37-412: Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined soft sugar. Brown Sugar may also refer to: Brown sugar Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses . It is by tradition an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content (natural brown sugar), but is now often produced by
74-692: A smear campaign against brown sugar, reproducing microscopic photographs of harmless but repulsive-looking microbes living in brown sugar. The effort was so successful that by 1900, a best-selling cookbook warned that brown sugar was of inferior quality and was susceptible to infestation by "a minute insect". This campaign of disinformation was also felt in other sectors using raw or brown sugar such as brewing; Raw sugars are all more or less liable to be contaminated with decomposing nitrogenous matters, fermentative germs, and other living organisms, both animal and vegetable....For this reason, raw sugars must always be considered dangerous brewing materials. Brown sugar
111-489: A centrifuge to remove almost all of the molasses. The sugar crystals are large and golden-coloured. This sugar can be sold as is or sent to the refinery to produce white sugar. Demerara sugar is now 97-99% pure sucrose and has also been centrifuged. What is now sold to the United States consumer as 'raw sugar' is also a centrifuged product. If it were raw sugar in the generally accepted meaning of an unrefined product,
148-512: A closed container and shaken. Although brown sugar has been touted as having health benefits ranging from soothing menstrual cramps to serving as an anti-aging skin treatment, brown sugar is no better for health than refined sugar, despite the minerals it contains (the amounts are negligible). One hundred grams of brown sugar contains 377 Calories (nutrition table), as opposed to 387 Calories in white sugar (link to nutrition table). However, brown sugar packs more densely than white sugar due to
185-457: A modern recipe that specifies "brown sugar", one usually may assume that the intended meaning is light brown sugar , but how dark or light one prefers one's sugar is largely a matter of taste. Even in recipes such as cakes, where the overall moisture content might be critical, the amount of water contained in brown sugar is too small to matter. Much more significant than its water content is the fact that darker brown sugar or more molasses will impart
222-486: A much higher degree of molasses than products sold as natural brown sugar to consumers in developed nations. These traditional brown sugars are called various names across the globe often depending on their country of origin: e.g. muscovado , panela , rapadura, jaggery , piloncillo, etc. Muscovado from the Portuguese açúcar mascavado , was the most common type of raw sugar and was also called brown sugar. In
259-421: A stronger flavor, with more of a suggestion of caramel. Brown sugar that has hardened can be made soft again by adding a new source of moisture for the molasses, or by heating and remelting the molasses. Storing brown sugar in a freezer will prevent moisture from escaping and molasses from crystallizing, allowing for a much longer shelf life. Mildly hardened brown sugar can be broken up with utensils or placed into
296-536: A sugar-crystal rich mush, which is allowed to drain under gravity to produce varying degrees of molasses content in the final product. This process approximates a slightly modernized practice introduced in the 19th century to generate a better quality of natural brown sugar. A similar Japanese version of uncentrifuged natural cane sugar is called kokuto ( Japanese : 黒糖 , romanized : kokutō ) or kurozato ( Japanese : 黒砂糖 , romanized : kurozatō , lit. 'black sugar'). This
333-877: A taste similar to caramel . Kokuto is also an important local industry on Amami Ōshima , Kagoshima Prefecture ; sugarcane cultivation and the production of brown sugar in Japan was first recorded on the island around 400 years ago, using techniques that had been developed in Fujian Province , China , and spread across the Japanese archipelago after that point. Brown sugar adds flavor to desserts and baked goods. It can be substituted for maple sugar , and maple sugar can be substituted for it in recipes. Brown sugar caramelizes much more readily than refined sugar, and this effect can be used to make glazes and gravies brown while cooking. For domestic purposes one can create
370-465: A versatile ingredient with both food and non-food applications. The word molasses comes from melaço in Portuguese , a derivative (intensifier) of mel (honey) with Latinate roots. Cognates include Ancient Greek μέλι ( méli ) ( honey ), Latin mel , Spanish melaza (molasses), Romanian miere or melasă , and French mélasse (molasses). Blackstrap
407-508: Is derived from the Dutch word for syrup, stroop . Sugar cane molasses is an ingredient used in baking and cooking. It was popular in the Americas before the 20th century, when it was plentiful and commonly used as a sweetener in foods and an ingredient in brewing beer in the colonies. George Washington had a notebook that contains a molasses beer recipe. To produce molasses, sugar cane
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#1732790299714444-702: Is a viscous byproduct, principally obtained from the refining of sugarcane or sugar beet juice into sugar . Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, the method of extraction and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is usually used to sweeten and flavour foods. Molasses is a major constituent of fine commercial brown sugar . Molasses is rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B6 , iron , calcium , magnesium , and potassium . There are different types of molasses, including first molasses (highest sugar content), second molasses (slightly bitter), and blackstrap molasses (the darkest and most robust in flavor). Molasses
