Do you know what sugar is made from? What is sugar made from? What elements does sugar consist of?

The content of the article

SUGAR, from a chemical point of view, any substance from a large group of water-soluble carbohydrates, usually with low molecular weight and a more or less pronounced sweet taste. We are talking mainly about monosaccharides (simple sugars) and disaccharides, the molecule of which consists of two monosaccharide residues. The former include glucose (sometimes called dextrose or grape sugar) and fructose (fruit sugar, levulose); the second - lactose (milk sugar), maltose (malt sugar) and sucrose (cane or beet sugar). In everyday life, however, only the common food sweetener – sucrose – is usually called sugar; This is exactly what will be discussed in this article.

Sugar (sucrose) is a sweet crystalline substance isolated mainly from the juice of sugar cane or sugar beets. In its pure (refined) form, sugar is white, and its crystals are colorless. The brownish color of many of its varieties is explained by the admixture of various amounts of molasses - condensed plant juice that envelops the crystals.

Sugar is a high-calorie food; its energy value is approx. 400 kcal per 100 g. It is easily digested and easily absorbed by the body, i.e. it is a fairly concentrated and quickly mobilized source of energy.

Application.

Sugar is an important ingredient in various dishes, drinks, bakery and confectionery products. It is added to tea, coffee, cocoa; it is the main component of candies, glazes, creams and ice cream. Sugar is used in meat preservation, leather tanning and in the tobacco industry. It serves as a preservative in jams, jellies and other fruit products.

Sugar is also important for the chemical industry. It is used to produce thousands of derivatives used in a wide range of applications, including plastics, pharmaceuticals, fizzy drinks and frozen foods.

Sources.

Several hundred different sugars are known in nature. Each green plant produces certain substances belonging to this group. In the process of photosynthesis, glucose is first formed from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and water obtained mainly from the soil under the influence of solar energy, and then it is converted into other sugars.

In different parts of the world, in addition to cane and beet sugar, several other products are used as sweeteners, such as corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, sorghum sugar, palm sugar and malt sugar. Corn syrup is a very viscous, almost colorless liquid obtained directly from corn starch. The Aztecs, who consumed this sweet syrup, made it from corn in much the same way as sugar is made from cane in our time. Molasses is significantly inferior to refined sugar in terms of sweetness, but it makes it possible to regulate the crystallization process in the manufacture of sweets and is much cheaper than sugar, therefore it is widely used in confectionery. Honey, which is high in fructose and glucose, is more expensive than sugar, and is added to some foods only when a special taste is required. The same is true with maple syrup, which is valued primarily for its specific aroma.

A sugary syrup is obtained from the stalks of sorghum, which has been used in China since ancient times. Sugar from it, however, has never been refined so well that it could successfully compete with beet or cane sugar. India is practically the only country where palm sugar is produced on a commercial scale, but this country produces much more cane sugar. In Japan, malt sugar produced from starchy rice or millet has been used as a sweet additive for over 2000 years. This substance (maltose) can also be obtained from ordinary starch using yeast. It is much inferior to sucrose in sweetness, but is used in the manufacture of baked goods and various types of baby food.

Prehistoric man satisfied his need for sugar through honey and fruits. Some flowers, whose nectar contains a small amount of sucrose, probably served the same purpose. In India, more than 4,000 years ago, a kind of raw sugar was extracted from the flowers of the maduka tree ( Madhuca). Africans in the Cape Colony used this species Melianthus major, and the Boers in South Africa - Protea cynaroides. In the Bible, honey is mentioned quite often, and “sweet cane” only twice, from which we can conclude that honey was the main sweetener in biblical times; This, by the way, is confirmed by historical evidence, according to which sugar cane began to be grown in the Middle East in the first centuries of our era.

To a less sophisticated palate, refined cane and beet sugar are practically indistinguishable. Raw sugar, an intermediate production product containing an admixture of plant juice, is a different matter. Here the difference is very noticeable: raw cane sugar is quite suitable for consumption (if, of course, it is obtained in adequate sanitary conditions), while beet sugar tastes unpleasant. Molasses (molasses), an important by-product of sugar production, also differs in taste: cane in England is readily eaten, but beet is not suitable for food.

Production.

