Development and Diversification of Sugar Beet in Europe

The sugar beet industry is rooted firmly in the trade and agricultural policies of the European powers during the nineteenth century. Disruption of sugar importation into Europe triggered staggering advancements around a home-grown sugar crop based on a newly developed technology out of Lower Silesia. This resulted in today's well-established sugar beet industry that has since spread to all corners of the globe. Over the years, effort has been focused on the improvement of crop output, the reduction of processing costs and energy requirements, as well as the valorization of co-products. Today's industry has started the evolution toward sustainability and a circular economy and is currently gaining momentum. Some high-level scientific research is being transferred to the industry as witness to this process, and it is one of the most exciting times to be part of this realm in Europe. Sugar beet is a near-optimal feedstock for numerous chemical and biochemical products. Not only does it contains an array of valuable and extractable compounds, but it can also serve as a raw material for virtually limitless transformations. This is largely due to accelerating developments in enzymatic, fermentation and synthetic biotechnologies. In a world where sustainability has become a key focus, the sugar beet will continue to play an ever-important role.