White unrefined sugar. Cane versus beet sugar: which sugar is better?

Sugar is one of the fastest carbohydrates that entered human life many centuries ago. India is the birthplace of sugar; it was there that they first noticed that crystallized droplets of cane juice taste sweet and can serve as a food additive.

What kind of sugar is there?

There are 6 types of sugar:

Reed- the sweetest sugar. It is obtained by crushing cane stalks and squeezing the sweet juice from them. Through production activities, the juice is purified and crystallized.

Beetroot- the most common type of sugar, due to the ability to grow beets in almost any climatic conditions. Beetroot is a sweet root vegetable and from its juice, after several stages of cleaning and processing, solid white crystals are obtained - sugar.

Malt- extracted from grain fermentation products - malt, rice or millet. The sweetness of this sugar is significantly inferior to its more popular competitors.

Palm- extracted from palm trunks and cannot be processed. Palm sugar reaches the shelves in the form of a thick viscous liquid or solid brown slabs with a strong smell of molasses molasses.

Maple- made from the sap of silver or sugar maples. Distributed throughout Canada and neighboring countries and is a continuation of the life of sweet maple syrup.

Sorghum- obtained from sorghum cereal syrup. The low sweetness of sorghum, only 18%, makes the production of such sugar economically unprofitable.

Sucrose from cane and beets is distinguished by its sweetness; in addition, these are more developed industries.

In recent years, one could hear many unflattering sayings about the sweet product: it was called “white death”, marketers gave dozens of arguments in favor of brown sugar, doctors insisted on the complete exclusion of refined sugar from the diet. Let's take a closer look at the issue and find out why the wave of indignation has not touched competent nutritionists and nutritionists.

White sugar

A traditional additive for drinks or confectionery products is refined sugar - white sand or hard cubes obtained by pressing. Until a certain time, it was considered an absolutely harmless product, subject to reasonable consumption.

White or yellowish beet sugar consists of 99% carbohydrates. It is quickly absorbed and converted into energy or fat. On the shelves you can see gray sugar; it is also made from beets, but with disruptions in the production cycle, which means it is not advisable to purchase it.

White cane sugar looks absolutely no different from beet sugar. It is considered sweeter, however, it is difficult for the average consumer to notice this difference.

The calorie content of cane and beet white sugar is 390 kcal.

Daily consumption rate is 50-60 grams, including consumption of sugar-containing foods

After a number of statements by “experts” about the dangers of white sugar, it began to be called “white death.” The verdict was due to the refining of raw materials, after which the molecular compounds acquired the ability to remove useful substances from the body.

Refining is a technological process that allows you to separate raw materials into components for purification. When refining sugar, 30-40% of the original product is separated as waste. Scientists have proven that excessive consumption of refined sugar can provoke diabetes.

Fans of natural nutrition consider refining an unnecessary process that deprives products of their original usefulness and nutrients, which cannot be denied. However, refining is a purification process without which products can be harmful.

Based on the facts, the imposition of the opinion that white sugar is harmful is an advertising campaign for brown sugar, which appeared recently, but has already won a lot of fans.

Brown sugar

Sugar produced from cane juice that has not undergone a purification process has a golden color, a characteristic odor and is called brown. Other types of sugar before purification have a cloying bitter taste, which makes them impossible to sell.

Brown sugar is better because:

1. It is not amenable to the refining process;
2. Contains microelements;
3. Is lower in calories;
4. Healthier than refined sugar.

Truth or marketing?

Indeed, brown sugar is not purified, preserving a set of microelements in it; at the same time, cane molasses is preserved, which can be harmful if the cane grew in a polluted area.

The calorie content of brown sugar is indeed lower, but by 1-2 kcal.

There is no such thing as healthy sugar.

Brown sugar, if it is not certified and has not undergone proper control, can be saturated not only with vitamins, but also with toxins. Often, taking advantage of the fashion for brown sugar, unscrupulous manufacturers tint or calcinate regular refined sugar, doubling their profits.

How to Choose Authentic Brown Sugar:

1. Read the quality certificate, pay attention to the country of the importer. High-quality sugar will be brought from Mauritius, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Cuba, the USA or Brazil.
2. Pay attention to the smell. The pungent aroma of fake sugar is most often felt even through plastic packaging. Real unrefined sugar has an unobtrusive smell reminiscent of caramel. An exception may be “raw” sugar in bars.
3. Cane sugar tastes different. The authentic product can be selected by elimination.
4. Coloration of water and a chemical reaction with iodine do not prove the fact of counterfeiting.

Brown or white sugar, which is better?

Preferences and reviews are important, but you can’t argue with facts:

We see that brown sugar is indeed richer in vitamins and beneficial chemical elements, but in terms of reducing the caloric content of the diet, it is not much different from refined sugar. Excessive consumption of unrefined sugar can not only provoke diabetes, but also greatly complicate the life of the kidneys, which are responsible for purifying and processing molasses.

Unfortunately, only one conclusion can be drawn - the popularization of brown sugar based on its benefits is a deception. Food should be healthy and help the body function fully. Eliminating sugar from your diet is not an option, but its consumption should not exceed the norm.