If the refining of beet sugar is carried out directly at beet sugar factories, then the purification of cane sugar, which contains only 96–97% sucrose, requires special refineries where contaminants are separated from raw sugar crystals: ash, water and components united by the general concept of “non-sugar.” " The latter include scraps of plant fibers, wax covering the cane stem, protein, small amounts of cellulose, salts and fats. It is only thanks to the huge scale of production of refined cane and beet sugar that this product is so cheap today.

Consumption.

Based on statistics, refined sugar consumption in the country is directly proportional to per capita income. The leaders here include, for example, Australia, Ireland and Denmark, where over 45 kg of refined sugar per person per year, while in China it is only 6.1 kg. In many tropical countries where sugar cane is grown, this figure is much lower than in the United States (41.3 kg), but people there have the opportunity to consume sucrose in other forms, usually in fruits and sugary drinks.

CANE SUGAR

Plant.

Sugar cane ( Saccharum officinarum) is a perennial, very tall herbaceous species of the grass family - cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions for the sucrose it contains, as well as some by-products of sugar production. The plant resembles bamboo: its cylindrical stems, often reaching a height of 6–7.3 m with a thickness of 1.5–8 cm, grow in bunches. Sugar is obtained from their juice. At the nodes of the stems there are buds, or “eyes,” that develop into short side shoots. From them, cuttings are obtained that are used to propagate reeds. Seeds are formed in the apical panicle inflorescences. They are used for breeding new varieties and only in exceptional cases as seed material. The plant requires a lot of sun, heat and water, as well as fertile soil. That is why sugar cane is cultivated only in areas with a hot and humid climate.

Under favorable conditions, it grows very quickly; its plantations before harvesting resemble impenetrable jungles. In Louisiana (USA), sugar cane matures in 6–7 months, in Cuba it takes a year, and in Hawaii – 1.5–2 years. To ensure maximum sucrose content in the stems (10–17% by weight), the crop is harvested as soon as the plant stops growing in height. If harvesting is done manually (using long machete knives), the shoots are cut off close to the ground, after which the leaves are removed and the stems are cut into short pieces that are convenient for processing. Manual harvesting is used where labor is cheap or the site features do not allow efficient use of machines. On large plantations, they usually use technology that first burns out the lower layer of vegetation. Fire destroys the bulk of weeds without damaging the sugar cane, and the mechanization of the process significantly reduces the cost of production.

Story.

The right to be considered the birthplace of sugar cane is disputed by two regions - the fertile valleys in northeast India and the Polynesian islands in the South Pacific. However, botanical studies, ancient literary sources and etymological data speak in favor of India. Many woody wild varieties of sugar cane found there do not differ in their main characteristics from modern cultivated forms. Sugarcane is mentioned in the Laws of Manu and other holy books of the Hindus. The word "sugar" itself comes from the Sanskrit sarkara (gravel, sand or sugar); centuries later the term entered Arabic as sukkar and medieval Latin as succarum.

From India, sugarcane culture between 1800 and 1700 BC. entered China. This is evidenced by several Chinese sources, who report that people living in the Ganges Valley taught the Chinese to obtain sugar by boiling its stems. From China, ancient sailors probably brought it to the Philippines, Java and even Hawaii. When Spanish sailors arrived in the Pacific many centuries later, wild sugar cane was already growing on many Pacific islands.

Apparently, the first mention of sugar in ancient times dates back to the time of Alexander the Great's campaign in India. In 327 BC. one of his generals, Nearchus, reported: “They say that in India there is a reed that produces honey without the help of bees; as if an intoxicating drink could also be prepared from it, although there are no fruits on this plant.” Five hundred years later, Galen, the chief medical authority of the ancient world, recommended "sakcharon from India and Arabia" as a remedy for diseases of the stomach, intestines and kidneys. The Persians, too, although much later, adopted the habit of consuming sugar from the Indians and at the same time did a lot to improve the methods of refining it. Already in the 700s, Nestorian monks in the Euphrates Valley successfully produced white sugar using ash to refine it.

The Arabs, who spread from the 7th to the 9th centuries. their possessions in the Middle East, North Africa and Spain, brought sugar cane culture to the Mediterranean. A few centuries later, the crusaders returning from the Holy Land introduced sugar to all of Western Europe. As a result of the collision of these two great expansions, Venice, located at the crossroads of the trade routes of the Muslim and Christian worlds, eventually became the center of the European sugar trade and remained so for more than 500 years.

