United States

Department of

Agriculture

Agricultural

Marketing

Service

Fruit and

Vegetable

Division

Processed

Products

Branch

United States Standards

for Grades of

Refiners' Sirup

Effective date June 15, 1957
This is the first issue, as amended, of the United States Standards for Grades of Refiners'

Sirup published in the FEDERAL REGISTER of June 15, 1967. This issue supersedes

the first issue, which has been in effect since January 5, 1952.

Voluntary U.S. grade standards are issued under the authority of the Agricultural

Marketing Act of 1946, which provides for the development of official U.S. grades to

designate different levels of quality. These grade standards are available for use by

producers, suppliers, buyers, and consumers. As in the case of other standards for grades

of processed fruits and vegetables, these standards are designed to facilitate orderly

marketing by providing a convenient basis for buying and selling, for establishing quality

control programs, and for determining loan values.

The standards also serve as a basis for the inspection and grading of commodities by the

Federal inspection service, the only activity authorized to approve the designation of U.S.

grades as referenced in the standards, as provided under the Agricultural Marketing Act

of 1946. This service, available as on-line (in-plant) or lot inspection and grading of all

processed fruit and vegetable products, is offered to interested parties, upon application,

on a fee-for-service basis. The verification of some specific recommendations,

requirements, or tolerances contained in the standards can be accomplished only by the

use of on-line inspection procedures. In all instances, a grade can be assigned based on

final product factors or characteristics.

In addition to the U.S. grade standards, grading manuals or instructions for inspection of

several processed fruits and vegetables are available upon request for a nominal

fee. These manuals or instructions contain detailed interpretations of the grade standards

and provide step-by-step procedures for grading the product.

Grade standards are issued by the Department after careful consideration of all data and

views submitted, and the Department welcomes suggestions which might aid in improving

the standards in future revisions. Comments may be submitted to, and copies of standards

and grading manuals obtained from:

Chief, Processed Products Branch

Fruit and Vegetable Division, AMS

U.S. Department of Agriculture

P.O. Box 96456, Rm. 0709, So. Bldg.

Washington, D.C. 20090-6456
United States Standards for Grades of Refiners' Sirup

Section Page No.

§52.6041 Definition. ................................................ 2

§52.6042 Grades for refiners' sirup. .................................... 2

§52.6043 Grade specifications. ....................................... 2

§52.6044 Quantitative determination of factors. ........................... 8

§52.6045 Preparation of basic solutions and RS color standards. ............. 8

§52.6046 Use of RS color standards in determining color factor. ............. 10

Authority: Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, Secs. 203, 205, 60 Stat. 1087, as

amended, 1090, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1622, 1624).

Note: Compliance with the provisions of these standards shall not excuse failure to

comply with the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or with

applicable State laws and regulations.
2

§52.6041 Definition.

Refiners' sirup means a liquid product obtained from the refining of cane or beet sugar.

The total soluble nonsugar solids content of refiners' sirup exceeds 6 percent of the total

soluble solids. All of the sirup constituents have been subjected to the processes of

clarification and decolorization, or equivalent purification, and it may be partially or wholly

inverted.

§52.6042 Grades for refiners' sirup.

The grades for refiners' sirup are designated as follows:

(a) U.S. Fancy or U.S. Grade A Refiners' Sirup.

(b) U.S. Choice or U.S. Grade B Refiners' Sirup.

(c) U.S. Extra Standard or U.S. Grade C Refiners' Sirup.

(d) U.S. Standard or U.S. Grade D Refiners' Sirup.

(e) U.S. Substandard or U.S. Grade E Refiners' Sirup.

§52.6043 Grade specifications.

Specifications for each grade of refiners' sirup are as follows:

(a) U.S. Fancy or U.S. Grade A Refiners' Sirup consists of refiners' sirup which

possesses a flavor characteristic of refiners' sirup of fancy quality; which

contains no sediment; which is free of foreign matter; which has a Brix solids

content of not less than 72 percent when corrected to 20E C. (68E F.); which

has a ratio of total sugars (sucrose plus reducing sugars) to Brix solids of not

less than 92 percent; which has a ratio of sulfated ash to Brix solids of not

more than 3.0 percent; an which possesses a color no darker that RS Color

Standard No. 1.

