natural sugar?

[newsomz]

I was at the grocery store today and saw a product that called itself natural sugar. It looked a little coarser than regular white sugar and was tan colored. Does anyone have any information about this product. why is it called natural? b/c it's not bleached or something? are there any advantages to using this sugar? is it less refined than regular white sugar? just curious. thanks

carrie

[Julie O]

My understanding is that the "natural" sugar is less refined, so there is some of those yummy molasses-type compounds still in it. It definitely tastes different, worth trying, but definitely not any better for you than regular granulated sugar. And, no they don't bleach regular granulated sugar.

[lorilei]

Actually, I have to throw in my two cents in this matter. Really, evaporated cane juice OR turbinado sugar (which is what I'm suspecting this "natural" sugar is) is better than white sugar for a number of reasons.

NO, it's not "Good" for you; but it does have a slightly higher nutritional value (due to the retension of vitamins and minerals) AND (probably more importantly) natural sugars are broken down in the body more slowly than processed sugars -- this results in less fluctuation in blood sugar

For a bit more insight:
In modern sugar cane farming, chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used to grow the sugar cane plants -- this makes me most nervous. The sugar cane is harvested and sent to refining factories, where the cane’s vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are separated from the sucrose. After further refining, the cane juice is dried, processed into crystals and bleached to remove its naturally dark color.

Honey and maple syrup are actually the "best" forms of sugar to ingest (but can be hard to substitute in baking), so staying away from processed sugars is a great first step.

[makedah]

I thought turbinado sugar was white sugar with some molasses added to give it a darker color. I do prefer the taste, however, in my tea or coffee.) However, all turbinados might night be the same. Cooking Light did a story on this a while back. Does anyone remember it?

[lorilei]

makedah - I think the confusion comes in because BROWN sugar is processed sugar to which molasses and carmel coloring is added.

Turbinado sugar is actually raw sugar — what's left after sugar cane has been processed to remove molasses.

[This message has been edited by lorilei (edited 04-25-2001).]

[almiter]

Trader Joe's sells organic sugar for the most reasonalble price I have seen yet.

[funnybone]

That sugar is also marketed as "sugar in the raw" or "raw sugar", I believe. When I used to take sugar in my coffee, I would only use raw sugar. Now, I drink it without. It is supposed to be healthier than white, and is more expensive.

[makedah]

Originally posted by lorilei:
makedah - I think the confusion comes in because BROWN sugar is processed sugar to which molasses and carmel coloring is added.


Yeah, that must have been what I was thinking about. I got this from the website for Sugar in the Raw:

What is Sugar In The Raw?
Sugar In The Raw turbinado sugar is a raw sugar that is obtained or crystallized from the initial pressing of sugar cane. The sugar crystals aren't stripped of any color or flavor giving it a natural taste. All natural Sugar In The Raw has no additives.

What makes Sugar In The Raw different from other sugars?
Sugar In The Raw's distinctive taste comes from the molasses that naturally occurs in the crystals.

How may I use Sugar In The Raw?
Sugar In The Raw may be used in the same manner as ordinary sugar in cooking, baking and tabletop use. Try experimenting to get the desired sweetness and texture.

[SusanMac]

Great info, makedah!

IMO, the taste of Sugar in the Raw is much better than regular, white sugar. It's smoother and not as sweet. I've only used it in coffee, though.

Has anyone tried cooking w/turbinado sugar instead of white sugar? Is it a 1:1 substitution?? Noticed any difference in cakes rising, etc?

[newsomz]

wow.. thanks for all the information. i'll have to pick some up next time i'm out of sugar and play around with it. i'm really interested in finding foods that are less refined. I've recently started with whole grains so, sugar might be the next step. thanks again for all the info.

carrie

[Julie O]

Me again.

I did quite a lot of research about this today. The "natural" sugar is made from the first step in the refining of sugar. All sugar made from cane or beets is chemically known as "sucrose". So, whether it comes from the first step in refining or the last, it's still sucrose. Your body will digest it the same way in either "natural" sugar or highly refined sugar. Lorilei, the type of sugar which digests more easily is actually fructose, which only comes from fruits. It is not the major sugar in any vegetables or grass-type plants (cane sugar). Sucrose is also what makes up maple sugar, so it is no different to your body than granulated sugar. Honey is a mixture of glucose and fructose. (Quick biology lesson-Your body converts all sugars to glucose for energy. Fructose takes fewer steps to convert than sucrose. That's why some people think granulated sugar is so much worse for you. But, it all becomes the same thing in the end. It just takes longer. There's some interesting stuff about granulated sugar and blood sugar levels on the FDA website, but I won't go into that here.)