At the beginning of the 15th century. Portuguese and Spanish sailors spread sugar cane culture to the Atlantic islands. His plantations first appeared in Madeira, the Azores and the Cape Verde Islands. In 1506, Pedro de Atienza ordered the planting of sugar cane in Santo Domingo (Haiti), thus introducing the crop to the New World. In just about 30 years after its appearance in the Caribbean, it spread there so widely that it became one of the main ones in the West Indies, which are now called the “sugar islands”. The role of sugar produced here grew rapidly with increasing demand for it in the countries of Northern Europe, especially after the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453 and the importance of the Eastern Mediterranean as a supplier of sugar fell.

With the spread of sugar cane in the West Indies and the penetration of its culture into South America, more and more workers were needed to grow and process it. The natives who survived the invasion of the first conquerors turned out to be of little use for exploitation, and the planters found a way out by importing slaves from Africa. After all, sugar production became inextricably linked to the slave system and the bloody riots it generated that rocked the West Indian islands in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the beginning, sugar cane presses were driven by oxen or horses. Later, in areas blown by trade winds, they were replaced by more efficient wind engines. However, production in general was still quite primitive. After pressing the raw cane, the resulting juice was purified with lime, clay or ash, and then evaporated in copper or iron vats, under which a fire was lit. Refining was reduced to dissolving the crystals, boiling the mixture and subsequent re-crystallization. Even in our time, the remains of stone millstones and abandoned copper vats remind us in the West Indies of the past owners of the islands, who made fortunes from this profitable trade. By the middle of the 17th century. Santo Domingo and Brazil became the main sugar producers in the world.

On the territory of the modern United States, sugar cane first appeared in 1791 in Louisiana, where it was brought by the Jesuits from Santo Domingo. True, they initially grew it here mainly to chew the sweet stems. However, forty years later, two enterprising colonists, Antonio Mendez and Etienne de Boré, established his plantations on the site of present-day New Orleans, with the goal of producing refined sugar for sale. After de Bore's business was successful, other landowners followed his example, and sugar cane began to be cultivated throughout Louisiana.

Subsequently, the main events in the history of cane sugar come down to important improvements in the technology of its cultivation, mechanical processing and final purification of the product.

Recycling.

The cane is first crushed to facilitate further extraction of the juice. Then it goes to a three-roll squeezing press. Typically, the cane is pressed twice, wetting it with water between the first and second times to dilute the sweet liquid contained in the bagasse (this process is called maceration).

The resulting so-called “diffusion juice” (usually gray or dark green) contains sucrose, glucose, gum, pectin, acids and various types of impurities. The methods of its purification have changed little over the centuries. Previously, the juice was heated in large vats over an open fire, and ash was added to remove “non-sugars”; Nowadays, lime milk is used to precipitate impurities. Where sugar is produced for local consumption, the juice is treated with sulfur dioxide (sulfur dioxide) immediately before adding lime to speed up bleaching and purification. The sugar turns out yellowish, i.e. not completely purified, but quite pleasant to the taste. In both cases, after adding lime, the juice is poured into a settling tank-illuminator and kept there at 110–116 ° C under pressure.

The next important step in the production of raw sugar is evaporation. The juice flows through pipes into evaporators, where it is heated by steam passing through a closed pipe system. When the dry matter concentration reaches 40–50%, evaporation is continued in vacuum devices. The result is a mass of sugar crystals suspended in thick molasses, the so-called. massecuite. The massecuite is centrifuged, removing the molasses through the mesh walls of the centrifuge, in which only sucrose crystals remain. The purity of this raw sugar is 96–97%. The removed molasses (mascuite fluid) is boiled again, crystallized and centrifuged. The resulting second portion of raw sugar is somewhat less pure. Then another crystallization is carried out. The remaining edema often still contains up to 50% sucrose, but it is no longer able to crystallize due to the large number of impurities. This product (“black molasses”) is used in the USA mainly as livestock feed. In some countries, for example in India, where the soil is in dire need of fertilizers, the massecuite is simply plowed into the ground.

Refining

it is briefly summarized as follows. First, raw sugar is mixed with sugar syrup to dissolve the remaining molasses enveloping the crystals. The resulting mixture (affination massecuite) is centrifuged. The centrifuged crystals are washed with steam to obtain an almost white product. It is dissolved into a thick syrup, lime and phosphoric acid are added to float the impurities, and then filtered through bone char (a black granular material obtained from animal bones). The main task at this stage is complete decolorization and deashing of the product. For refining 45 kg of dissolved raw sugar, from 4.5 to 27 kg of bone char are consumed. The exact ratio cannot be determined because the filter's absorption capacity decreases with use. The resulting white mass is evaporated and, after crystallization, centrifuged, i.e. They treat it in much the same way as with sugar cane juice, after which the refined sugar is dried, removing the remaining (about 1%) water from it.

