The Differences Between Raw & White Sugar

Brown bread and brown rice are typically known for being healthier than their white alternatives. When it comes to sugar, many also believe that raw sugar, or even brown sugar, is the better alternative. All sugar, otherwise known as sucrose, is a carbohydrate that results from photosynthesis. Therefore sugar is found naturally in every kind of fruit and vegetable. The sugar used for commercial sources comes from the sugar cane and sugar beet plants. This is due to the highly concentrated levels of sugar contained within these plants. It is important to understand the differences between raw, brown and white sugars by understanding how they are processed.

Raw Sugar

• What is considered raw sugar is the coarse granulated substance resulting from the evaporation process of sugar cane juice. The product is brown in color, which is why it is often confused with brown sugar, and typically resembles coarse large salt crystals. Raw sugar is approximately 98 percent sucrose, and contains many impurities giving it a distinctive taste. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers raw sugar to be inappropriate for human consumption, and requires further refinement, creating what is known as white or refined sugar. Although there are some sugars marketed as "raw," the correct term for these would be turbinado. Such sugars are found at many health food and specialty stores, and have simply been purified of impurities by washing off surface molasses. Turbinado sugar is tan in color, but is actually more similar to refined sugar than raw sugar.

Refining Sugar into White Sugar

• Sugar is refined through a many-step process. First the cane stalk or beet root is separated from the rest of the plant. With sugar cane the juice is extracted and boiled until it reaches a syrup-like consistency, and allowed to thicken and crystallize. The crystals are then spun in a centrifuge to produce what is known as raw sugar. At this point, the sugar is washed, filtered to remove impurities and color, crystallized again and packaged. Sugar beet production follows the same process except that the first step is to soak the beets in hot water to remove the sugar. These steps produce what is known as white sugar, which typically has a finer crystal texture and is free of any color.

Brown Sugar

• When talking about raw versus white sugar it is important to clarify the definition of brown sugar. Brown sugar is actually processed and refined sugar with the addition of molasses syrup and other natural flavors. The mixture is then spun in a centrifuge until it forms crystals. How light or dark the color of brown sugar is simply depends upon the amount of molasses added during the process.