Development of an ICUMSA method – a comparison of cane analysis methods

Abstract

The International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis Ltd (ICUMSA) is the only international organisation involved with the development and testing of analytical methods for use within the sugar industry. Analysis methods undergo a rigorous approval procedure, progressing from Tentative to Official or, Official (Reference) method status before being published in the Methods Book. As an example of these processes, the comparison of two alternative computations (Berding and Pollock; Hamna) used in a proposed hydraulic-press method for cane evaluation is described. The press method was compared to the Official Method for cane analysis (GS5/7-1 (2011)) that is based on wet disintegration of cane, by comparing the results obtained from 79 samples split into three subsamples analysed by the three methods. Correlations of greater than 0.9 were recorded for the press method’s sugar and fibre results compared against the existing method. A recommendation was made to ICUMSA, based on the study, that a draft method should be written for cane evaluation using the press method and Berding and Pollock computations.