Production.

Major producers include Brazil, India, Cuba, as well as China, Mexico, Pakistan, USA, Thailand, Australia and the Philippines.

BEET SUGAR

Plant.

In sugar beets ( Beta vulgaris) use a long silvery-white root (from which sugar is obtained) and a rosette of leaves (tops), which serve as excellent feed for livestock. The root in its thickest part reaches 10–15 cm in diameter, and its thin shoots penetrate the soil to a depth of 90–120 cm. The average root weight is approx. 1 kg; up to 15% of it is sucrose, which corresponds to approximately 14 teaspoons of granulated sugar. Sugar beets are grown mainly in the temperate zone, and since each plant consumes an average of approx. 55 liters of water, the crop requires abundant watering. By the time of harvesting, the water content in the roots can reach 75–80%, and in the tops - 90%.

According to the efficiency of photosynthesis, i.e. converting solar energy and inorganic substances into nutritious organic substances, sugar beets occupy one of the first places among plants. Her homeland is not exactly known. Scientists believe that in prehistoric times it was a wild annual in southern Europe and northern Africa. Later, once in areas with a cooler climate, sugar beets became biennials, storing sugar in the roots in the first year and producing seeds in the second. Nowadays it is harvested at the end of the first growing season, when the mass of roots and their sugar content are maximum.

Story.

According to reports from Spanish explorers, Indians in the Santa Clara River Valley in what is now California made some kind of sweets from the juice of wild sugar beets. In Europe, they knew that beets contained sugar already in the 16th century, but only in 1747 did the German chemist A. Marggraf obtain crystalline sucrose from it. The most important event in the history of beet sugar occurred in 1799, when laboratory experiments by F. Achard confirmed that the production of this product was justified from an economic point of view. As a result, already in 1802 beet sugar factories appeared in Silesia (Germany).

At the beginning of the 19th century. During the Napoleonic Wars, the British fleet blockaded the coast of France, and the import of sugar there from the West Indies temporarily ceased. This forced Napoleon to turn to the German model and build a number of experimental beet sugar factories. In 1811, the business was already well established: sugar beet crops occupied over 32 thousand hectares, and refineries operated throughout the country.

After Napoleon's defeat, the European market was literally flooded with Caribbean sugar, and the newly established beet sugar industry began to wither. Interest in it, however, increased again during the reigns of Louis Philippe and Napoleon III, and since then it has been one of the important sectors of the French economy.

In America, people started talking about beet sugar in the 1830s. The association that arose in Philadelphia delegated its representatives to Europe to study its production. From 1838 to 1879, about 14 unsuccessful attempts were made in the United States to start producing beet sugar. The real disaster befell the Mormons in the 1850s, when they purchased $12,500 worth of equipment from France, shipped it by sea to New Orleans, then up the Mississippi to Kansas, and finally from there by oxen to Utah, but never launched it. failed. Success was achieved by E. Dyer, who applied new production methods in California. Thanks to him, America created its own beet sugar production. Since then it has developed continuously and the share of beet sugar now amounts to approx. 25% of all refined sugar produced in the USA.

Recycling.

Sugar beets are a bulky and perishable product, so sugar beets are usually built close to plantations. To obtain 45 kg of sugar from approximately 290 kg of beets, approx. 27 kg of coal and 16 kg of lime and coke. The process consists of the stages already described: extraction, purification, evaporation and crystallization.

First, the beets are washed and then cut into shavings, which are loaded into a diffuser, where the sugar is extracted from the plant mass with hot water. The result is a “diffusion juice” containing 10 to 15% sucrose. The remaining beet pulp serves as excellent feed for livestock. The diffusion juice is mixed in a saturator with lime milk. Heavy impurities settle here. Carbon dioxide is then passed through the heated solution to bind the non-sugars to the lime. After filtering them, they get the so-called. "purified juice" Bleaching involves passing sulfur dioxide gas through it and then filtering it through activated carbon. Excess water is removed by evaporation. The resulting liquid contains between 50 and 65% sugar.

