The Sugar Beet –
A Versatile All-Rounder Plant

The sugar beet is a versatile crop that offers a wide range of uses and applications beyond sugar production. As all parts of the plant (sugar beet pulp, thick juice, water, leaves, etc.) can be used or valorised, it is a very versatile crop for many uses.

Sugar Beet: A Versatile Crop

The sucrose content of sugar beets is typically around 18-20% at harvest in autumn, depending on the weather conditions during growth.

In addition to the sugar content, the beet also contains 75% water. The remaining percentage is made up of proteins, cell wall polysaccharides, minerals, and fibre.

Most parts of the sugar beet plant can be valorised. During cultivation, sugar beet develops a large leaf canopy and a deep rooting system, that enables the plant to access water and nutrients from deeper soil layers.
When harvested, the leaves remain on the ground and as green manure. Furthermore, the water contained in the beet is recovered in the production process and reused to clean the crops. Also, the carbonation lime, which remains after filtering off non-sugar impurities during the beet sugar production, is then returned to the field for fertilization. Sugar beet uses are numerous, but let’s start at the beginning …

100% Plant-based Source of Sugar

Beet sugar is produced during the process of photosynthesis in the sugar beet. Under the influence of the energy of sunlight and with the help of chlorophyll of the large leaves, sugar beets convert absorbed water from the soil and carbon dioxide from the air into the substance sugar (sucrose).

The sugar first is used for the plant growth and then stored in the beet body serving as a reserve for the coming flowering year.

The sugar type is sucrose, a disaccharide which is directly produced in the beet. Apart from sugar cane, in other plants sugar is usually first stored as a long-chain compound such as starch. In the further processing stage, the sucrose of the sugar beets can therefore be easily dissolved out of the cells and be processed further.

European Grown Beets Cultivation and Processing

Compared to sugar cane, which is mainly grown in tropical countries, the sugar beet is cultivated in more temperate latitudes like Europe.

Our Südzucker sugar beets are grown in Germany, France, Poland, Moldova, and Belgium. Also, the processing of the plants takes place locally. The distance between beet fields and sugar factories is typically limited by the regional cultivation and processing structure. The average distance between the beet fields and the factory in Germany for example is 50 km.

Our organic beet sugar is grown and produced in Germany. The fields of our farmers are close to our production facility in Rain/Bavaria in Southern Germany – about 80% of our organic sugar beets are grown in Bavaria (crop year 2022). For more information about our Organic Beet Sugar click here.

Sugar Beet Cultivation

As sugar beets have been cultivated for many years, their cultivation and processing have evolved over many years through ongoing research and development. Moreover, in our cultivation, we only use non-GMO sugar beet plant variants.
In agricultural research, resistance to diseases and pests is addressed through the breeding and development of specific sugar beet varieties to support crop resilience, reduce potential harvest losses, and adapt cultivation to changing agricultural conditions.

We aim to address challenges faced by our farmres ans support on-field work by testing new innovative methods in areas such as weed control, fertilisation, crop protection and digitalisation.

During cultivation, the sugar beet plants have a number of characteristics:

Deep rooting system: Due to their roots, which can reach depths up to 2m, sugar beets are able to access water and nutrients from deeper soil layers
Role in crop rotation: The branched long roots loosen the soil and can contribute to soil structure. Being planted in rotation every 3 to 4 years, this is why they are typically grwond as part of crop rotation systems. In addition, due to the deep root system and the long vegetation period of sugar beets, the crop is able to take nitrogen available in the soil.

Need-based fertilization and crop protection: Fertilization and crop protection measures for sugar beet are adapted to crop requirements and are applied based on agronomic needs.
In line with the principlea of integrated farming, Südzucker supports growers through regular soil analyses together with Bodengesundheitsdienst Bodengesundheitsdienst- (our Soil Health Service).
In addition, we research new approaches to plant protection, modern technologies, application methods and robotics at our reasearch farm in Kirschgartshausen, Germany.

Valorisation: the Many Uses of Sugar Beet

Besides sugar production, for which it is mainly known, the sugar beet can be used in a range of different applications. Various parts of the sugar beet are used to produce co-products like animal feed (for bees, cows, pigs, horses, etc.) in the form of sugar beet pulp pellets or molasses, fermentation additives, paper pulp, fertilisers, bioethanol, biomethane or even bioplastic.

Sugar Beet Pulp

After the sugar beets have been crushed into beet pulp and the sugar has been extracted, the beet pulp is pressed or dried and then used as feed for cattle, pigs or horses. The sugar beet pulp is commonly used as animal feed. (See our range of beet sugar animal feed products). In addition, it can also be used as a nutrient medium or paper substrate in non-food industries.

Sugar Beet Molasses

By extracting the sugar from the cells of the beet, raw juice is produced and boiled down in several stages until the sugar crystallizes. After centrifugation in addition to the white sugar the molasses remains. The dark syrup still contains about 40-50% sugar. Due to its sugar and nutrient content, it is also used as animal feed. On the other hand, it can also be used as a fermentation additive in applications such as yeast production, pharmaceutical production of vitamins, alcohols, or citric acid. Learn more about our Sugar Beet Molasses.

Thick Juice

Our thick juice is also produced as a “semi-finished” product just before the crystallisation step using multiple-effect evaporation of purified sweet juice (“thin juice”). With its high carbohydrate content of 92%, our thick juice is a feedstock that is commonly used for fermentation and other non-food applications.

Carbonation Lime

During sugar extraction, non-sugar impurities in the raw juice of sugar beets are precipitated together with lime by adding lime and carbon dioxide from the lime kiln. The resulting carbonation lime is pressed off and can then be used as fertiliser on the sugar beet fields again. It contains nutrients and can also be used in organic farming. In the end, the nutrients harvested through the sugar beets are returned to agricultural soils.

Water

Since 75% of the sugar beet consists of water, it is evaporated, recondensed, and collected during production and then used for other processes like cleaning the beets. This reduces the need for additional fresht water in the production process. A large proportion of the water required for processing originates from the sugar beet itself.

Leaves and Adhering Soil

Specially developed harvesters can cut off the leaves so that they are left on the field as green manure. In addition, the sugar beets are cleaned still on the field with beet cleaning loader machines so that as much soil as possible remains on the field and thus less transport weight is caused.

Finally, the sugar beet is a very versatile crop from which a range of raw materials and applications can be derived for both human and animal use. In addition to being grown in Europe, different parts of the beet can be used or further processed, creating a variety of applications for food, feed and other uses.

In addition to its sweetening function, sugar deriverd from sugar beet contributes a range of sensory and techno-functional properties used in various food applications.