Challenges with very long beet campaigns

The 2021 beet campaign in Zeitz, Germany, was the longest in the sugar factory’s history at 177 days, while the 2022 campaign was 144 days. Both campaigns faced challenges with beet storage and supply, as well as climatic conditions causing damage to harvested beets. These challenges resulted in a reduction in the purity and pH value of the raw juice, and increased lime salts and turbidity in the thin and thick juice. Südzucker AG, to which the Zeitz factory belongs, implemented several measures, including technological adjustments, the use of dextranase, increased washing cycles, and filter sleeve changes. The high juice volumes from the campaigns led to year-round sugar production but also required blending lower quality juices with good quality ones. The long production periods resulted in short shutdowns used for maintenance and investment measures.