Bulk Sugar for Food & Beverage Manufacturers: Which Grade Do You Need?
- Jacimara
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Food and beverage manufacturers need specific sugar grades. This guide matches ICUMSA grades to applications — soft drinks, bakery, confectionery, dairy — with pricing and specs.
Choosing the Right Sugar Grade for Food & Beverage Manufacturing
Not all sugar is the same. Food and beverage manufacturers operate within tight quality specifications, and purchasing the wrong grade can affect product colour, flavour, shelf life, and regulatory compliance. This guide explains which ICUMSA sugar grades suit which applications, the relevant specifications, MOQ, and pricing from Kanthararom Sugar in Brazil.
Bulk Sugar for Food & Beverage Manufacturers
Grade-by-Application Overview
Sugar Grade | ICUMSA Value | Primary Applications |
ICUMSA 45 | ≤ 45 IU | Soft drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks, dairy, infant formula, premium confectionery |
ICUMSA 100 | 81–160 IU | Biscuits, cakes, bread, standard confectionery, sauces |
ICUMSA 150 | 101–200 IU | Bulk food production, industrial bakeries, brewing, fermentation |
Liquid sugar (sucrose 67° Brix) | — | Beverage plants, dairy, industrial food processing needing dissolved sugar |
Raw sugar (ICUMSA 600–1200) | 600–1200 IU | Refineries, ethanol plants, industrial processing |
ICUMSA 45 — The Standard for Beverages & Dairy
ICUMSA 45 is the most refined grade of cane sugar available. Its near-white colour (ICUMSA value ≤ 45 IU) and neutral taste make it the default choice wherever sugar appears in a transparent or light-coloured product.
Typical applications:
Carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) — sugar is the primary sweetener in cola, lemon-lime, and fruit flavour variants
Fruit nectars and juice drinks — ICUMSA 45 avoids colour contribution that could alter visual appearance
Energy and sports drinks — where formulation colour is tightly controlled
Dairy products — flavoured milk, yoghurt, ice cream, condensed milk
Infant formula and nutritional supplements — requires highest purity to meet regulatory limits for sulphur dioxide (SO₂ ≤ 15 ppm)
Premium hard candy and gummies
Key specifications (Kanthararom Sugar ICUMSA 45):
ICUMSA colour: ≤ 45 IU
Polarisation: ≥ 99.8°Z
Moisture: ≤ 0.04%
Ash content: ≤ 0.04%
SO₂: ≤ 10 ppm
Reducing sugars: ≤ 0.04%
ICUMSA 100 — The Bakery & Confectionery Workhorse
ICUMSA 100 (also called "plantation white" or "mill white" in some markets) has a slightly higher colour value and minor molasses trace, giving baked goods a warmer, more natural sweetness profile. Many bakers prefer it over ICUMSA 45 for this reason.
Typical applications:
Industrial bakeries (biscuits, crackers, sandwich bread)
Cakes, muffins, pastries
Standard confectionery (boiled sweets, chewy candy, chocolate coatings)
Tomato sauce, ketchup, and savoury condiments where small colour variance is acceptable
Breakfast cereals
Key specifications (Kanthararom Sugar ICUMSA 100):
ICUMSA colour: 81–160 IU
Polarisation: ≥ 99.6°Z
Moisture: ≤ 0.06%
SO₂: ≤ 20 ppm
ICUMSA 150 — Cost-Effective for High-Volume Production
ICUMSA 150 offers the best price-per-ton among refined white sugar grades and suits applications where absolute whiteness is not a requirement.
Typical applications:
Large-scale industrial bakeries and snack manufacturers
Brewing and fermentation (sugar is a fermentation feedstock, colour is irrelevant)
Animal feed supplements
Standard table sugar where brand specification allows slightly higher colour
Key specifications (Kanthararom Sugar ICUMSA 150):
ICUMSA colour: 101–200 IU
Polarisation: ≥ 99.5°Z
Moisture: ≤ 0.08%
SO₂: ≤ 30 ppm
Liquid Sugar — For Beverage & Dairy Plants
Liquid sugar (sucrose syrup, typically 67° Brix) eliminates the dissolution step in beverage manufacturing. It arrives ready to meter directly into mixing tanks, reducing energy costs, labour, and the risk of undissolved sugar in finished products.
Typical applications:
High-speed CSD bottling plants
Aseptic juice drink production
Dairy processing (flavoured milk, yoghurt preparation)
Pharmaceutical syrups
Specifications:
Brix: 67° ± 0.5°
Based on ICUMSA 45 refined sugar (colour in solution ≤ 50 IU)
Packed in flexitanks (24 MT per 20ft container) or IBC totes (1,000 L)
Shelf life: 6 months under ambient conditions in sealed packaging
Liquid sugar incurs higher freight costs per ton of sucrose due to water content, so it is most economical for buyers who have no sugar-dissolving infrastructure on-site.
Certifications for Food Manufacturers
Food manufacturers operating in regulated markets or supplying retail chains require documented food safety certification from their sugar supplier. Kanthararom Sugar holds:
FSSC 22000 (Food Safety System Certification) — internationally recognised food safety management standard, required by most multinational food companies
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) — certified at mill and packing facility level
Halal (CICOT certified) — required for export to Muslim-majority markets and many international food brands with halal product lines
Kosher — available on request; certificate issued by an approved kosher certifying body
ISO 9001:2015 — quality management system
Full certificate copies and current validity dates are provided with every shipment's documentation package.
Packaging Options by Volume
Format | Net Weight | Container Load | Best For |
50 kg PP woven bag (PE inner) | 50 kg | ~500 bags / 25 MT per 20ft | SME food manufacturers, distributors |
25 kg kraft paper bag | 25 kg | ~1,000 bags / 25 MT per 20ft | Retail packing, specialty food |
1 MT FIBC jumbo bag | 1,000 kg | ~25 bags per 20ft | Medium-scale manufacturers with silo/hopper intake |
Bulk vessel | 5,000 – 50,000 MT | — | Large refineries, industrial food plants |
Flexitank (liquid sugar) | 24 MT | 1 × 20ft | Beverage plants, dairy processors |
Most food manufacturers in Asia order in 1–4 container lots (25–100 MT) as a standard replenishment cycle. Large regional factories may consolidate orders into 500–2,000 MT vessel parcels for cost efficiency.
2026 Pricing for Food Manufacturers
Grade | Packaging | FOB Price (USD/MT) |
ICUMSA 45 | 50 kg bags | $520 – $580 |
ICUMSA 45 | 1 MT jumbo bags | $500 – $560 |
ICUMSA 45 | Bulk vessel | $480 – $540 |
ICUMSA 100 | 50 kg bags | $490 – $560 |
ICUMSA 150 | 50 kg bags | $470 – $530 |
Liquid sugar (67° Brix) | Flexitank | $480 – $560 per MT sucrose equivalent |
FOB Laem Chabang. CIF pricing to your destination port is available — request a quote with your port name and volume.
How to Get Samples and a Certificate of Analysis
Before placing a commercial order, food manufacturers typically require:
Free sample (500 g to 2 kg) for internal laboratory testing — available on request; buyer pays courier charges
Certificate of Analysis (COA) for the current production lot — issued with every shipment and available in advance for pre-approval
Technical data sheet — covering all specification parameters for your quality assurance team
Supplier audit questionnaire — Kanthararom Sugar completes standard supplier audit forms required by major food companies (SQF, BRC, Sedex SMETA, etc.)
To request samples or documentation, visit our contact page and specify the grade, your application, and any certification requirements.
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