Dielectric Spectroscopy Based Determination of Sugar Content in Solution

The composition of sugarcane varies throughout its lifecycle and, therefore, cannot be guaranteed; as such, it is necessary to determine the sugar content so that the crop is properly valuated. Current measurement techniques are labor intensive and time consuming. An alternate method to perform measurements is through electrical properties. The concentration of sugar in solution has been mapped to the electrical properties using two empirical relaxation models, which calculate the dielectric properties of the solution. They have been developed for concentrations of white and brown sugar between 0% Pol and 40% Pol, for temperatures between 18 °C and 35 °C, over a frequency range of 500 MHz to 11 GHz. The effectiveness of the models has been tested using two unknown solutions at two sets of temperatures for each sugar type. The root-mean-square error between the calculated and measured dielectric properties has been calculated. The Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm has also been used to calculate the sugar content of the solutions, with the percentage difference calculated. The models can then be used as part of a future automated measurement process.