Marc content of sugar beet in Germany

Abstract

The marc content of sugar beet denotes the insoluble cell wall compounds that have always been used as animal feed. In the foreseeable future, they will be used to generate power for sugar factories to reach a carbon-free sugar manufacturing process. To monitor the marc content of beet delivered to sugar factories in Germany, 1042 sugar beet samples were taken during the campaigns in 2018/19, 2019/20, and 2020/21. The average marc content was 3.87% in 2018, 3.89% in 2019, and 4.01% in 2020. The marc content was slightly lower on light and heavy soils than the prevailing loam soils, probably because of irrigation. With higher water availability during the season, the marc content was lower. The harvest date and the length of the storage period did not influence the marc content. Cultivars differed greatly in marc content, but no clear relationship existed to their sugar content. As the marc content of sugar beet affects the susceptibility to damage during harvest and loading, the infestation with pathogens during storage and thus storages losses, and influences the first processing steps as well, the marc content should be monitored to ensure that it does not continue to decrease any further.