Raw cane sugar is sugar that has been extracted from sugarcane but has not undergone intensive refining processes, retaining some of the molasses and a darker color.

Cane sugar refers to sugar produced from sugarcane that retains some of the molasses, giving it its distinctive color and flavor.

Description of raw materials used in production.

• The primary raw material is sugarcane, a tropical plant that yields a sweet juice from which sugar is extracted.

Step-by-step summary of the industrial production process.

• Canes are cut and crushed to extract the juice.
• The juice is then boiled until sugar crystals form.
• The crystals are centrifuged to remove excess molasses, but some amount remains, giving the sugar its brown color.
• The sugar is then cooled and packaged.

Brown sugar has a granulated texture and a color that ranges from light brown to dark brown, depending on the amount of molasses content.

Sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum Linn.) is an important perennial plant of the Poaceae family.

The first world producer is Brazil followed by India.

Agricultural land with sugarcane plantation

 

Sugar cane juice is the raw material for the production of refined sugar and its wax is considered a potential substitute for the expensive carnauba wax, which is of cosmetic and pharmaceutical interest.

Refined sugar is the primary product of sugar cane juice, but during its processing, other valuable products are also obtained in raw form, such as cane sugar, molasses, and sago or sago. Sugarcane juice is widely used in India for the treatment of various diseases.

Studies

It has many interesting components, such as caffeic acid, cinnamic acid, chlorogenic acid, phenolic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid, synapic acid, apigenin, phenols, phytosterols, flavonoids, luteolin, policosanols, superior terpenoids (1).

Recently, as previously for fat and protein, there has been negative discussion about carbohydrate, including blaming it for the rise of obesity and related metabolic conditions, even though overconsumption and sedentary lifestyles are more defined contributors. In many parts of the world, natural sugar (sucrose) from sugar cane is the main dietary source of carbohydrate. Considerable misinformation about sugar is in the public domain with the average consumer being unaware of (i) the critical need of body cells, particularly brain cells, for sugar to function, (ii) the multitude of functionalities other than sweetening that sugar imparts, and (iii) micronutrients delivered with many sugar products (2).

Sugar cane studies

References_________________________________________________________________________

(1) Singh A, Lal UR, Mukhtar HM, Singh PS, Shah G, Dhawan RK. Phytochemical profile of sugarcane and its potential health aspects.  Pharmacogn Rev. 2015 Jan-Jun;9(17):45-54. doi: 10.4103/0973-7847.156340. Review. 

Abstract. Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum Linn.) is an important perennial grass of Poaceae family, indigenous to tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is cultivated worldwide due to the economical and medicinal value of its high yielding products. Sugarcane juice is well known as a raw material for the production of refined sugar and its wax is considered as a potential substitute for the expensive carnauba wax, which is of cosmetic and pharmaceutical interest. Refined sugar is the primary product of sugarcane juice, but during its processing, various other valuable products are also obtained in an unrefined form, such as, brown sugar, molasses, and jaggery. Sugarcane juice is widely used in India in the treatment of jaundice, hemorrhage, dysuria, anuria, and other urinary diseases. Herein, we have summarized the different phytoconstituents and health benefits of sugarcane and its valuable products. The phytochemistry of sugarcane wax (obtained from the leaves and stalks of sugarcane), leaves, juice, and its products has revealed the presence of various fatty acid, alcohol, phytosterols, higher terpenoids, flavonoids, -O- and -C-glycosides, and phenolic acids. The future prospective of some of the sugarcane products has been discussed, which needs a phytopharmacological study and has a great potential to be a valuable medicinal product.

(2) Eggleston G  J Positive Aspects of Cane Sugar and Sugar Cane Derived Products in Food and Nutrition.   Agric Food Chem. 2018 Apr 25;66(16):4007-4012. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.7b05734.

Abstract. Recently, as previously for fat and protein, there has been negative discussion about carbohydrate, including blaming it for the rise of obesity and related metabolic conditions, even though overconsumption and sedentary lifestyles are more defined contributors. In many parts of the world, natural sugar (sucrose) from sugar cane is the main dietary source of carbohydrate. Considerable misinformation about sugar is in the public domain with the average consumer being unaware of (i) the critical need of body cells, particularly brain cells, for sugar to function, (ii) the multitude of functionalities other than sweetening that sugar imparts, and (iii) micronutrients delivered with many sugar products.

Jahren AH, Saudek C, Yeung EH, Kao WH, Kraft RA, Caballero B. An isotopic method for quantifying sweeteners derived from corn and sugar cane. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Dec;84(6):1380-4. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/84.6.1380. 

Abstract. Background: Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup, as well as cane sugar, has been implicated in the rise of the obesity and diabetes epidemics. To date, however, no reliable biomarker for the consumption of these sweeteners is available. Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the natural abundance stable-carbon-isotope signature of commonly consumed foods of plant origin. Design: Samples from approximately 100 plant-derived food products purchased from local grocery stores were analyzed for 13C content by using stable-isotope mass spectroscopy. Results: Measurement of natural abundance ratios of 13C to 12C in approximately 100 off-the-shelf foods found a distinct range of values for corn- and sugar cane-derived foods, particularly those rich in high-fructose corn syrup. Conclusion: A new technique, in which consumption of these foods may be estimated in humans by measuring the natural abundance stable-carbon-isotope profile of corn- and sugar cane-sweetened or sugar-containing foods as tracked in tissue or blood, could potentially provide an objective assessment of dietary intake and offer new opportunities for the study of diet-disease relations.