Sugar, or sucrose, is a disaccharide that dramatically affects human metabolism; whole cane sugar contains a lower percentage of sucrose than regular sugar and is richer in nutrients; let’s find out together.
What Is Brown Sugar?
Whole cane sugar derives from sugar cane, or Saccharum officinarum in botany, a tropical plant of the Poaceae family, with a lovely and juicy marrow: consider that as many as 14% of its stem is made up of sugary substances. It is a plant mainly cultivated in Central and South America, but also in islands such as Mauritius and Barbados, whose population is often subjected to harsh market laws for its production.
Hence, the entire pure sweetener is often found among fair exchange items and, contrasted with conventional sugar, has a more significant expense. Its color is dark, the grains are small and irregular, with a bubbly consistency and a particular and intense smell, and its properties are better than white beet sugar.
How Is Cane Sugar Extracted?
To produce natural cane sugar, the sugar cane is cut, the leaves removed with a machete (a lot of workforce is required for this) and then squeezed, and the juice (a syrup called molasses which contains up to 15% sucrose) thus obtained is concentrated by boiling.
This juice is then dried in pats (hence the term panela, one of the types of brown cane sugar), grated or dried, and mixed (the Mascavo type, which is diverse and shaken) until it is crushed into granules.
Therefore, unlike ordinary white sugar, often obtained from beets, not cane, brown sugar does not undergo (or partially undergoes) chemical refining. The production yield of 12 tons of sugar cane is approximately 1 ton of brown sugar. Vegetable residues are used in the paper industry or as fuel.
Calories, Nutritional Values , And Properties Of Whole Cane Sugar
From a nutritional point of view, it has an excellent energy value and a supply of mineral salts which white sugar strongly lacks. Here are the average nutritional values (to be more precise, we should consider the type of sugar) per 100 grams of whole cane sugar:
- energy value ranging from 275 Kcal to 350 Kcal, against the 395 kcal of sucrose,
- 85 mg of calcium,
- 140 mg of potassium,
- The vitamins it contains are vitamin A, vitamin C, and some of the B groups.
The glycemic and insulinemic index is lower because it is not very refined. Since it is not chemically advanced, whole cane sugar is considered healthier than other types of sugar. It holds more supplements and has a substantially more severe and trademark flavor.
Be careful not to confuse natural cane sugar with standard cane or raw sugar: the latter has large and regular grains, refined and then artificially colored with caramel E150c, an artificial coloring, or with molasses.
It can be said that, in general, refined or not, cane, raw or white, the use of sugar should be limited and, in any case, not misused, perhaps preferring other natural sweeteners. Of the two types, a cuisine, the muscovado can be used to sweeten herbal teas or teas, goes well with fruit and cakes, and cooks sweet and sour dishes.
It is suitable for those who love solid aromas and flavors. The panela, less intense as a scent, has a more floury consistency; it is used for many things, but above all, for foods and drinks with a delicate taste, as it does not cover the flavors.
Curiosity About Cane Sugar
If you are in India, if you smell an unmistakable sweet smell on the street, look around: indeed, a sugar cane squeezer sells sweet juice to passers-by. In Europe, sugarcane is cultivated in Spain (between Malaga and Motril in Andalusia), Sicily (recently, it was proposed to reintroduce its cultivation in the plain of Catania), Cyprus, and Malta.
Being rich in glycolic acid, cane sugar is an excellent ally for the skin, an exfoliant, and a natural antiseptic. Furthermore, the whole cane does not affect the formation of caries; think of the white and very healthy teeth of South American or Indian children who often suck the juice!
Read Also: Stomach Acid Diet