Sugarcane 101: Your Guide To This Natural Sweetener
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In contrast to sugar products created from sugar beets or a combination of cane and beet, cane sugar is a form of sugar that is made purely from sugar cane. Unrefined, raw, and refined cane sugar are just a few of the variations that are available.

A range of sugars made from sugar cane, a plant that grows well in tropical climates and resembles bamboo, are collectively referred to as "cane sugar." To make cane sugar, the sugar cane is chopped, the juice is removed, and the liquid is boiled to produce a dark syrup, which is effectively unprocessed molasses. The molasses and crystallised syrup are separated from one another by spinning them in a centrifuge.

The three primary types of cane sugar are raw, unrefined, and refined. Different methods are used to process these sugars, and the main step in processing is washing the sugar to remove any molasses and other impurities.

The so-called unprocessed sugars include items like muscovado, piloncillo, and jaggery, albeit they do undergo extensive refining. It is still primarily made of molasses and is black.

Raw sugar, which includes products like turbinado and demerara, is a stage between the operations, with medium-to-coarse crystals and a blonde to light-brown hue. A reduced, but still discernible, the quantity of molasses flavour is retained by raw sugar.

Refined sugar, which includes white granulated sugar, baker's sugar, and confectioners' sugar, is the purest type of sugar available and is free of molasses and other impurities. It is ground to several different fine consistencies, each with a particular use. It's interesting to note that different amounts of molasses are mixed back into refined white sugar to produce varied shades of commercial brown sugar.

Uses Of Cane Sugar

Similar to granulated beet sugar, white granulated cane sugar can be used in almost any white sugar recipe on earth. These are often used for sweetness, but because this is a flexible and multipurpose ingredient, it also serves other important purposes like bulking, preserving, and fermenting. White granulated cane sugar is most commonly used as regular table sugar, the kind that is sold in one-kilogram bags and used to sweeten beverages like tea and coffee.