Product Description: Starch is extracted from maize, millet, wheat, rice, potatoes, or from roots such as manioc, tapioca, cassava yucca, etc. Further processing of starch produces starch derivatives such as glucose syrup, special glucose syrups and dextrose syrup. Dextrose monohydrate, dextrose anhydride, total sugar, high fructose syrup and sorbitol are extracted from dextrose syrup. Glucose syrup is used in the food industry not only because of its sweetness and nutritive value; but in particular for its functional properties which include moisture stabilization, softening ability, build-up of texture, prevention of crystallization of other sugars, formation of film and body. Glucose syrup is mainly used for sweets and confectionery, ice cream, pastries, preserves, and liqueurs. The syrup is a sweet, colorless, highly concentrated solution of a mixture of easily digestible sugars. Special glucose syrups like maltose syrup and high - DE (Dextrose Equivalent) glucose syrups are one group of refined starch derivatives. These starch derivatives are used in frozen dairy products, beer, confectionery such as drops, gelatin and jelly sweets, chewing gum, marzipan, beverages, frozen dairy products, soft drinks, jams, pastries, ice cream, etc. Dextrose syrup is a sweet, colorless, concentrated solution heaving a DE of 97-89%, a typical sugar spectrum of 96% glucose and 4% maltose and oligosaccharides and a concentration of 71%dry substance. It is made from starch milk by two-stage enzyme-enzyme liquefaction and saccharification. The syrup is used for pastries, soft drinks, etc. it is also further processed to produce fructose syrup, dextrose monohydrate and sorbitol.
Market Potential: The three major types of starch derivatives glucose syrup, special glucose syrup and dextrose syrup are used as inputs in the food and beverages industries. Productions of beer, dairy products, soft drinks, pastries, various types of sweets, dairy products, etc. require large amounts of starch derivatives every year. For example production of beer which is a major consumer or user of starch derivatives was 1,247,000 hecto liters in 2004. Production of soft drinks which is another major user of the derivatives was 1,052,000 hecto liters during the same year. These two groups of beverage products alone consume large quantities of starch derivatives every year. The consumption of starch derivatives by the various industries taken together could justify the establishment of a starch derivatives producing factory. This is more so in view of the fact that all the raw materials to produce refined starch are available in the country. The Amhara Region is a major growing area for most of the crops from which starch is produced.
Source of Raw materials: Maize, millet, wheat, rice, potatoes, etc from which starch is made are produced in the Amhara region.
Process and Technology: For producing starch derivatives from refined starch, three types of production processes are employed for glucose syrup, for special glucose syrup and for dextrose syrup. Processing stages involved in the production of glucose syrup are acidification (treating starch slurry with acid), conversion (converting the acidified starch at high temperature into a mixture of glucose, maltose and higher saccharidies), refining and evaporation. Extraction of special glucose syrups is done through liquefaction, saccharification and evaporation. Dextrose syrup is laso produced (extracted from refined starch) through the process of liquefaction, saccharification, refining and evaporation. Starch liquefaction proceeds in two stages in the presence of thermostable alpha-amylase. In this case, part of the enzymes is added to the starch milk and the starch is preliquefied in a steam heated converter. Liquefaction then proceeds in a rentention zone at a temperature of 95oC for a period of 90 to 120 minutes. Saccharification is done in the presence of amyloglucosidas. It is a slow process which takes about 48 to 72 hours. This is followed by multi-stage purification process. Productions of the three major starch derivatives require different sets of machinery and equipment. For example machinery and equipment for producing glucose syrup include starch mill tank, continuous acidification, batch acidification, acidified starch milk tank, heat exchanger, continuous converter, flash cooling, hot water aggregate, neutralization tank, filter, tanks, evaporator and product tank.
Estimated Investment: For a plant which will produce 1250 tons each of glucose syrup, special glucose syrup, dextrose syrup and sorbitol, the estimated investment will be:-
Building/shade 4000m2 at Birr 2000/m2 …..= Birr 8,000,000
Machinery …………………………………….. = Birr 34,000,000
Working capital …………………………….. = Birr 4,000,000
Total = Birr 46,000,000
Benefits: Similar to other projects.
Location: Bahir Dar.