Editor: Rud Frik Madsen,
Message from the President
Unfortunately, I have to open this ICUMSA News with a mourning: the Acting Director of Technological Researches of Turkish Sugar Institute, Ankara, Turkey, Mrs. Erendiz Kayýmoõlu has informed me of the death of Dr. Nihal SENDÖKMEN who served ICUMSA for many years. As set out in the chapter entitled “Distinguished People of ICUMSA” in the book “The History of ICUMSA”, Dr. Nihal SENDÖKMEN was born in Bursa, Turkey. After completing her diploma in Engineering at Istanbul University, she studied for her PhD at the Braunschweig Sugar Institute in Germany, under the guidance of Prof. Dr. F. Schneider. At the 16th Session of ICUMSA in Ankara she took an important part in the administration and organization of the meetings and social affairs. Her efforts in making the Ankara meeting a memorable affair were much appreciated by all participants. She was the Associate Referee for Subject 15 “Oligosaccharides and Glycosides” in the 1978 and 1982 sessions. She died in Ankara on the Thirty First of October 2000, at the age of 74.
I have received important news coming from the Australian National Committee concerning the organization of that committee. Our former General Secretary Bob McCowage, now Acting Chairman of ANC, sent me the following message:
“Recent restructuring of the marketing arrangements for Queensland raw sugar has resulted in several changes within the Australian National Committee and Australian-held Refereeships.
On 28 July 2000 Queensland Sugar Limited (known as Queensland Sugar) was formed. This new organisation, which is an industry owned company, has taken over the marketing functions previously conducted by the Queensland Sugar Corporation and CSR, as the QSC’s agent. Queensland Sugar is staffed by former officers of QSC and CSR and is located in Brisbane.
Bob McCowage, Ross Urquhart and Owen Crees have joined this new organisation. As General Manager Marketing, Bob McCowage’s new role will take him away from the technical aspects of raw sugar analysis, and Ross Urquhart plans to retire at the end of this year. Accordingly, Owen Crees will assume the Chairmanship of the ANC and will take over the General Refereeship for Raw Sugar (GS1). As Senior Manager Technical in Queensland Sugar, Owen is ideally placed to carry on the important work of this Subject.
The above changes have had some flow on effects. Owen Crees will pass the General Refereeship for Cane Sugar Processing (GS7) to Dr Les Edye. Les will pass the General Refereeship for Molasses (GS4) to Dr Don Mackintosh. Don is Agri-Milling Leader at the Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations (BSES). Dr Ross Broadfoot will continue as Referee for Rheology (S11).”
We note and accept these proposals for changes made by the ANC and thank our colleagues for their valuable contributions to the Commission. Would all the Associate Referees please note these changes and get in touch with the new Referees. These changes will, of course, be noted in our website: www.unife.it/icumsa .
As outlined in the previous ICUMSA News, we are preparing the 2000 Supplement of the “Methods Book” but we are experiencing some delays due to the fact that several Referees, who are preparaing the basic texts of theirelevant methods, are having some difficulty in meeting the scheduled deadline.
The Indian National Committee is beginning to make arrangements for the programme for the next ICUMSA Session to be held in India in 2002. They have suggested several optionsfor the venue and timing of the Session and we are carefully considering these proposals, taking into account the requirements for the successful conduct of the Session. More information will be given in the next issue of the ICUMSA News.
Finally, I would like to send sincere Season’s Greetings to the National Committees, Referees, Associate Referees and friends of ICUMSA.
Progress Report on General Subject 2: White Sugar
By Geoff Parkin, Referee (GB)
The GS2 Work Programme detailed in “ICUMSA News” No.37 is being followed through. John Dutton, ICUMSA’s Technical Editor, has assisted in drawing up the Methods referred to below.
1. GS2 COLLABORATIVE TEST PROGRAMME
Revised Method GS2/3-19 “The Determination of Insoluble matter in White Sugar”
After discussion with Associate Referee Dr D Martin (Germany), the revised 2000 version of this method was drawn up. It incorporates the use of membrane filters with hydrophobic edges.
It has been approved by Associate Referees and others who wish to be involved in the collaborative test. Samples spiked with known amounts of insoluble matter are currently being circulated to some 15 participants.
The results should be available during January 2001, thus allowing time for assessment to decide whether they meet the IUPAC criteria or whether further testing might be required.
New Method GS2/3-40 “A –Floc Test on White Sugar by the Coca-Cola Method; B – Spreckels Qualitative Floc Test for White Sugar”
This method incorporates two distinct methods for determining acid-floc. Some 20 interested laboratories have expressed interest in participating in collaboratively testing these two methods.
However, a search for samples of beet sugar producing acid-floc has proved to be largely negative, with only one sample so far giving a floc. To try to increase the number of floc-producing samples, a) cane samples are to be tested, b) sugar is being boiled under floc-producing conditions in the laboratory, and c) oleanolic acid in alcoholic solution is being sprayed onto sugar.
Assuming four more floc-producing samples can be obtained then a collaborative test will be carried out early in 2001.
Revised Method GS2/3-23 “The Determination of Arsenic, Cadmium, Copper and Iron in White Sugar by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy”
This new method has been drawn up based on the original 1994 method for arsenic and lead. It will be circulated to Associate Referees for approval shortly, after which a collaborative test will be commenced.
2. OTHER GS2 WORK
Further work has included:
Revised Method GS2/3-5 “The Determination of Reducing Sugars in White Sugar by the Knight and Allen EDTA Method”
At Ron Plews’ suggestion, Russell Jones has revised the 1997 version to be applicable to up to 0.05% reducing sugars without the use of a pure sucrose addition. It has been tested and shown to be satisfactory and submitted to the Referee for Subject 13 for collaborative testing.
Revised Method GS2/3-9 “The Determination of White Sugar Colour”
Following Recommendation 2 of Subject 7 in Berlin (1998), applications to General Subject 3 products, except for Powdered Sugars, have been removed from the revised 2000 version of this method. Experiments have been conducted showing that filter aid needs to be added for efficient filtration of starch-containing powdered sugars. This will be written into the revised version of this method.
Proposed Revised Method GS2/1/7-33 “The Determination of Sulphite by the Rosaniline Colorimetric Method- in White Sugar- in VVHP Raw Sugar-and in Cane Sugar Juices and Syrups
J. Felix Silva Jr. (Brazil) requested a method for the determination of sulphite in very very high pol (VVHP) raw sugars. Method GS2/7-33(1998) has been redrafted to include such sugars and sent to Mr Felix Silva and to the Referees for GS1 and GS7 for their comments.