Updating sample preparation in determining sugar content in sugar beet by polarimetric method

The aim of the study is to substantiate the options for updating sample preparation using aluminum sul-fate clarifier and kieselguhr as a filtering agent when determining sugar content by the polarimetric me-thod. Objectives: to establish the closeness of the results of determining sugar content using lead acetate and aluminum sulfate as clarifiers; to identify the effect of using kieselguhr as a filtering agent on the result of determining sugar content. The object of the study is a laboratory version of the polarimetric method for determining sugar content by the cold water digestion method. The study was conducted in 4 options: 1 – lead acetate clarifier; 2 – aluminum sulfate clarifier; 3 – lead acetate clarifier, control for option 4; 4 – lead acetate clarifier, kieselguhr at a dose of 2 g. The contingency of the results for options 1 and 2, 3 and 4 was assessed on different samples of 30 sugar beet samples. In variants 1 and 2, the sugar content in the sugar beet samples varied from 15.52 to 20.26 %; the difference was from 0 to 0.08 %; on average, it was absent, with an absolute error of the method of 0.2 %. In variants 3 and 4, the sugar content varied from 15.36 to 19.10 %; the difference was from 0.02 to 0.17 %; on average, 0.06 %. The data distribution in all samples is normal. The actual value of the Student's t-test for variants 1 and 2 was 0.0066; variants 3 and 4 – 0.1209, which is significantly lower than the tabulated 2.002; Fisher's criterion, respectively, 1.01 and 1.05, below the tabulated 1.91; the p-value of 0.99 is much higher than the established 0.05. The results showed no differences between the sugar content values determined with different clarifiers, as well as with and without the use of a filtering agent. The data obtained made it possible to justify the possibility of introducing appropriate changes into the sugar content determination method.