quality of the sugar cane delivered to the mill and this together with local area agreements between growers and millers regarding issues that impact on cane quality will lead to improved efficiencies all round.

The CTS operation at the mill is equipped to sample and analyse individual cane consignments using the Direct Analysis of Cane (DAC) system as described in the Laboratory Manual for South African Sugar Factories. The analytical procedures provide the sucrose, non-sucrose and fibre per cent cane data necessary for individual consignment RV calculation.

However, in parallel with the individual consignment analysis, the CTS also determines the total sucrose, non-sucrose and fibre contained in the mixed juice and final bagasse (the so-called mill balance measure) which is the master measure of the total input into the mill.

The individual cane consignment stream (DAC) as well as the mill balance stream (mixed juice and final bagasse) are both analysed in parallel over the week and at the end of the week a reconciliation takes place such that all the individual consignment (DAC) analyses for sucrose, non-sucrose and fibre are adjusted such that the summations for each component equals that determined from the mill balance. Thereafter the RV % cane for the individual cane consignment is calculated from the adjusted DAC data.

This parallel measure of total sucrose, non-sucrose and fibre (and thus RV) entering the mill over the week makes for a powerful means of control as any deviation in one is immediately evident in a change in the normal relationship between the two measures (DAC and mill balance).

The mill balance measure is also used by the miller as the measure of the input to the factory and mill recoveries and efficiencies are calculated from this input.

In common with many sugar cane producing industries, a system of relative payment is applied in the South African sugar industry. Details regarding the sampling and analytical procedures employed in the cane testing operation in South Africa are to be found in the Laboratory Manual for South African Sugar Factories (5th edition) which can be accessed online at www.sasta.co.za.

Autolab

Autolab provides a high quality, innovative and cost-effective information technology solution in the development, configuration and support of customised computerised Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) in cane testing and factory laboratories; the unique cane massmeter and Mill Group Board modules for its sugar industry customers.

Autolab develops and provides tools for the cost effective and efficient distribution of customer data reporting. Its customised web applications allow growers and hauliers to view their delivery performance data as well as mill-related performance data via dashboards. Autolab also develops, installs and maintains vehicle scheduling systems that regulate rateable delivery of cane to the mills.

Autolab provides 24-hour LIMS support to 18 sites to ensure efficient and maximum system usage by customers. Specialised analytical instruments are also serviced and maintained.

Autolab’s customers include the 12 sugar mills, Sugar Terminal and Refinery in South Africa; two Sugar mills in Zimbabwe, eleven Sugar mills in Kenya and two Sugar mills and a Sugar Terminal in Mozambique, consisting of a total of over 1240 LIMS registered users.