Physicochemical evaluation of glucose syrup processed by industrially used ion exchange resins

Ion exchange resins are commonly used in the glucose syrup (GlS) production industry for purifying, decolorization and removing mineral impurities from GlS. These resins have limited functionality and after several stages of purification, they are required to undergo a rebuilding and regeneration process by water and an acidic solution, which directly leads to environmental problems. These resins have limited usability because of their saturation after a short while of activity, high regeneration costs and need for purification of effluents. The present article aims to assess resins and glucose syrup for an in depth understanding of their performance to design appropriate alternative systems as well as scientific and practical industrial technologies which are environmentally friendly. In order to analyze the effects of resins on the properties of syrup, the ionic chromatographic analysis was performed. The results revealed that the resins removed the syrup anions and cations. Syrup color changes were also evaluated by an UV-VIS spectrophotometer. The results of assessing the electrical conductivity of resin-treated syrup showed a 99.86% reduction in electrical conductivity. The surface properties of resins (regenerative and saturated resins) were also analyzed by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometer and EDX elemental analysis. It was resulted that compared to ion exchange resins (IER), ion exchange membranes were highly applicable for glucose syrup demineralization.