Sugar Product Diversification and Its Opportunities in China

China is the third largest sugar producer in the world. However, the sugar industry is challenged by high production costs (attributed to the high cane supply price), which lead to continuous financial deficits for sugar companies. Currently, sugarcane products are primarily composed of white sugar and non-centrifugal sugar (NCS); the utilization of sugarcane by-products (i.e. bagasse, filter mud, and molasses) has also been partially industrialized. However, these strategies are far from adequate to address the challenge. China has successfully developed an innovative sugar manufacturing process using nano-ceramic membrane technology to overcome this predicament. In addition, concepts of high-value diversification of sugarcane products and value-added utilization of industrial byproducts have been proposed. A series of sugarcane-based products, e.g. NCS produced by nano-ceramic membrane technology (MNCS), sugarcane-based beverages, plant water, and cultivation substrates, have been developed to improve the overall return of sugar enterprises. Thus, this paper mainly summarizes the diversification of sugarcane products and their development opportunities in China.