Crystallization is carried out in huge vacuum containers, sometimes as high as a two-story house. Its product, massecuite, is a mixture of molasses with sucrose crystals. These components are separated by centrifugation, and the resulting solid sugar is dried. Unlike cane, it does not require further refining and is suitable for consumption.

From the molasses (the first outflow), a second and then a third batch of less pure crystals are obtained by evaporation. They are dissolved and refined.

Production.

The main producers are Russia, Germany, USA, France, Poland, China, Turkey and Italy. In Europe, almost all sugar is obtained from sugar beets. In the USA, the sugar beet harvest amounted to 24,982,000 tons in 1991; It is grown primarily in Minnesota, California, Idaho and North Dakota.

MAPLE SUGAR AND SYRUP

Maple syrup is brown in color, very sweet and has a strong, distinctive flavor resulting from reactions that occur during its production. Maple sugar and syrup are produced almost exclusively in the northeastern United States, primarily in the states of Vermont and New York. Both sugar and syrup are obtained mainly from the sap of black, red, silver and sugar maples growing in these areas. By itself, it does not have a special taste, but contains an average of 3% sucrose. One tree produces from 38 to 95 liters of sap per year, from which 35 times less syrup is obtained.

American Indians added it instead of salt to cereals, soups, and even meat dishes. They also taught the collection and processing of maple sap to European settlers, who tried to harvest birch and gray walnut for the same purposes. The first written mention of this product dates back to 1760; from it it follows that maples grow in Canada, “producing a large amount of healthy, refreshing juice,” suitable for making special sugar. The Winnebug and Chippewa tribes supplied large quantities of it to the Northwestern Fur Company. Most maple sugar and syrup were produced between 1850 and 1890. Subsequently, the role of these products declined, mainly because cane sugar is much cheaper. Nowadays, maple syrup is valued only for its special aroma and is consumed mainly with waffles and pancakes.

Tapping is usually carried out from the end of February to the end of April; During this period, cold, dry nights and sunny days promote sap flow. A hole with a diameter of 1.5 cm is drilled into the tree trunk to a depth of 5 cm and a wooden or metal groove is inserted into it, through which the sap flows into a trough. Since it can ferment quickly, portions collected during the day are immediately sent for evaporation. Processing proceeds generally according to the same scheme as in the case of sugar cane, although the technology here is somewhat simpler.

Most of the world's population already has early forms of diabetes. Currently, more than 100,000,000 people worldwide suffer from various severe forms of diabetes. The number of people with diabetes is constantly growing. According to The Wall Street Journal, experts estimate that over the next 15 years the number of people with diabetes in the world will triple (to ~320 million).

1. White chemical sugar is a chemical waste. production. Since this waste is cheap, sugar is used in the criminal business of producing harmful products. White sugar is also a narcotic substance that causes addiction and dangerous addiction to the products in which it is contained. If you remove sugar from many products (alcohol, baked goods, cakes, etc.), they will simply become tasteless! Sugar causes 8 of the 12 problems that alcohol causes: high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, DNA damage and mutations, blurred vision, metabolic disorders, etc.

2. Consumption of products that contain chemicals. sugar, shorten life by about 2-3 times. The biological lifespan of a person is 150 years. But due to the use of products with chemicals. sugar (alcohol, bread, sweet confectionery, etc.) people’s lives are shortened many times over every year!

Sugar accelerates the growth of diseased cancer cells! It turns out that sugar and cancer are linked. Experts have found that the less sugar we consume, the less likely we are to develop cancer. Many cancer cells feed on white sugar - which means they develop and accelerate death!

Many suicides simply gorge themselves on sweets and die from diabetes.

3. After eating sweet foods with white sugar, a person does not feel full, and hunger increases even more. After all, white sugar takes a lot of substances from our own body for its digestion!

The benefits of chemical sugar are zero! Only true natural sugar from fruits (especially bananas, apples), dried fruits (dates, raisins), berries, nuts and vegetables (carrots, beets) can satisfy our hunger and thirst for sweets!

4. Obesity and diabetes are the main consequences of eating products with white chemical sugar! The entry of sugar into the blood stimulates the production of insulin. But when sugar is contained in all foods, the pancreas cannot produce as much insulin and the person has to inject insulin through a syringe.