(b) U.S. Choice or U.S. Grade B Refiners' Sirup consists of refiners' sirup which

possesses a flavor characteristic of refiners' sirup of choice quality; which

contains no sediment; which is free of foreign matter; which has a Brix solids

content of not less than 72 percent when corrected to 20E C. (68E F.); which

has a ratio of total sugars (sucrose plus reducing sugars) to Brix solids of not

less than 86 percent; which has a ration of sulfated ash to Brix solids of not

more than 6 percent; and which possesses a color no darker than RS Color

Standard No. 2.
3

(c) U.S. Extra Standard or U.S. Grade C Refiners' Sirup consists of refiners'

sirup which possesses a flavor characteristic of refiners' sirup of standard

quality; which contains no excess of sediment; which is practically free of

foreign matter; which has a Brix solids content of not less than 76 percent

when corrected to 20E C. (68E F.); which has a ratio of total sugars (sucrose

plus reducing sugars) to Brix solids of not less than 78 percent; which has a

ratio of sulfated ash to Brix solids of not more than 10 percent; and which

possesses a color no darker than RS Color Standard No. 3.

(d) U.S. Standard or U.S. Grade D Refiners' Sirup consists of refiners' sirup

which possesses a flavor characteristic of refiners' sirup of standard quality;

which contains no excess of sediment; which is practically free of foreign

matter; which has a Brix solids content of not less than 76 percent when

corrected to 20E C. (68E F.); which has a ration of total sugars (sucrose plus

reducing sugars) to Brix solids of not less than 70 percent; and which has a

ratio of sulfated ash to Brix solids of not more than 14 percent.

(e) U.S. Substandard or U.S. Grade E Refiners' Sirup consists of refiners' sirup

that fails to meet the specifications for U.S. Standard Refiners' Sirup.

(f) Table of specifications for grades. The specifications for the designated

grades of refiners' sirup are set forth in summary form in Table I of this

paragraph.
4

Table I-Table of Specifications for Grades

Factors

Grades and specifications

U.S. Fancy or U.S. Choice or U.S. Extra Standard U.S. Standard or 

U.S. Grade A U.S. Grade B or U.S. Grade D

refiners' sirup refiners' sirup U.S. Grade C refiners' sirup

refiners' sirup

Brix solids corrected to 20E Not less than 72 percent Not less than 76 percent

C. (68E F.)

Ratio of total sugars

(sucrose plus reducing Not less than 92 Not less than 86 Not less than 78 Not less than 70

sugars) to Brix solids. .... percent. percent. percent. percent.

Ratio of sulfated ash to Brix Not more than 3 Not more than 6 Not more than 10 Not more than 14

solids. ................ percent. percent. percent. percent.

Color ................. No darker than RS No darker than RS No darker than RS No color limit.

Color Standard No. 1. Color Standard No. 2. Color Standard No. 3.
(g) Tolerances for certification of officially drawn samples. When certifying

samples that have been officially drawn and which represent a specific lot of

refiners' sirup, the grade for such lot will be determined by averaging the

factors of all the samples representing the lot: Provided, that not more than

1/6 of such samples fail to meet the requirements of the grade specifications

set forth in Table I: And further provided, that each of the samples which

represent a specific lot of refiners' sirup meet the limiting specifications set

forth in Table II of this paragraph.
6

Table II-Table of Limiting Specifications for Refiners' Sirup

Factors

Grades and specifications

U.S. Fancy or U.S. Choice or U.S. Extra Standard U.S. Standard or 

U.S. Grade A U.S. Grade B or U.S. Grade C U.S. Grade D

refiners' sirup refiners' sirup refiners' sirup refiners' sirup

Ratio of total sugars

(sucrose plus reducing Not less than 91 Not less than 85 Not less than 77 Not less than 69

sugars) to Brix solids. . percent. percent. percent. percent.

Ratio of sulfated ash to Not more than 3.5 Not more than 6.5 Not more than 11 Not more than 15

Brix solids. ......... percent. percent. percent. percent.

Color .............. No darker than RS No darker than RS Darker than RS Color Standard No. 3.

