What makes sugar sweet? Learn it here

MYSORE: This academic programme is all about the study of a substance that sweetens your day. MSc in sugar technology, a two-year master degree programme, tutors students everything about sugar - the edible crystalline substance.
To serve the needs of the sugar industry, the UOM started it at Sir M Vishweshwaraiah PG Centre in Mandya in 1993. It was supported by the Mandya Sugar Company which provided the centre with laboratory facilities.
"MSc in sugar technology is a one of its kind academic programme offered only by the UOM," explains course coordinator S Chandraju.Other institutes in the country offer academic programmes like degree, diploma and certified courses.
"It provides extensive theoretical and practical knowledge about sugar manufacturing and its techniques to the students. As there are over 650 sugar industries and as many as 300 distilleries in the country that utilize the byproducts of sugarcane for ethanol production, those who possess masters in sugar technology enjoy wonderful job prospects, he says.
Unfortunately, not many realize this and hence only a few show interest in pursuing the academic programme, he rues. As this is an agriculture-oriented subject that includes everything from sugar cultivation to preparation of land, harvesting and deweeding, most of the students from urban areas fail to show interest. Most of our students are from rural areas. However, the salary in sugar industry is not less than Rs 80,000 to a lakh per month, after an initial struggle of five to ten years.
Studying the course requires a basic knowledge of engineering, agriculture and chemical aspects for the syllabus includes subjects like: chemistry, biochemistry, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, sugar technology starting from sugarcane crushing and bagging, sugarcane cultivation, management, byproducts of sugar industry and their uses and more. That apart, the programme also include field visits to understand cultivation of sugarcane, preparation of land, deweeding, harvesting and pests and diseases management.
It is a vast subject that's not just interesting but also wonderful to research upon. It will seem all the more interesting and prove useful to those hailing from an agricultural family background, the professor says.
Fee structure for the two-year PG course:
Around Rs 2,000 per year
Eligibility criteria:
Those willing to pursue MSc in sugar technology should have passed BSc with chemistry, biochemistry or agricultural science as one of the major subjects or a BE.
Some of the institutions offering sugar technology courses in India are:
The National Sugar Institute Kanpur, Utter Pradesh.
Government Polytechnic (Boys) Nizamabad, Andra Pradesh.
Government Polytechnic Tiruchirapplli, Tamil Nadu.
Vasantdada Sugar Institute, Pune, Maharashtra.
Alagappa Chettiar college of Engineering and Technology, Karaikud, Tamil Nadu.
National Sugar Institute, (Kalianpur, Kanpur)