5. The biggest pitfall of white chemical sugar is that after a person consumes foods with it, it steals our calcium from the bones for its processing! The absorption of refined sugar in the human body requires a huge amount of calcium, which contributes to the leaching of calcium from bone tissue. This leads to the development of a disease such as osteoporosis, i.e. the likelihood of bone fractures and the development of caries increases.

Sugar causes noticeable damage to tooth enamel and this is already a proven fact; it’s not for nothing that our parents frightened us all from early childhood, saying, “If you eat a lot of sweets, your teeth will hurt and your teeth will fall out.”

6. Sugar reduces the strength of the immune system by 17 times! The more sugar we have in our blood, the weaker our immunity. Why are diabetes mellitus dangerous due to its complications? Because the truth lies in sugar. In diabetes, the body cannot absorb sugar and it gradually accumulates in the body. And the more it becomes in the blood, the less and less we have to rely on the immune system. But if in people with a sweet tooth the immune system drops 17 times only for 4-8 hours, until the chocolate is excreted and absorbed, then in diabetics sugar is constantly present in large quantities in the blood. This means their immunity does not protect them! This is why diabetes mellitus causes such fatal complications, the whole secret is in the effect of sugar on the immune system, it literally paralyzes it!

7. White sugar affects changes in the ratio of phosphorus and calcium in the blood. For this reason, homeostasis is disrupted in the body. The ratio between calcium and phosphorus continues to be incorrect for more than 48 hours after a white sugar product has been consumed, for this reason homeostasis continues to be disrupted for quite a long time.

8) Sugar leads to stress. After consuming white sugar, the heart rate increases noticeably, a slight rise in blood pressure occurs, and breathing quickens. This is why sugar is often called a “stress food.”

9. White sugar depletes energy reserves. There is a severe deficiency of thiamine in chemical sugar, making it impossible for the body to complete carbohydrate metabolism. This results in a person experiencing severe symptoms of fatigue and a noticeable decrease in activity. Also in the body there is a decrease in the content of natural sugar much below the prescribed norm. This phenomenon is called an attack of hypoglycemia, which is accompanied by the following symptoms: dizziness, apathy, fatigue, nausea, severe irritability and tremors of the limbs.

10. Since white sugar can cause a severe lack of thiamine, and this can lead to dystrophy of cardiac muscle tissue, and extravascular accumulation of fluid can also develop, which can ultimately lead to cardiac arrest.

11. All vitamins belonging to group B, especially vitamin B1 (thiamine), are necessary for the processes of digestion and assimilation by the body of all foods that contain sugar and starch. White sugar does not contain any B vitamins. For this reason, in order to metabolize white sugar, the body removes B vitamins from the muscles, liver, kidneys, nerves, stomach, heart, skin, eyes, blood, etc. Becomes It is clear that this can lead to the fact that in the human body, i.e. a severe deficiency of B vitamins will begin in many organs. This in turn can lead a person to excessive nervous excitability, severe indigestion, a feeling of constant fatigue, decreased vision, anemia, muscle and skin diseases, and heart attacks and much more. .

Now we can say with complete confidence that in 90% of such cases, such violations could have been avoided if sugar consumption had been prohibited. When carbohydrates are consumed in their natural form, vitamin B1 deficiency, as a rule, does not occur, for the reason that thiamine, which is necessary for the breakdown of starch or sugar, is naturally found in the food consumed. Thiamine is necessary not only for the growth of a good appetite, but also for the normal functioning of the processes of the digestive tract.

12. Sugar is addictive and is considered a legal food drug.

13. Sugar contributes to skin aging. Excessive consumption of sugar can lead to wrinkles appearing on the skin ahead of schedule, since sugar is deposited, as if in reserve, in the collagen of the skin, thereby reducing its elasticity. The second reason why sugar contributes to skin aging is that sugar can cause free radicals, which kill our body from the inside.

14. A person who thoughtlessly spends money on products with white sugar does not have an ounce of self-love. Smart people buy substitutes for white poisonous sugar: fruits, dried fruits, sweet berries and vegetables, which are hundreds of times healthier than bread!

15. Consumption of products made from white chemical sugar is the main cause of chronic starvation of human body cells! It is because of white sugar that people eat a lot and cannot get enough! Sugar creates a feeling of false hunger. Scientists have discovered cells in the human brain that are responsible for controlling appetite, which can cause a false, increased feeling of hunger. If you consume foods high in sugar, free radicals begin to interfere with the usual, normal functioning of neurons, which ultimately leads to a feeling of false hunger, which usually ends in overeating and severe obesity.

