Optimal Timing of the Sugar Beet Juice Season as an Intelligent Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change in Egypt

Abstract

Agricultural production, especially beet sugar production, is expected to face climate change-induced challenges, which require adaptation using innovative techniques and strategies. Therefore, this work was conducted in the rural area of Abnoub, Asyut governorate, Egypt, during the 2020–2021 working season and in laboratories of Delta Sugar Company, Kafr El-Sheikh governorate, as well as in laboratories of Food Science and Technology Department, Faculty of Agriculture, New Valley University, Egypt. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of juicing season timing on quantitative and qualitative indices of beetroot. The obtained results indicated that juice season timing exhibited a significant effect on quantitative indices of beetroots, including root yield, gross sugar, recoverable sugar, and sugar loss (t/ha) as well as qualitative indices of beetroots, including total soluble solids, purity, sugar recovery, sugar loss% to molasses, non-sucrose substances, quality index, moisture, pol, total sugars, reducing sugars, total nitrogen content, total lipids, marc, ash%, impurities: α-amino N, and Na content. The early juice season, beginning in mid-February, proved to be the best time for sugar beet manufacturing and can be suggested as smart sugar manufacturing in Egypt to combat climate change. However, under the study conditions, the timing of the late juice season in mid-June is unfavorable for sugar manufacturing.

Keywords

• sugar beet
• pol %
• juice season timing
• climate change