All cane sugars are processed in some way, either mechanically or by temperature. Misconception 2 : Unrefined cane sugars are not refined. Truth : All cane sugars are highly refined, but some more than others. The least refined cane sugars are referred to as "unrefined. Chemically speaking, sucrose does not change during this process. Keep in mind the only real unrefined cane sugar we can have is if we chew the fresh peeled fibrous stalk of cane, which is filled with sap.
Truth : Unrefined sugars are perceived as more nutritious or healthier than refined sugars because they contain trace amounts of micronutrients, such as minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. However, they are not a significant source of any nutrient other than calories from sucrose. We would have to eat a truly unhealthful amount of them g or even a cup to get our daily micronutrients requirement or the positive health effects from them. The calories and sugar content outweigh the advantages of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
Misconception 4 : Unrefined sugars are metabolized slower than table sugar. Truth : Our body can hardly tell the difference between unrefined and refined cane sweeteners as both are a blend of sugar sucrose, fructose, glucose and water. To draw a comparison: table sugar contains Because enzymes in the digestive tract quickly convert sucrose into glucose and fructose, when it comes to digestion and metabolism, our body will recognize both sugars like glucose and fructose.
The cane molasses in unrefined sugars add trace amounts of nutrients, but it does not significantly increase their nutritional value, nor affects their metabolism. Some unrefined sugars are produced by more sophisticated equipment and drying processes. However, the vast majority are traditional artisan brown sugars produced in small batches for local markets with simple equipment and little capital, using hundreds of years old know-how. Put simply, their refining process involves collecting the cane juice, clarifying it, and boiling its water off through slow simmering in open kettles.
As cane juice is concentrated, a sticky dark syrup - called cane molasses - surrounds the pure sugar sucrose crystals. The color of the resulting brown sugars depends on the amount of the molasses they retain.
The processes used to refine and concentrate the cane juice vary with the manufacturer. Still, a typical unrefined sugar is not centrifuged to remove the original cane molasses at any stage during their refining.
All unrefined sugars go through a great deal of processing but much less than regular cane sugars. The image below shows a typical production process of an unrefined sugar compared to other more refined cane sugars raw and white sugars. All unrefined sugars are vegan as they are not purified using bone char. Bone char aka animal-derived natural charcoal is cattle bones in granular form.
It is produced by heating bones to degrees Fahrenheit and has been used to manufacture refined sugar for more than years. Unrefined sugars may or may not be certified organic. Organic options are extracted from organic sugarcane and processed according to the National Organic Standards. Depending on where they are produced, t raditional brown sugars have a different name. You can now buy Organic Mountain brand organic Panela at Woolies. Love that the major supermarkets are finally catching on that these foods are becoming mainstream!
Yes Cathy — the internet is like that — it can take you to a lot of places! I think there was a brief period when sucanat was refined and reconstituted, but the stuff available in my locale these days is a whole sugar; just not heated as much as the rapadura-jaggery types. Will wait for the update now. Thanks for your book which my daughter — an awesome Thermi team leader — gave me as a gift. Well wishes to you and yours, Libby. Great Information. Thank you so much for this. I have bought organic coconut sugar and getting much healthier in my eating and making goodness for my little ones.
I have just checked the place where I can buy bulk organic coconut sugar and they have best. This article is great and very informative. I was wondering if you anyone can elaborate a bit more on Why is brown sugar healthier than white sugar?
Hi Jo The chart will not open … do you have another one that you can post as I would like to send your article to some family members. Hi Pam! Your email address will not be published. No products in the cart. More results Generic filters Hidden label. Hidden label.
Organic Raw Sugar? July 31, Share on Facebook Share on Twitter. Are these sugars the same? If not, which ones are the least refined?
Which have the most vitamins and minerals? Are you confused? Is it the same as Organic Raw Sugar? Share Tweet Pin 49 Send. Related Posts.
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Alicia says:. Mark says:. Patti Johnson says:. Great blog post, Jo! Just discovered our awesome blog! Jaclyn says:. Lisa G says:. Cheryl Horn says:. CJ Thank you for so much information re the different sugars. Very helpful site. South Aussie Girl says:. I trust this website. Both are fine; both are made by dehydrating cane sugar juice. For a while Sucanat changed the way they made it and were using white sugar, so we stopped recommending the product.
But they are now making Sucanat the old fashioned way, so we can recommend it again. Sooo, there you have it. NOW what do you think? I was also confused about Sucanat vs. I generally use Rapadura, but according to the info on the Weston A. Price site, Sucanat was taboo for awhile but is now fine. I tend to not trust the politics at WAPF for various reasons, so i can see this being true.
I am not a total purist when it comes to nutrition, though I would like to be. I like the Rapadura and it is very easy to have it delivered via my co-op from Azure in a big bag that lasts a long time. They have cane juice crystals and sucanat. I really think that any natural sugar is a step up from refined white stuff. We get our Rapadura from Azure Standard too. I really like it, and it does taste good in your brownies! What bothered me a little bit was that Rapadura is a brand name.
There is no other company that can sell Rapadura. I kind of get the impression that sucanat is just Rapadura without the name branding. I recently had this experience in researching a standard medical proceedure that I needed to undergo as an RH- pregnant mom.
I had a couple of LONG conversations with a representative then got several articles sent to me by fax. Now I feel like a resident expert on the condition and know the numbers enough to feel good about getting the shot. This is such good stuff. What is the difference between dehydrated and evaporated cane juice? Can anyone shed some light on this? Very hard to keep up sometimes. I just bought our first Rapadura this month and think it is a much different sugar then the WHITE sugar we are used to….
I think, as has been mentioned, that generally moving in the direction of natural vs. I use local honey in almost all of my recipes. I use the Sue Gregg cookbooks and she discusses the sugar confusion also.
I try to stick with just honey. We have a local farmer that stocks his products at Wal-Mart. Great taste and good for our allergies.
I just bought some Sucanat this weekend and have not opened the bag yet so will take it back! Thanks for all you do!!! I cannot find rapadura locally, but my publix carries sucanat. I discussed this very subject with a friend who owns an organic bakery in town. She confirmed that sucanat and rapadura are basically the same thing. She said that rapadura is a brand name, but they taste the same and have the same nutritional value.
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