Refined sugar is made in a series of steps, which I'll try to explain briefly. The cane juice is extracted by squeezing out the liquids. This liquid has oils, fibers, molds, and other chemicals which are naturally found in the cane, as well as any residual pesticides or fertilizer not washed off the cane surface already. These substances must be removed before it can be sold in the U.S. because it is not considered safe without purification. So, it is washed with water, boiled down and crystallized. Crystallization is an effective way of removing impurities from relatively pure chemicals. But, as the sugar cools, some impurities are trapped in the crystal structure. In the case of granulated sugar, these impurities are what make the turbinado sugar brown. The impurity is mostly made of similar compounds as is in molasses. These compounds are why some people think turbinado sugar would be better for you. The nutritional analysis of premium molasses (the kind you would buy in the store) is (for 1 tablespoon) less than 1/26 the daily dose of B vitamins and 1/12 the dose of iron and calcium. So, if you only have traces of these compounds in the the "natural" or turbinado sugar, you're getting virtually no vitamin or mineral nutritional benefit.

Sorry, I've gotten side-tracked. So, then manufacturers take the turbinado, and they dissove it in water. They then pass the liquid through lime (calcium oxide to any wanna be food chemists out there) and then through carbon black (charcoal). This is done to remove color (molasses compounds) from the sugar (still sucrose). (The lime becomes calcium carbonate, otherwise known as Tums! It's filtered off.) Then it is recrystallized again. These steps are repeated at least two more times. What you then have is an extremely pure sugar crystal. It's about 99.0-99.9% sucrose, so basically nothing else. Note that no bleach is used to de-color sugar. (It wouldn't probably work anyway for reasons I won't go into.) Bleach is used to whiten flour, though.

So, if you're concerned about pesticides or impurities, turbinado sugar is actually more likely to have pesticides trapped in it and certainly has more impurities. Turbinado is only about 97-98% sucrose, with the rest being various impurities. Granulated sugar is one of the purest food substances you can buy (baking soda and Kosher salt are the others), again over 99% pure.

And, the worst thing in my opinion is that companies like "Sugar in the Raw" charge more for their product even though they put a lot less work into making it! Now, with that said, I LOVE the taste of "Sugar in the Raw". I love the hint of molasses in it. It really adds to the flavor of sugar.

Yes, it would be a 1:1 substitution in recipes. Hmm... but if you're measuring it in dry measuring cups it won't pack as well, so you might need more.

My main reference for this has been "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee. I also looked on the FDA and USDA websites. And, I read some in a book about sugar refining.

[lorilei]

Julie O - You found some good information which I don't want to negate. Thanks for all the research!

I DO want to clarify, however, that I didn't state that "natural" sugar is EASIER to digest, but it does digest more SLOWLY than processed granulated sugar -- this is what results in less jumps in blood sugar.

I should also clarify that when I think of turbinado sugar, I think in terms of ORGANIC turbinado (which I didn't state above), so the pesticide content should be far lower. I would encourage anyone thinking about trying natural sugars to consider Sucanat organic granulated cane juice, which sells for about $2/lb.

In addition, you're right about white sugar not being "bleached". Instead, the liquid sugar syrup is filtered through a charcoal or chemical resin filter. The main problem with this bleaching process is that Chemical resin filters tend to be expensive to use and produce environmentally destructive by-products. Vegetarians should be aware that often when a charcoal filter is used, the charcoal is made from animal bones (which might be an issue).

Just wanted to supplement the good information already presented http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[AD]

Digestion is a very individual thing. Different people digest different sugars with different ease. We all have different enzymes and physical conditions that alter the way foods are normally digested. For me, if it's too sweet tasting, I get very nauseated.

I look mainly at how sweet it is and how it tastes in the food or drink I'm making. To determine this, I look at the sugars listed on the nutrition label. Your tastebuds tell you corn syrup is not as sweet as sugar, and so does the label-only 6 grams of sugar per tbsp. compared to sugar's 12 grams per tbsp. Likewise, honey has 16 grams of sugars per tbsp., and you can taste its sweetness. It always works for me.

For natural sweeteners, I recommend barley malt with 8 grams of sugar per tbsp. (2/3 as sweet as sugar). It tastes just like molasses, only it's not as sweet and it's A LOT stickier. It's especially good for bagels and breads. I've only tried the syrup, but have heard there is a powder form.