The owner of the Capitania de São Vicente brought seeds from the island of Madeira – one of the largest producers at the time – and created the Engenho do Governador on his lands. Some years later the property was bought by Jorge Erasmo Schetz, from Belgium, who called it the Engenho São Jorge dos Erasmos, and this is considered to be the first mill in Brazil.

In 1550, Pernambuco became the biggest sugar producer in the world, and in 1570, of the 60 mills on the Brazilian coast, 41 were between the states of Pernambuco and Bahia. Sugar formed the base of the colonial economy between the 16th and 19th centuries. Its production and marketing earned twice as much as gold and five times more than all the other agricultural products together.

The reason is simple: glucose is the principal source of energy for the human body. It should be remembered that sugar is part of the diet of practically all people.

Sugar production
Sugar crystallization
After leaving the evaporators (see Sugar Cane), the syrup is sent to the next stage of concentration, when the formation of sugar crystals will occur due to the precipitation of the sucrose dissolved in the water. There are two types of crystallization: in motion, or cooking and crystallization by cooling.

Cooking
Equipment called cookers, boilers etc., similar to the evaporation tanks, which work individually and discontinuously under vacuum, are used. Evaporation of the water creates a mixture of crystal coated in a sugary solution, which is called the cooked paste.

The concentration of this cooked paste is approximately 93 – 95º Brix, and its unloaded temperature between 65 and 75º C. One, two or three cooked paste systems can be worked with according to suitability.

Crystallization by cooling
The cooked paste is unloaded from the cookers into what are called crystallizers – U-shaped tanks with agitators – where the slow cooling will take place, usually assisted by water or air. This operation recovers part of the sucrose that was still dissolved in the sugar solution, as sucrose will be deposited on the existing crystals on cooling, increasing their size.

Sugar centrifuging
From the crystallizers, the cooked paste moves to the centrifuging sector and is unloaded into the centrifuges. These consist of a perforated basket fixed onto an axle and activated by a motor that spins it at high speed.

The centrifugal force makes the sugar solution pass through the holes in the basket mesh, leaving only the sucrose crystals inside. The process is completed by washing the sugar with water and steam while it is still inside the basket.

The removed sugar solution is collected in a tank and returns to the cookers for recovery of the remaining dissolved sugar, until it is more exhausted. From this point, the sugar solution is called end syrup or molasses and is sent to make alcohol.

The sugar unloaded from the centrifuges has a high humidity level (0.5% to 2%) and also a high temperature (65-95ºC), due to the steam washing.

Drying
Cooling and drying of the sugar is carried out in a drier, a metal drum through which a counter current of air passes, sucked by an extractor. On leaving the drier, at a temperature of between 35º and 40º C, and with a 0.03% and 0.04% humidity range, the sugar is ready to be sent for bagging. The air that passes through the drier carries a small amount of sugar powder with it, making it necessary for this air to be cleaned to recover the removed sugar, returning it to the process.

Bagging, weighing and storing the sugar
From the drier, the sugar is collected in a funnel-bottomed hopper that continuously empties it directly into the sack on top of some scales, thus performing the bagging and weighing operation.

Industrial sewing machines close the sack, which is then ready for storage. Sugar is stored in 50kg sacks in previously determined places, facilitating quality control.