481-426: Is a regional specialty of Okinawa and is often sold in the form of large lumps. It is sometimes used to make shochu . Okinawan brown sugar is sometimes referred to as 'black sugar' for its darker colour compared to other types of unrefined sugar, although when broken up into smaller pieces its colour becomes lighter. Kokuto is commonly used as a flavouring for drinks and desserts, but can also be eaten raw as it has
518-454: Is for practical purposes the same, no matter from what plant it originates. Even with less-than-perfect refining, the small differences in color, odor, and taste of the white sugar will be masked by the molasses. Natural brown sugar , raw sugar or whole cane sugar is sugar that retains some amount of the molasses from the mother liquor (the partially evaporated sugar cane juice). The term 'Natural brown sugar' can be traced back to at least
555-509: Is harvested and stripped of leaves. Its juice is then extracted, usually by cutting, crushing or mashing. The juice is boiled to produce a concentrate and encourage sugar crystallization . The result of this first boiling is called first syrup ('A' Molasses ) and has the highest sugar content. First syrup is usually referred to in the Southern United States as cane syrup rather than molasses. Second molasses ('B' Molasses )
592-406: Is limited in biotin (vitamin H or B 7 ) for cell growth and hence may be supplemented with a biotin source. The non-sugar content includes many salts, including calcium , potassium , oxalate and chloride . It contains betaine and the trisaccharide raffinose . These result from the concentration of the original plant material or other chemicals in processing and are unpalatable to humans. It
629-399: Is naturally moist from the hygroscopic nature of the molasses and is often labeled "soft." The product may undergo processing to make it flow better for industrial handling. The addition of dyes or other chemicals may be permitted in some areas or for industrial products. Particle size is variable but generally smaller than that of granulated white sugar. Products for industrial use (e.g.,
666-510: Is often produced by adding sugarcane molasses to completely refined white sugar crystals to more carefully control the ratio of molasses to sugar crystals and to reduce manufacturing costs. Brown sugar prepared in this manner is often much coarser than its unrefined equivalent and its molasses may be easily separated from the crystals by simply washing to reveal the underlying white sugar crystals; in contrast, with unrefined brown sugar, washing will reveal underlying crystals which are off-white due to
703-414: Is produced by a second boiling and sugar extraction and has a slightly bitter taste. Boiling the sugar syrup a third time yields dark, viscous blackstrap molasses ( 'C' Molasses ), known for its robust flavour. During this process, the majority of sucrose from the original juice is crystallized and removed. The bitterness of blackstrap molasses is much greater than in the regular form of molasses. It
740-516: Is sometimes used in baking or to produce ethanol , as an ingredient in cattle feed , or as a fertilizer . Exaggerated health benefits claimed for blackstrap molasses were the theme of the 1951 novelty song Black Strap Molasses , recorded by Groucho Marx , Jimmy Durante , Jane Wyman and Danny Kaye . Unlike highly refined sugars, molasses contains significant amounts of vitamin B 6 and minerals , including calcium , magnesium , iron and manganese ; one tablespoon provides up to 20% of
777-493: Is therefore mainly used as an animal feed additive (known as molassed sugar beet feed ) or a fermentation feedstock. Sweet sorghum syrup is colloquially called sorghum molasses in the southern United States . Pomegranate molasses is a traditional ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking. It is made by simmering a mixture of pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice and reducing the mixture for about an hour until
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#1732790299714814-549: The Food and Drug Administration would take action. Some say that for consumers, raw sugar means that the sugar is highly refined, but has been crystallized only once. Modern muscovado sugar sold to consumers is different from traditional Muscovado . It is made by refining sugar with lime, but not centrifuging it. This means that impurities like dirt and ash are removed, but the molasses remains. Brown sugars that have been only mildly centrifuged or unrefined (non-centrifuged) retain
851-403: The 1940s, when it was noted that the sugar refiners had pushed the brown sugar from the plantation owner out of the consumer market. Natural brown sugar was: 'The raw sugar, not the brown sugar most easily obtained, which usually is white sugar artificially colored.' So the term 'Natural brown sugar' came up to distinguish brown sugar that still contained part of its molasses from brown sugar that
888-542: The 19th century, this was the sugar that based upon weight yielded about 70% white sugar when fully refined. Muscovado, panela, piloncillo, chancaca, jaggery and other natural dark brown sugars have been minimally centrifuged or not at all. Typically these sugars are made in smaller factories or " cottage industries " in developing nations, where they are produced with traditional practices that do not make use of industrialized vacuum evaporators or centrifuges. They are commonly boiled in open pans upon wood-fired stoves until
