Are you as sweet as sugar this Valentine’s Day? Americans consume an average of 77 grams of sugar, or 15 teaspoons, per day. That adds up to about 60 pounds of sugar each year. Much of the sugar we consume is found in snacks, soft drinks, and sweets. Fun fact: sugar is naturally white! When harvested from a sugar beet or sugar cane plant, it is washed to remove the natural molasses and other plant materials.
Some other facts about sugar:
- The most common type of sugar is standard white sugar, or known by its scientific name, sucrose. Sucrose is extracted from the sugar cane plant. It is also found naturally in fruits, vegetables, and milk. It is versatile for cooking and baking as well as easy to add to things like coffee or tea to add some extra sweetness.
- Brown sugars come from the same sugar cane plant as white sugar, but some of the molasses is retained during processing. Brown sugars are slightly less sweet than their white sugar counterpart. Molasses is what gives brown sugar its color. Light brown sugar is 3.5% molasses while dark brown sugar is 6.5% molasses. Brown sugar has slightly higher amounts of vitamins and minerals than white sugar, but not in high enough amounts to make a nutritional impact.
- Turbinado sugar is light brown, raw sugar that is slightly less processed than regular brown sugar. It has a light caramel flavor and can usually replace regular sugar one-to-one in recipes. “Sugar in the Raw” is the most well-known turbinado sugar brand.
- Muscavado sugar is found mostly in India, Columbia, and the West Indies. It is very dark brown due to the molasses not being removed during processing. Therefore, muscavado sugar has a very strong molasses flavor. It also has a high moisture content because of the high amount of molasses. This sugar is best used in BBQ sauces, glazes, marinades, and to sweeten hot cereal.
- Demerara sugar is the large sugar crystals that are great for crunch toppings on muffins or scones. Commonly, demerara and turbinado sugars are mistaken for one another. When compared to turbinado sugar, demerara sugar has more molasses flavor and is stickier. Baking with demerara sugar can be difficult because the crystals are larger and they have a higher moisture content.
- Overall, there are different types of sugar that contain varying amounts of molasses which in turn affects the moisture content and best uses for them. Standard white sugar is best for cooking and baking while other sugars are better for toppings and sweeteners.
Sources:
Sugar.org
“Misunderstandings About Sugar” Sugarnutritionresource.org
Todaysdietitian.com
