Method for producing sugar
Provided is a method for efficiently producing sugar and simultaneously efficiently producing ethanol. A method for producing sugar characterized by comprising a pretreatment step in which a plant-origin sugar solution is fermented by a microorganism having no sucrose-degrading enzyme and a step for producing sugar from the fermented sugar solution. A method for producing sugar characterized by comprising a pretreatment step in which a plant-origin sugar solution is fermented by a microorganism in the presence of a sucrose-degrading enzyme inhibitor and a step for producing sugar from the fermented sugar solution.
1. A method for producing sucrose, the method comprising:
extracting a sucrose-, fructose-, and glucose-containing juice from a plant containing said sucrose, fructose, and glucose;
fermenting said juice using a microorganism having no sucrase or a microorganism having a disrupted sucrase gene whereby glucose and fructose are broken down to ethanol and sucrose is not broken down; and
producing sucrose from the fermented juice.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising collecting ethanol from the fermented juice before the sucrose is produced from the fermented juice.
3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein collecting the ethanol from the fermented juice includes separating the ethanol through distillation.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the plant is sugarcane.