The Sugar Mill: Origins and Evolution Part 3

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Sugar mill

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is a perennial grass of the family Poaceae. It is primarily cultivated for its juice, from which alcohol (through fermentation and distillation) and sugar (through dehydration and refining) can be obtained. Most of the world’s sugarcane is grown in subtropical and tropical areas.

It is commonly accepted today that sugarcane originated in Papua, New Guinea, where it was initially domesticated. The plant was then taken to other lands by traders, where its sweet virtues quickly made it a sought-after commodity.

It is also commonly accepted that around 10,000 years ago, the original inhabitants of Papua did not have tools to process the cane, meaning that they likely chewed it raw to extract the juice, which was consumed as- is (Noël Deerr, The History of Sugar: Volume One).

Not much written history exists that documents the early extraction of the juice for the purpose of dehydration and formation of sugar crystals until the publication of De Materia Medica, a pharmacopoeia of medicinal plants and the medicines that can be obtained from them, which was written between the years 50 and 70 of the current era by Pedanius Dioscorides, a greek physician in the Roman army. This is the oldest record documenting the existence of crystalized sugar, which was used at the time to “treat indigestion and stomach ailments.”

How did people manage to extract the dissolved sugar from the juice? The answers to this question are at the core of this series. so join us, as we explore this fascinating topic!

Part 3: The Screw Press                             

Part 2 of this series covered the Pole Press, a simple and inexpensive (but also inefficient) way to press sugarcane to extract its juice.  In this chapter we look at how the pole press evolved into the screw press, which took advantage of mechanical innovations, likely borrowed from the grain and the olive-oil industries.

Above we see a water-powered millstone, used to grind cane pieces into a pulp that is put into “mash sacks” that are then squeezed with the screw press shown below and on the left.

Here we see the full engraving, showing the complete sugarcane juice extraction and the solid sugar production processes.  The engraving is named “Saccharum” and it was created by Jan van der Straet around 1590, somewhere in Europe.  Madeira was the main sugar producer at that time, so it is very possible that it depicts sugar processing performed there.Notice how all the workers are in European attire and no African slaves are shown.  This illustration of work division in the sugar production industry closely resembles that from the olive oil industry, and it is logical to assume that mechanical innovations from the latter would have inspired those made in the former.

Join us again next month, as we continue to explore this fascinating world!

                              Sugar Mill Spotlight

Old sugar mill ruins located at the New River Coconut Walk Estates in Nevis, West Indies.