Color Standard No. 2. Color Standard No. 3.
 These methods are described in Official Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official 2

Agricultural Chemists, Seventh Edition, 1950, except the Jackson-Gillis double

polarization method number IV is described in Circular C440, Nat. Bur. Standards, May

1942, or in the Sugar Analysis, by Browne and Zerban, 3d Edition, 1948, John Wiley &

Sons, Inc.

 Ten percent hydrochloric acid solution is prepared by diluting 242.6 milliliters of reagent 3

grade hydrochloric acid to one liter.

7

§52.6044 Quantitative determination of factors.

Quantitative determination of the respective factors other than color is made by methods

set forth in this section for the respective factors:2

(a) Brix solids. By Brix hydrometer, correcting to 20E C. (68E F.), using the

double dilution method.

(b) Total sugars.

(1) Sucrose. By the chemical method, using invertase as the inverting

agent; the Lane-Eynon volumetric method for reducing sugars before

and after inversion; or by Jackson-Gillis double polarization method

number IV.

(2) Reducing sugar. By the Lane-Eynon volumetric method, or by the

Munson-Walker gravimetric method.

(c) Sulfated ash. By the sulfation method, with no deduction.

§52.6045 Preparation of basic solutions and RS color standards.

Chemicals of reagent grade, at room temperature, are used in the preparation of the

solution described in this section.

(a) Preparation of basic solutions.

(1) Solution A. Dissolve 10 grams of CuCl2

.2H2O in a sufficient quantity

of 10 percent hydrochloric acid solution to make 100 milliliters.3

(2) Solution B. Dissolve 50 grams of CoCl2

.6H2O in a sufficient quantity

of 10 percent hydrochloric acid solution to make 500 milliliters.
8

(3) Solution C. Dissolve 50 grams of FeCl3

.6H2O in a sufficient quantity

of 10 percent hydrochloric acid solution to make 500 milliliters.

(4) RS stock solution. Mix 50 milliliters of Solution A and 485 milliliters

of Solution C.

(b) Preparation of RS color standards.

(1) RS Color Standard No. 1. Dilute 10 milliliters of the RS stock

solution to 100 milliliters with 10 percent hydrochloric acid solution.

(2) RS Color Standard No. 2. Dilute 18 milliliters of the RS stock

solution to 100 milliliters with 10 percent hydrochloric acid solution.

(3) RS Color Standard No. 3. Dilute 50 milliliters of RS stock solution

to 100 milliliters with 10 percent hydrochloric acid solution.

§52.6046 Use of RS color standards in determining color factor.

(a) Containers required. The containers needed to perform the visual color

comparison test set forth in paragraph (c) of this section are:

(1) A container for a sample of refiners' sirup for which the color factor is

to be determined (such container hereinafter called sample

container; an

(2) Containers for the respective RS color standards.

(b) Description of containers. The sample container is made of colorless and

transparent glass or plastic material and is of such shape and construction

as to provide a flat 1/8-inch thickness of the sample to be viewed. The

container for each RS color standard is a colorless and transparent 2-ounce

French square water sample bottle having outside base dimensions of 

1-7/16 inches by 1-7/16 inches.

(c) Visual comparison test. A sample of refiners' sirup is compared in the

following manner with the RS color standards to determine whether the

sample is darker than one or more of such color standards:

(1) Place each of the RS Color Standards Nos. 1, 2, and 3 in separate 2-

ounce French square water sample bottles;

(2) Place a sample of the refiners' sirup in a sample container; and
9

(3) In order to determine whether the sample is darker than one or more

of the RS color standards, visually compare the sample with each of

the color standards by looking through them at a light-colored

background in diffuse light. The sample is viewed through its 1/8-inch

thickness; and each RS color standard is viewed at right angles to

one of the sides of its container.

Dated: June 8, 1967.

G.R. Grange,

Deputy Administrator,

Marketing Services.

Published in the Federal Register of January 5, 1952 (17 F.R. 136)

codified in the Code of Federal Regulations of 1953 (7 CFR, 1-209, 44.41-44.46)

These amended standards, with minor modifications in format, were republished in the

Federal Register of June 15, 1967 (32 F.R. 8575)