I am conducting research on the Production of Granulated Sugar from Soursop (Annona muricata Linnaeus) Extract. Are there any simple ways I could extract sugar without the use of too many expensive materials?
In a recent study, boiling was found to be the most efficient method of extraction whereby 74% of total samples sugar was extracted. In contrast, only 54.2% of fruit sugar was extracted by blending and 42% by soaking. In addition, solutions extracted by soaking and blending had a foaming problem in the subsequent concentration process. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15078066/
In a recent study, boiling was found to be the most efficient method of extraction whereby 74% of total samples sugar was extracted. In contrast, only 54.2% of fruit sugar was extracted by blending and 42% by soaking. In addition, solutions extracted by soaking and blending had a foaming problem in the subsequent concentration process. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15078066/
Numerous methods for the extraction of soluble carbohydrates from fruits and plant tissues have been described. These include the use of cold water,'.2 hot hot e t h a n ol, ' methanol: chloroform :water*,' and glacial acetic acid : methanol : water.'"," However, several of the methods are time, solvent and energy consuming and some require the use of expensive equipment.
Different extraction methods of sugars from fruits have been developed, due to your sample has a high content of water and these sugars are soluble in water you can apply any of the following methods that are fast and you will not need expensive chemicals to apply it. According to the literature different methods for extraction of sugars have been reported such as:
Extraction with alcohols (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2006.03.009)
Extraction with hot water (https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.2740360110, https://doi.org/10.1556/1326.2020.00704)
Aqueous two phase extractions (you will need to work with only the juice of your fruit) (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2006.12.021)
However, I recommend as sugar extraction method, a maceration of the fruit using hot water accompanied with a buffer (hot water improve the sacarose extraction, but the resulting pH is slightly acid, for that reason you need to use a buffer), after that you need to do a clarification continuing with an evaporation (to eliminate water), then, you need to crystallize the concentrated to obtain sugar in crystals and finally those crystals should be dried to obtain sugar, this method is economic and you do not need some extra chemical solution or equipment. Here you can see a reference https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2017.12.134
Hot Water Extraction (HWE), Alkaline Water Extraction (AWE), Ultrasonic Assisted Extraction (UAE), Microwave Assisted Extraction (MAE), Enzyme Assisted Extraction (EAE) and Subcritical Water Extraction (SWE) are methods reported for the extraction of polysaccharides from tropical fruits, which is a category for the Soursop, thus, any of these should help for the extraction process. The most simple one is the HWE, this process is based on washing and drying the pulp, then grinding it to produce a powder and then add deionized water at high temperatures.
You can further research a specific methodology in this review: