EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY AND INNOCUOUSNESS OF RAW CANE SUGAR IN VERACRUZ, MÉXICO

Abstract

Raw cane sugar from the region of Huatusco, Veracruz, México, is a dietary product commercialized at the market sales price, based on sensory aspects of appearance, such as color and hardness, which are established by the intermediaries, in face of the lack of a national standard of quality to regulate the price. This research analyzed the minimum requirements of quality (°Brix, pH, moisture, direct and total reducing sugars, hardness and color), and the parameters of innocuousness in raw cane sugar of the study region (total coliforms, mold and yeasts, and the determination of the presence of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli). The results obtained showed that raw sugar cane analyzed is a food of quality apt for human consumption and which can compete with the markets of Colombia and Nicaragua.