In recent years, the sugarcane agro-industrial sector has undergone significant changes due to the increase in mechanized harvesting. Although this transition has optimized certain processes, it has also generated new challenges that impact the quality and yield of production. One of these corresponds to the increase in foreign matter entering factories, raising the levels of impurities such as reducing sugars, organic acids, phenolic compounds and minerals, among others.

During the analysis of the sector's needs, it was identified that each mill used different procedures to evaluate and manage foreign matter, which made it difficult to compare indicators and make decisions. Given this situation, the main objective of this work was to standardize the methodology for evaluating foreign matter, in order to unify the procedures and tools used by the mills. This allows for improving the quality of raw material analysis and strengthens the sector's capacity to face the challenges associated with mechanized harvesting.

The result of a joint effort

Thanks to the effort and commitment of all the actors, the Standardization manual and illustrated guide to the methodology for evaluating foreign matter in the factory, a comprehensive resource that provides analysts with a practical set of tools for measuring and assessing foreign matter content. The document contains the activities y learnings obtained during the process of standardization of the methodology in the sugar cane agro-industrial sector in Colombia, and contains:

• A detailed methodology to assess foreign matter in factories.
• Practical guidelines to identify and separate specific components of foreign matter.
• Training materials to strengthen the skills of both new and experienced assessment staff.

The road ahead…

Throughout 2025, a support process will be carried out to ensure the correct adoption of the methodology, through training for the mills and the transfer of knowledge to the end users. In addition, the indicators will be monitored to ensure the effective implementation of the new methodology.

This work not only improves the efficiency and quality of production processes, but also contributes to strengthening the standards of the sugarcane agro-industrial sector, allowing all sugar mills to work with homogeneous and efficient criteria to face the challenges of mechanized harvesting.

The documents will be published online for consultation in the coming days.

Participants from the mills in the definition of agreements for the standardization and classification of components.