Brown sugar. How is it better than its white counterpart?

On store shelves you can find the so-called brown, the cost of which is much higher than the usual price. Sometimes you hear that it is much healthier than the usual refined one, and causes less harm to your figure and health. Is this true? And if you’re going to buy an expensive product, how can you choose the right one from several varieties?

According to experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), amount of sugar per day for the body should not exceed 10 percent of the daily diet. In other words, sugar norm per day for a man is no more than 60 g and no more than 50 g for women. It seems to us that we do not consume so much sugar - we only put a couple of spoons in tea or coffee. Well, as a last resort - cakes and sweets at a party or on holidays, ice cream while walking... But at the same time we forget that sugar is contained in a variety of products - canned food, marinades, juices, sauces, soda and, finally, , in sweet fruits! But I want something sweet! Can brown sugar help in this situation?

Let's figure it out first How is brown sugar different from regular white sugar?. White sugar, regardless of its origin - cane or beet - is refined sugar. Brown is sugar, so to speak, “primary”, unprocessed. By the way, unrefined beet sugar does not go on sale: its taste and aroma are too unattractive. Therefore, that brown sugar that lies on supermarket shelves is cane sugar.

What is good about cane sugar?

and why is it worth it so expensive? In a sense, this is a merit of a healthy lifestyle. After all, we often hear that refined products are harmful, and natural, unprocessed ones are much healthier. What is it really like?

Doctors examined the composition of white refined and brown cane sugar and came to the conclusion that these products are practically the same in calorie content.

It will not be possible to avoid obesity and atherosclerosis by consuming exclusively cane sugar, since both types of sugar contain the same amount of carbohydrates.

But in terms of the amount of minerals- calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, zinc - brown sugar is far superior to white sugar. It also contains much more B vitamins. So the only real health benefit of cane sugar is its enriched mineral and vitamin composition. But if you are afraid of gaining weight, it is better to give up sweets altogether!

Yet brown sugar justifies its high price with its unusual taste and aroma. This is what Europeans prefer to sweeten tea or coffee with: in Europe it is even called tea.

If you decide to try cane sugar, remember that there are several varieties of it on sale, and you are not always offered a natural product. Sometimes a brown tint is achieved through dyes and manufacturing subtleties, and under the guise of brown you buy the most ordinary refined sugar, only of a different color. Natural brown sugar gets its color, taste and smell from molasses - molasses.

Cane sugar. Species

So, cane sugar comes in the following types:

Demerara Sugar- golden-brown color product. It can be either natural or white refined sugar, simply mixed with molasses. Therefore, you should carefully read what is written on the label.

Sugar Muscovado- sugar is natural, but it is made with varying amounts of molasses. The more molasses in sugar, the darker its color. Sugar is sticky and gives off a caramel flavor.

Sugar Turbinado- it can be distinguished by large crystals, the color of which ranges from brown to brown. During the production of this sugar, it is partially purified from molasses using steam and water.

Soft molasses sugar, which is also called black Barbadian- is unrefined raw cane sugar with a large amount of molasses. It is soft and moist to the touch, thanks to the abundance of molasses, it has a very dark hue and a strong aroma.

The most commonly found cane sugar in our stores is the Demerara variety..

If you're concerned about health benefits as well as taste, make sure the label says "unrefined." Only in this case does it make sense to overpay for sweet joy.

Shlionskaya Irina

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Although nutritionists, as a rule, advise limiting the consumption of both brown and white sugar (if it were green, they would exclude it too), you can often find the opinion online that brown sugar is, nevertheless, healthier than white sugar. Does it contain additional nutrients? Maybe. But as for everything else, experts advise trusting only the facts.

We have already discussed the imaginary benefits of black bread in comparison with white bread, and next in line are two types of sugar.

How is brown sugar made?

In fact, brown sugar is the same white sugar, but mixed with molasses (molasses, a syrupy, tar-colored liquid with a specific odor, a byproduct of sugar production). So, in particular, if you try to shape any shape with white sugar, it will crumble, while brown sugar will hold it for a while. White sugar also usually has a brownish tint during the early stages of production, but as the sugarcane juice evaporates, it naturally whitens.

The benefits and harms of brown sugar

Molasses, and by extension the brown sugar it is added to, contains more essential nutrients than white sugar. So technically the choice of brown sugar for cooking is . According to Fitday.com, a tablespoon of molasses contains an impressive dose of dietary potassium, as well as small amounts of magnesium and B vitamins.

And yet, these essential nutrients in brown sugar are not enough to meet our daily needs. In addition, like white sugar, molasses contains sugars, the levels of which must be strictly monitored so as not to provoke or increase the risk of chronic diseases.

Brown sugar on a diet

Brown sugar and white sugar contain about the same number of calories per serving. A teaspoon of brown sugar has 17 calories, a teaspoon of white sugar has 16 calories. So if you're looking for a way, replacing white sugar with brown sugar obviously won't do any good.

Doctors say that for gradual weight loss and improvement of all health indicators, the best thing to do in principle is. That is, white sugar, brown sugar and molasses itself, which can be purchased separately, are prohibited here. Representatives from the American Heart Association (AHA) suggest that women limit their sugar intake (of all foods!) to 100 calories per day, and men to 150 calories per day, to reduce their risk and overall feel better.

