Methods for the purification of sugar solutions using hydrolyzed polyacrylamides as flocculants are herein described. The hydrolyzed polyacrylamides are prepared from emulsion or microemulsion polymerization of acrylamide monomer, and subsequently hydrolyzed to a degree of hydrolysis of about 10 to about 50 mole %. The hydrolyzed polyacrylamides have a molecular weight of at least about 10,000,000.