<P> Sugar beets provide approximately 30% of world sugar production . </P> <P> Beginning in the late 18th century, the production of sugar became increasingly mechanized . The steam engine first powered a sugar mill in Jamaica in 1768, and soon after, steam replaced direct firing as the source of process heat . </P> <P> In 1813 the British chemist Edward Charles Howard invented a method of refining sugar that involved boiling the cane juice not in an open kettle, but in a closed vessel heated by steam and held under partial vacuum . At reduced pressure, water boils at a lower temperature, and this development both saved fuel and reduced the amount of sugar lost through caramelization . Further gains in fuel - efficiency came from the multiple - effect evaporator, designed by the United States engineer Norbert Rillieux (perhaps as early as the 1820s, although the first working model dates from 1845). This system consisted of a series of vacuum pans, each held at a lower pressure than the previous one . The vapors from each pan served to heat the next, with minimal heat wasted . Modern industries use multiple - effect evaporators for evaporating water . </P> <P> The process of separating sugar from molasses also received mechanical attention: David Weston first applied the centrifuge to this task in Hawaii in 1852 . </P>

Who were the inventors of sugars in the way is consumed today