We are used to associating the word “sugar” with the color white. However, not so long ago, brown sugar began to fill store shelves, cafes and bars. This is not to say that it has never existed before. There was, but in such tiny quantities and so expensive that for the average buyer it seemed to not exist. Today everything has changed and the brown “sweetness” has begun to actively gain ground from the white one, while simultaneously reducing its price. It is not surprising that they began to notice it, buy it and, in connection with this, many people had a question - what is the difference between brown sugar and white sugar? Well, if there is a question, then there will definitely be an answer to it. Let's figure it out.

• beetroot,
• reed,
• maple,
• palm,
• sorghum

These are the most common types of sugar in the world. In Russia, beet sugar occupies first place, and cane sugar confidently holds second place. The remaining species, rather, can be classified as exotic, which are enjoyed mainly by gourmets and lovers of everything unusual. The brown sugar we are interested in is cane sugar, so we will compare it with the same cane counterpart, but white. By the way, at the same time we will list the types of brown sugar that circulate around the world:

• Muscovado is sticky and smells like caramel.
• Molasses sugar (Barbados black) is a natural raw sugar, soft, almost black, with a strong odor.
• Demerara is the main type of brown sugar on the shelves of Russian stores. There is a natural product (unrefined), and there is also a refined one with the addition of molasses (cane molasses).
• Turbinado is a dry natural golden to brown sugar. The crystals are dry and large.

All of the above varieties are a natural sugar product (unrefined) brown in color. However, in stores you can often find regular refined sugar with added brown dye. This is a deception. There is no crime here, but this sugar is similar to the one described only in appearance. Therefore, the label must include the “Unrefined” label. Now, for a better understanding of the difference between brown and white sugar, let us briefly describe the sugar production technology.

It's very simple

The juice is extracted from the cane, cleaned of dirt, evaporated to a certain consistency, after which the crystallization process begins. Then they begin to drive the mass through a centrifuge. This is done to separate sugar from the resulting substance. In principle, brown sugar obtained in this way can be sent to stores after drying.

To obtain white refined sugar, a slightly different scheme is used. After crystallization, the raw sugar crystals are mixed with a special “liqueur.” This mixture is then purified and the output is white refined sugar, which, by the way, is no different from beet sugar - both sucrose is almost in its pure form.

The brown color of the original product is due to the presence of molasses (molasses) of the same color. If during processing of the raw material it is removed and the above-described cleaning is carried out, then as a result we obtain a snow-white refined product. If the molasses is not removed, we will have natural cane sugar that is brown in color. We have listed its types above.

The whole process is described in an extremely primitive way, but this is quite enough for a general understanding of the technology of cane sugar production.

It is logical to assume that if we add molasses to white refined sugar, we will get the same brown sugar. That's how it is. Then what is the difference between brown sugar and white sugar? Only in color? No, not only that. Molasses contains a number of substances that are absent in the white version or are present, but in smaller quantities. We have compiled a comparison table. Let's take a look into it.

Table

As you can see, if we look at everything in numbers, the difference is really small. And doctors, although not too confidently, claim that there is no particular benefit to be gained from brown sugar compared to white sugar. However, if we remember that we consume sugar every day and all our lives... Then perhaps we should think about whether it is worth neglecting even this, albeit small, but constant advantage of a brown “life partner”?

Not long ago, brown sugar began to actively displace the usual white sugar from the sugar bowls of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops, and then moved into our household supplies. According to many, brown sugar is healthier than white sugar, by analogy with brown rice, pasta, bread...

Difference between white and brown sugar

Raw sugar, as brown sugar is called, is extracted from sugar cane juice, which is boiled and put through a centrifuge where sugar crystals form. The crystallization process takes quite a long time, sometimes up to a month. Sugar's brown color is due to the presence of molasses, which gives it a sweeter, richer flavor. It is also moister and chunkier in texture, which is different from the dry, grainy texture of white sugar.

Raw sugar is bleached with chemicals such as sulfur dioxide. After bleaching, the sugar is treated with phosphoric acid and calcium hydroxide to remove impurities. The final stage is the process of filtration and crystallization. The resulting refined product can be converted back into brown sugar by simply adding molasses in proportionate quantities.

Nutritional value of white and brown sugar

While many people tend to think that brown sugar is a healthier option than white sugar, the truth is that both options have very little difference in nutritional value. White sugar is actually 99.9% sucrose, while brown sugar is 97%. The remaining 2% is water, 1% is other substances. A teaspoon of white sugar contains 16 kcal, and a teaspoon of brown sugar contains 17 kcal.

However, the molasses found in brown sugar includes a number of minerals: calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron. But since this content is too insignificant, they do not bring tangible health benefits.

Use of white and brown sugar in products

White sugar can be used in a wide range of foods and beverages, and is also an important ingredient in baking. Baked goods will taste richer if they are made with brown sugar. It can also greatly change the color of baked goods and affect their moisture content due to its higher water content compared to white sugar.