Brownsugarexporter.com
- Due to this
nation's recent interest in personal health, it's important to understand the
difference between brown sugar, refined white sugar, and unrefined (or
"raw") sugar. Many grocery
stores these days sell all 3 variations and even though they're different, they
are all very similar.
The Process
Raw Sugar
To
begin with, it's important to note that "unrefined sugar" is actually
a misleading term. It is still refined,
but only to put it in a crystallized form.
The sugar that is extracted from the sugar cain or the sugar beet must
still be washed, boiled, filtered, and pressed for it to be crystalline and
usable by consumers. The product is
still brown in color.
Refined sugar
This
is the most common sugar you will see in stores. The sugar is still derived from sugar canes
or sugar beets, which won't change. The
refined sugar is achieved by removing the sucrose from the plant before it is
cleaned and the impurities are removed from the product. Things like mold, soil, bacteria, stalk
fibers, and wax can all be left over until this point. Carbon dioxide or phosphoric acid and calcium
hydroxide are then used to bleach the product and get it to the lusterous white
that we are accustomed to. In order to
be considered table sugar, it has to be processed one more time. It is filtered in a liquid state through
"beef bone char". From
beginning to end, the product has changed considerably. The sugar that was initially brown in color
is now white. Finally, many people refer
to refined sugar as "empty calories", as there is absolutely no
nutritional value to the product. None.
Refined Brown Sugar
Our
common brown sugar goes through the exact same process as refined sugar, but
along the way, molasses is added to give it the brown color and a little
additional sweetness.
Conclusion
It
would be ridiculous to choose refined sugar over raw sugar given the
option. Raw sugar has a minimal 11
calories per teaspoon and remains the natural vitamins and minerals that are in
the sugar cane juice. Refined sugar
lacks out on phosphorous, calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium. Also, during the process of refining table
sugar, there are various chemicals that are used that could potentially be
passed to person ingesting the food.
When
you are in the store, be sure to check the labels of the sugar you are
purchasing. Although raw sugar and brown
sugar both have molasses, the brown sugar was added during the refining process
and is not the natural presence. They
are very similar in color, and it can be difficult to tell without looking at
the label.
The
use of sugar should be done sparingly.
There are too many studies noting that sugar is the cause of Type 2
Diabetes, Obesity, and Tooth Decay. Be
sure to take an investment in your health and to use it sparingly. (BD)