Sugar beet vinasse, a by-product of ethanol production from sugar beet molasses. Due to its characteristics it is difficult for utilization and it requires treatment, mainly decolorization, before any application. The aim of this study was to separate vinasse colorants using Sephadex G-25 and G-50 column. The effect of vinasse pH on separation was also studied. It was not possible to determine which peak on chromatograms A475 corresponds to the maximum content of melanoidins, caramels or products of alkaline degradation of invert sugar. The number of peaks on each chromatogram was related to the pH value of vinasse. The best conditions for colorants separation was Sephadex G-50 and vinasse pH of 7,0. The gel separation of colorants will enable the identification of intermediates, especially those toxic, so it will enable new possibilities for vinasse utilization.

15-26