Patents Assigned to The Western Sugar Company
  • Patent number: 5759283
    Abstract: An efficient method for manufacturing a purified juice product from sugar beets. Untreated beet juice is initially prelimed using lime and CaCO.sub.3 to produce a prelimed juice product. Instead of subjecting the prelimed product to main liming and dual carbonation stages, the product is delivered to a porous filtration membrane which allows sugar molecules to pass therethrough which preventing the passage of solid matter and dissolved impurities. Optimum results are achieved if the prelimed product flows across the membrane from end to end. The membrane permeate is thereafter combined with CO.sub.2(g) in a single carbonation stage to remove dissolved lime. This step generates a purified juice product which can be processed to manufacture pure crystalline sugar. The membrane retentate can be combined with water and refiltered to collect residual sugar materials. The foregoing process uses less energy and raw materials (e.g. lime) compared with conventional methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1998
    Assignee: The Western Sugar Company
    Inventors: Eric P. Ekern, Bimal Goculdas, Michael Donovan, Marc Hlavacek
  • Patent number: 5480490
    Abstract: A beet juice treatment method in which reaction products are recycled. Beet juice is first prelimed with lime and CaCO.sub.3 to produce first and second juice fractions. The second fraction contains flocculated materials, and is combined with CO.sub.2. Solid flocs and calcium carbonate reaction products are removed from the second fraction. The second fraction and first fraction are then recombined to produce a third juice fraction which is combined with lime in a main liming stage for additional purification. The third fraction is then supplied with additional CO.sub.2 to generate a CaCO.sub.3 sludge product. The sludge product is divided into first and second portions. The first portion is reused in the preliming stage. The second portion is converted to regenerated lime for reuse in the main liming stage and possibly the preliming stage. These steps reduce waste production and provide economic benefits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1996
    Assignee: The Western Sugar Company
    Inventors: Laszlo Toth, John E. Sagaser
  • Patent number: 4795494
    Abstract: A process for the removal of non-sugar impurities from beet diffusion juice having essentially no beet tissue particles therein and comprising water, sugar, and dissolved and colloidal non-sugar impurities. The diffusion juice is subjected to a progressive preliming procedure to thereby produce a limed first juice fraction containing non-sugar flocs and a limed, floc-free second juice fraction. The fractions are separated and the floc-free fraction is subjected to cold and hot main liming. Subsequently, and without substantial mechanical or chemical degradation, at least a portion of the first juice fraction containing at least a portion of the non-sugar flocs is united with the main-limed second juice fraction in a first carbonation procedure wherein carbon dioxide reacts with the lime present to produce calcium carbonate precipitate which, in addition to being an adsorption filter aid, forms protective scales around the floc particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 3, 1989
    Assignee: The Western Sugar Company
    Inventors: Laszlo Toth, Michael R. Conway
  • Patent number: 4397877
    Abstract: Active dried yeast is treated to beneficiate subsequent fermentation activity and/or fermentation products of the yeast and to produce a beneficiated active yeast product by heating the dried yeast to a temperature of about 30.degree. to about 60.degree. C. for at least about 2 hours prior to utilization of the yeast in a fermentation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1980
    Date of Patent: August 9, 1983
    Assignee: The Great Western Sugar Company
    Inventor: Arthur H. Freytag
  • Patent number: 4328043
    Abstract: Sugar extraction efficency from sugar-containing plant tissue, such as sugarbeet cossettes or the like, is increased by contacting the sugar-containing plant tissue near the juice end of a diffusion process with diffusion water in the presence of an effective amount of carbon dioxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1980
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1982
    Assignee: Great Western Sugar Company
    Inventors: Arthur H. Freytag, Rodney D. Cooke
  • Patent number: 4241185
    Abstract: The activity of mycelial bound .alpha.-galactosidase is stabilized by treating .alpha.-galactosidase containing mycelia with about 5 to about 25 percent by weight glutaraldehyde based upon the dry weight of the mycelia. The glutaraldehyde treated mycelia may be used in the hydrolysis of oligosaccharides containing .alpha.-galactoside linkage without incurring substantial .alpha.-galactosidase activity loss during hydrolysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1979
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1980
    Assignee: The Great Western Sugar Company
    Inventors: Brooks M. Stein, James C. Linden
  • Patent number: 4206242
    Abstract: Harvested sugar beets are treated to reduce storage losses of recoverable sucrose by contacting the beets with propylene. The treatment may be effected by spraying an aqueous solution of propylene onto the beets, by dipping the beets into an aqueous solution of propylene, by contacting the beets with gaseous propylene, or by other suitable means. Propylene concentrations less than about 750 ppm, preferably in the range of about 10 to about 500 ppm, and more preferably about 20 to about 200 ppm, are effective to reduce storage loss of recoverable sucrose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1978
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1980
    Assignee: The Great Western Sugar Company
    Inventors: Arthur H. Freytag, Walter R. Akeson
  • Patent number: 4097333
    Abstract: Glucose yields in the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose are significantly enhanced by treating cellulosic material with ethylene either prior to and/or during the hydrolytic reaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1977
    Date of Patent: June 27, 1978
    Assignee: The Great Western Sugar Company
    Inventors: Arthur H. Freytag, James C. Linden
  • Patent number: 4021231
    Abstract: Respiration of sucrose to carbon dioxide and water is reduced and the formation of invert sugar is inhibited in the storage of sugar beets which have had an effective amount of ethylene introduced into the ground near the roots of the growing plants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1974
    Date of Patent: May 3, 1977
    Assignee: The Great Western Sugar Company
    Inventors: Arthur H. Freytag, Walter R. Akeson
  • Patent number: 4000001
    Abstract: A method of continuous precipitation of insoluble solids formed by the reaction of a liquid solution and a reactant by hydrodynamic agitation of the solution and the reactant in a continuous hydrodynamic precipitation apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1975
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1976
    Assignee: The Great Western Sugar Company
    Inventor: Laszlo Toth