925-416: The addition of molasses to refined white sugar (commercial brown sugar). The Codex Alimentarius requires brown sugar to contain at least 88% sucrose plus invert sugar . Commercial brown sugar contains from 3.5% molasses ( light brown sugar ) to 6.5% molasses ( dark brown sugar ) based on its total volume . Based on total weight, regular commercial brown sugar contains up to 10% molasses. The product
962-433: The consistency of syrup is achieved. Many types of molasses on the market are branded unsulfured . In the past, many foods, including molasses, were treated with a sulfur dioxide preservative, helping to kill off moulds and bacteria. Sulfur dioxide is also used as a bleaching agent to help lighten the colour of molasses. Most brands have abandoned the use of sulfur dioxide in molasses because untreated molasses already has
999-456: The equivalent of brown sugar by mixing white sugar with molasses. Suitable proportions are about one tablespoon of molasses to each cup of sugar (one-sixteenth of the total volume). Molasses comprises about 10% of brown sugar's total weight, which is about one ninth of the white sugar weight. Due to varying qualities and colors of molasses products, for lighter or darker sugar, reduce or increase its proportion according to taste. In following
1036-527: The inclusion of molasses. The molasses usually used for food is obtained from sugar cane , because the flavor is generally preferred over beet sugar molasses , although in some areas, especially in Belgium and the Netherlands, sugar beet molasses is used. The white sugar used can be from either beet or cane, as the chemical composition, nutritional value , color, and taste of fully refined white sugar
1073-465: The industrial production of cakes) may be based on caster sugar , which has crystals of approximately 0.35 mm. The meaning of the term 'brown sugar' has changed over time. In the 19th century, American works referred to 'refining brown sugar'. Americans also referred to the 'Brown sugar of Commerce', which could be refined with a yield of 70% of white sugar. In the United Kingdom it was
1110-570: The recommended daily value of each of those nutrients. Blackstrap is also a good source of potassium . On Madeira Island cane molasses is an important constituent of the traditional cuisine, where it is known as mel-de-cana ( Portuguese for "(sugar)cane's honey"). Its origin in Madeira dates back to the golden age of sugar production in the archipelago. Beet molasses is 50% sugar by dry weight, predominantly sucrose , but contains significant amounts of glucose and fructose . Beet molasses
1147-415: The same. There were two kinds of raw sugar. The most common kind was muscovado, a.k.a. "brown sugar", and was processed by British sugar refineries. The other kind of raw sugar was brown sugar which had been clayed and was known as clayed sugar. It was used for domestic purposes, but this usage was diminishing. In the 19th century United States the same meaning of the words raw sugar, brown sugar and muscovado
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1184-475: The smaller crystal size and may have more calories when measured by volume. Any minerals present in brown sugar come from the molasses added to the white sugar. In a 100-gram reference amount, brown sugar contains 15% of the Daily Value for iron , with no other vitamins or minerals in significant content (table). Molasses#Sugar beet molasses Molasses ( / m ə ˈ l æ s ɪ z , m oʊ -/ )
1221-499: The sugar cane juice reaches approximately 30% of the former volume and sucrose crystallization begins. They are then poured into molds to solidify or onto cooling pans where they are beaten or worked vigorously to produce a granulated brown sugar. In some countries, such as Mauritius or the Philippines , a natural brown sugar called muscovado is produced by partially centrifuging the evaporated and crystallizing cane juice to create
1258-410: Was also noted: "Raw sugar, commonly called muscovado or brown sugar, not advanced beyond its raw state by claying, boiling, clarifying or other process". In the mid 20th century United States, 'brown sugar' could refer to two products. It could be a raw sugar which had been centrifuged to a purity of about 97% pure sugar and that was offered as brown sugar in health food shops. However, in most cases it
1295-493: Was historically popular in the Americas before the 20th century as a sweetener. It is still commonly used in traditional cuisine, such as in Madeira Island 's traditional dishes. In addition to culinary uses, molasses has industrial applications, such as in the distillation of rum , additive in mortar , and as a soil amendment to promote microbial activity. The unique flavor and nutritional profile of molasses make it
1332-444: Was really white sugar to which molasses had been added. Some natural brown sugars have particular names and characteristics, and are sold as turbinado, demerara or raw sugar. These have been centrifuged, and therefore can be said to have been refined to a large degree. Muscovado is darkest of the modern types of natural brown sugar. Turbinado sugar is made from crystallized, partially evaporated sugar cane juice which has been spun in
1369-502: Was white sugar to which molasses had been added. For the latter, a consumer magazine said, "contrary to opinion, this brown sugar is a product of the refinery." The most important consideration is that the term 'brown sugar' now came to refer to a product for consumers, instead of referring to a type of sugar that was processed by sugar refineries. In the late 19th century, the newly consolidated refined white sugar industry, which did not have full control over brown sugar production, mounted
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