Sugar Juice Clarification Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- Concentrated at the top. Five assignees hold 78.6% of all 112 records in scope, and ten hold 90.2% — a field with little room between leaders and everyone else.
- Ion exchange resin claims still anchor the field. The most-cited record, US3966489A, dates back decades and still leads citation counts, meaning today's filers are designing around old chemistry, not new.
- Filing has gone quiet at the top. The largest named assignees each show zero filings in the latest year, though publication lag means recent activity is understated in any dataset cut off in 2026.
Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 112 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
A narrow, mature field built on ion exchange and carbonatation chemistry
Sugar juice clarification and decolorization covers the chemistry and equipment used to remove colour bodies, turbidity and impurities from raw sugar juice before crystallization — lime carbonatation, phosphatation, activated carbon treatment, ion exchange resins and mud filtration all sit inside this scope. The 112 records captured here span 2015 through the 2026 cutoff, receiving filings mainly through the United States, Canada, Australia and the European Patent Office, with a smaller but notable share routed through India and the WIPO PCT system.
The technology composition leans heavily on two IPC subclasses — sugar production and refining, and chemical or physical treatment processes — which together tag the large majority of records, with polymer chemistry and water treatment classes appearing as secondary but persistent threads.
Filing trend and technology mix
Publication lag means the most recent year in any filing trend understates real activity — filings made in 2025 or 2026 often have not published yet. Read the peak year, not the tail, as the signal of when this field was most active.
Filing trend, 2017–2026
Filings peaked in 2019 at 9 records for the year. The trend line from 2017 onward does not show a clean growth curve, and with fewer than four complete post-lag years available a growth rate cannot be computed responsibly from this data.
Technology composition by IPC subclass
Sugar production and refining (C13B) and chemical/physical treatment processes (B01J) each tag more than half of the 112 records in scope, at 58.0% and 56.3% respectively. Addition polymer chemistry (C08F, 25.9%) and water treatment (C02F, 17.9%) appear as secondary clusters, while separation processes (B01D, 8.0%) and inorganic compounds (C01B, 6.3%) are the smallest tagged branches — records can carry more than one class, so these shares add up past 100%.
Shares are the percentage of the 112 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Sugar Juice Clarification and Decolorization with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about sugar juice clarification and decolorization and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited prior art still frames the field
US20190376154A1 — Filter media for particle, ion and biological removal with in-line decolorization
The filing describes a filter media built for sugar purification that combines sorbent material, a specific fiber structure and an electrolyte to allow small-particle sorbents without losing hydraulic performance. The stated benefit is eliminating a separate clarification step during refining while enhancing decolorization, effectively folding two process stages into one filtration pass.Filed by Graver Technologies LLC, published 2019-12-12.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US3966489A | Method of decolorizing sugar solutions with hybrid ion exchange resins | 108 |
| 2 | US20050196336A1 | Activated graphitic carbon and metal hybrids thereof | 93 |
| 3 | US4380590A | Emulsion copolymer cation exchange resins | 77 |
| 4 | US3991017A | Ion exchange resins derived from hybrid copolymers | 49 |
| 5 | US4359537A | Emulsion copolymer anion exchange resins | 41 |
| 6 | US4217421A | Anion exchange resins prepared from crosslinked polystyrenesulfonylchloride | 41 |
| 7 | US4775541A | Ion exchange method of treating liquid fermentation products to reduce the content of coloring matter therein | 40 |
| 8 | US4200695A | Flocs for filtration and deionization prepared from cationic and anionic emulsion ion exchange resins | 40 |
| 9 | US4152496A | Hybrid copolymers | 39 |
| 10 | US4247340A | Purification of sugars using emulsion anion exchange resins | 36 |
Citation counts inside a searched corpus favour older filings because they have had more time to accumulate citations — treat this as a measure of influence on later filings, not of current commercial importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Put your own technology through the same analysis
Eureka on the web
When you want the answer in the next five minutes.
The agent works the prompt against patents and technical literature, citing every source.
Run your analysis now →MCP server & REST API
When it has to run inside your own pipeline.
Patent search, landscape analysis and assignee resolution as MCP tools. Drop them into any agent framework, or call REST directly.
Browse MCP servers →What the numbers say about this field
Three patterns stand out once the ranking, the trend and the citation data are read together: heavy concentration among a small set of assignees, chemistry that has not moved far from decades-old ion exchange resin claims, and a filing pace that has gone quiet at the top in the most recent complete years.
A small group of assignees set the terms
Five assignees account for 78.6% of all 112 records in scope, rising to 90.2% across ten assignees. For a new entrant, this means the practical prior-art landscape is defined by a handful of portfolios rather than a broad field of independent filers.
Old ion exchange chemistry still frames new filings
The most-cited record in this dataset, US3966489A on hybrid ion exchange resins for decolorizing sugar solutions, has accumulated 108 citations. Several of the next most-cited records are also decades-old resin patents, suggesting today's filers are still designing claims around this chemistry rather than displacing it.
