Quality at the source: The traceability and purity of Loragro’s sugar cane juice
SIAL News caught up with the President of Loragro, Eric Granddidier, to discuss the company’s sugar cane growing, secured by Vietnamese farmers in the Mekong Valley, and the production processes that guarantee a high-quality, traceable end product.
Can you explain how Loragro guarantees the quality of its sugar cane harvests?
Small-scale Vietnamese farmers harvest our sugar cane through contracts with our local partner, which have been in place since 2000. Under these growing contracts, farmers have their specifications for the harvest and the required quality of the sugar cane. Also, we harvest only in the Mekong Valley, guaranteeing the origin of our sugar cane.
Loragro prides itself on the traceability. How do you ensure traceability from harvest to distribution?
An agricultural team made up of seven technicians and agronomists assists our 2,000 growers, including those who are responsible for sugar cane. In order to monitor and optimise farm management, we use a smart phone application. And when it comes to processing at the factory, in order for our sugar cane to gain approval, it must meet a series of very strict criteria.
Our juice is always made from fresh sugar cane without any preservatives, chemical or artificial additives, or colouring agents
What can you tell us about the processes that go into the production of your sugar cane juice and how they guarantee a pure, high-quality end product?
Our juice is always made from fresh sugar cane without any preservatives, chemical or artificial additives, or colouring agents. The processes that ensure top quality – filtration and pasteurisation – are part of our Vietnamese partner’s know-how and technology.
To harvest our juice, two rollers press the cane. The juice is collected, and then filtered and pasteurised. Filtration is the process by which foreign bodies are separated from the sugar cane. Since sugar cane grows in environments where there is often a lot of soil or sand, thorough cleaning is important. By using a filter with a specific diameter, it is possible to retain large particles, and another advantage of this process is that it removes all of the impurities that could stand to clog final industrial equipment.
Pasteurisation is a preservation process by which food is heated to a specific temperature between 60 and 90°C without boiling for a short period of time, which is also defined, followed by a rapid cooling process. The purpose of pasteurisation is to ensure safety without altering any of the nutrients.
Once these processes are completed, the juice is frozen and transported by boat to France for distribution.
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