ICUMSA - WHAT DOES IT MEAN
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF ICUMSA AND WHAT DOES IT STAND FOR?” In order to attempt to help, let us quote the following from the ICUMSA Handbook:
1. "ICUMSA (International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis) is a worldwide body that brings together the activities of the National Committees for Sugar Analysis in more than thirty member countries. Work is carried out underneath a variety of Subject headings, everyone headed via a Referee.
Methods are endorsed for tentative approval by ICUMSA in the first instance. Upon meeting all of the Commission's requirements, methods are accorded legitimate status. Methods which are demonstrably beneficial and have located a setup application, or which do not lend themselves to collaborative checking out are given an Accepted status"
2. An ICUMSA ranking is an international unit for expressing the purity of the sugar in solution and is at once associated with the color of the sugar. Be conscious that there are specific types of ICUMSA units. For Brazilian sugar, the lower the ICUMSA determines the whiter the sugar. However, this is now not the case in the E.U. for some unknown reason, which has been the concern of a great deal of discussion.
SGS of Sao Paulo has posted specs for ICUMSA numbers for E.U. products which run opposite to the Brazilian specifications; for example, in Brazil SGS has an ICUMSA rating of 45 rbu for refined, indicating the perfect quality, with different grades of decrease fine (such as Special Extra Crystal) having a higher ICUMSA of one hundred fifty and so forth. This ranking method is verified by the Institute of Sugar and Alcohol in Brazil.
However, SGS of Sao Paulo, in the equal memo, lists ICUMSA 46 for the highest EU grade and ICUMSA forty-two for E.U. raws, which is contrary to Brazil. SGS itself in both Brazil or Switzerland is no longer a whole lot assist in this area, even although they have posted the memo record specifications and are supposed to be the authority.
When one speaks to ICUMSA directly, they refer to a third approach which is totally different. How does one understand what one is buying?
The only certain method is to be first totally versed in sugar as a beginning point and grasp these differences. Next, although many brokers use the time period 'rbu' with reference to ICUMSA for Brazilian sugar, few recognize its meaning. RBU, as used in this sense, means "Reference Base Units". But to what it is referenced is the key. All important buyers such as Coca-Cola and many others have their very own references for this purpose. If you do not have a reference or are not acceptable to the reference supplied via the refinery or SGS, then you would request sugar ICUMSA to be expressed in TU or ICUMSA Units. Which brings one to the methods used through the British Sugar Corporation.
The TU is heavily dependent upon "ash points", which are described as "Conductivity ash, % , expressed to three decimal places" (British Sugar Corp., Central Laboratory, ICUMSA Headquarters). Further used to weigh the TU is "reflectance Grade Color" and "Solution Color" or "Filtered Color" as it is referred to, which have a formulation for dedication equally difficult as the one for "Ash Points". Thus, as you see, this is not without problems understood through the novice.
The client is nicely included by means of having an appreciation of the approach used with the aid of the company to reap the appropriate product complying with the desired specification. Country of Origin specs typically rule. These specifications are then specified in the contract.
Traders have to word that the term "INCUMSA" with an "N" is now not a legitimate sugar trade term. (Also, it is interesting to see offers that include the words "Grade A", which of direction no sugar refinery or vendor uses!)