Activity has not shown sustained growth
The filing trend peaks at 9 records in 2019 without a clear multi-year growth pattern either side of it, and the leading named assignees each show zero filings in the latest year captured. Publication lag of roughly 18 months means the truest recent-activity picture will only be visible in later data pulls.
Two IPC classes dominate, but overlap heavily
Sugar production/refining (C13B) and chemical/physical treatment (B01J) each tag more than half of the 112 records, meaning most filings sit at the intersection of process and chemistry claims rather than in either domain alone.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to sugar juice clarification and decolorization, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who holds the ground, and where it opens up
The ranked assignee list runs to 24 companies — not a top-50 or top-100 cut, but the full ranking the dataset returns. Ownership is front-loaded: the leader alone holds 48 records, while fifth place holds 5 and tenth place holds only 2, a steep drop-off that marks the boundary between the entrenched leaders and a long tail of single- or few-filing entrants.
One assignee holds close to half the field
The leading assignee's 48 records is more than nine times the count held by the fifth-ranked assignee, making this one of the more top-heavy concentration patterns a new entrant will encounter in sugar processing chemistry.
The tail thins out quickly after tenth place
Holdings fall from 5 records at fifth place to 2 at tenth place, and the ranking includes 24 companies in total — most of them holding only a handful of records each. This is a field with a narrow core and a wide, thin periphery.
Collaboration is rare, not the norm
Only two co-assignee pairs appear in this dataset, both linked to the same enzyme-technology assignee and individual inventors. Most filings in this space are single-assignee efforts rather than joint ventures or cross-licensed programmes.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Rohm and Haas Company | 0 | — |
| Graver Technologies LLC | 0 | — |
| Cytec Technology Corp | 0 | — |
| Novozymes A/S | 0 | — |
| Akzo Nobel N.V. | 0 | — |
| Tate & Lyle PLC | 0 | — |
| RAR – REFINARIAS DE ACCUCAR REUNIDAS | 0 | — |
| Nissan Chemical Corporation | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a field with entrenched leaders, old anchor chemistry and thin but real white space at the margins. The next steps depend on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, portfolio positioning or spotting an acquisition target.
Map claims against the leader's 48-record portfolio
Before filing in ion exchange resin or activated carbon decolorization, check claim scope against the largest assignee's holdings specifically, since a single portfolio covers close to half the field.
Run a freedom-to-operate check in EurekaTrack the under-claimed branches
Membrane-based filtration and enzyme-assisted clarification show thinner filing density than the core resin and carbonatation claims, which is where new claim scope is more likely to be available.
Explore white space with EurekaWatch for the lag-delayed filing wave
Zero recent-year filings from the top assignees may reflect publication lag rather than a real slowdown; a fresh pull closer to the 18-month mark will clarify whether activity has genuinely paused.
Set up monitoring in EurekaCommon questions about this field
Ownership in this field is concentrated: the leading assignee alone holds 48 of the 112 records in scope, and the top five assignees combined account for 78.6% of all records. That share rises to 90.2% across the top ten. Beyond that, the ranking includes 24 companies in total, most holding only a handful of filings each, so due diligence should focus first on the handful of large portfolios rather than the long tail.
Ion exchange resin chemistry is the strongest single thread, anchored by decades-old filings such as US3966489A, which remains the most-cited record in this dataset at 108 citations. Activated carbon treatment and lime carbonatation or phosphatation also appear throughout the corpus. IPC data confirms this: sugar production and refining (C13B) and chemical or physical treatment processes (B01J) each tag more than half of all 112 records.
The filing trend peaked at 9 records in 2019 without a clear sustained growth pattern before or after that year, and the leading named assignees show zero filings in the most recent year captured. This should not be read as the field going dormant, however, because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, meaning recent-year filings are undercounted in any dataset with a fixed cutoff. A meaningful growth rate cannot be computed from fewer than four complete post-lag years, so no such figure is claimed here.
Membrane-based mud filtration, enzyme-assisted juice clarification, metal-organic framework sorbents, and electrolyte-modified filter media all show comparatively thin filing density relative to the dominant ion exchange resin and lime carbonatation claims. These branches sit adjacent to the core chemistry rather than replacing it, which is typically where new, defensible claim scope remains open in a field this concentrated.
US20190376154A1, filed by Graver Technologies LLC and published in December 2019, covers a filter media combining sorbent material, a specific fiber structure and an electrolyte designed to allow small-particle sorbents without losing hydraulic performance. Its stated commercial value is eliminating a separate clarification step in sugar refining while improving decolorization, effectively merging two process stages into one filtration pass. Anyone designing filter media with combined clarification and decolorization function should review this filing's claim scope directly rather than relying on the abstract alone.
Research Sugar Juice Clarification and Decolorization in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole sugar juice clarification and decolorization corpus yourself, in your own scope.
Every answer comes back with patent numbers you can open.
Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.