Yogis - wise people - have preferred to eat sweet herbs instead of sugar for thousands of years. These incredibly resilient people have virtually no equal on Earth. Their body can produce many substances from oxygen and hydrogen, going without food for many days and weeks. The great martial arts masters of the Shao-lin monastery, distinguished by their tirelessness and high endurance, also never eat white sugar.

It is important to understand that any eating habit is not a love of food, but only a consequence of repeating the action for more than 14 days, as well as taste addiction due to external circumstances. It’s easy to change any bad habit in a week if you make a plan and a new food menu, create a new healthy habit and repeat it every new day, every day.

13 Most Poisonous Sugar Drugs

1. Alcohol. The deadliest product with poisonous sugar. Considered the No. 1 health killer.

2. Condensed milk. Considered the #2 killer of human health. It is simply filled with poison!

3. Chemical sweets. Foodies may look for candy replacements in the form of nuts or drugstore candies.

4. Cakes and confectionery. They contain a lot of white toxic poison for naive consumers.

5. Chocolates. Instead of this white poison product, smart people buy carob and chicory.

6. Jam with sugar. To protect yourself from white poison, it is wise to make jam with honey!

7. Cotton candy. This is just a lethal toxic mixture of chemistry. Safer to remove from diet.

8. Cookies. In order not to poison themselves with poison, gourmets can look for and ask for sugar-free cookies.

9. Bakery. For gourmets, it is safer to replace them with pancakes, chapatis, and yeast-free bread.

10. Yogurt. Too much white poison is added to yoghurts, because without it, yoghurts are tasteless!

11. Sauce, mayonnaise. It is better to look for homemade ways to make these products without sugar and chemicals.

12. Sweet chemical water, store-bought juices. No chemistry can replace simple living water for a person!

13. Semi-finished products. All food for quick mass consumption is often very poisonous.

13 types of chemical sugar replacements

1. Stevia in the form of tea, syrup. Prolongs youth, helps defeat many diseases!

2. Licorice. Herbal teas with licorice calm the nerves, restore elasticity to blood vessels, and can prolong life and preserve youth and beauty. Reduces cholesterol levels, strengthens the immune system, corrects the endocrine system, helps get rid of fatigue and drowsiness, improves concentration, and removes malignant tumors.

3. Bananas. Improves mood, stimulates the production of the “happiness hormone”.

4. Apples. Enrich the body with structured water, improve metabolism and rejuvenate.

5. Raisins (dark, natural). Increases hemoglobin, strengthens the skeletal system, helps eliminate irritability and improve the functioning of the entire nervous system; raisin decoction is recommended to drink during psycho-emotional stress.

6. Dates. Relieves depression and improves brain activity.

7. Dried apricots (dark). Improves vision, heart function and different parts of the brain.

8. Carrots. Improves vision, enriches blood and improves metabolism.

9. Beetroot. Cleanses the blood and improves metabolism.

10. Nuts. Improves memory and concentration.

11. Fructose. Natural sugar obtained from berries, fruits and honey. Experts say that if you consume fructose instead of white poisonous sugar, the risk of tooth decay is reduced by 40%.

12. Sorbitol. Helps cleanse the liver and gastrointestinal tract.

13. Honey. Strong natural antiseptic. Only natural varieties of honey are useful; they help treat many diseases! Rejuvenates, improves metabolism and cell regeneration!

Sugar. This is a food product consisting of high purity sucrose.

Sucrose has a pleasant sweet taste. In aqueous solutions, the sweetness of sucrose is felt at a concentration of about 0.4%. Solutions containing over 30% sucrose are sickly sweet.

Sucrose is quickly and easily absorbed. In the body, under the action of enzymes, it is broken down into glucose and fructose. Sucrose is used by the human body as a source of energy and as a material for the formation of glycogen, fat, and protein-carbon compounds.

The energy value of 100 g of sugar is 1565-1569 kJ (374 kcal). The sensation of the sweet taste of sugar has a stimulating effect on the central nervous system and helps to sharpen vision.

and hearing. The physiological norm for sugar consumption is about 100 g per day, but it should be differentiated depending on age and lifestyle.

The raw materials for sugar production are sugar cane, which grows in areas with tropical and subtropical climates, and sugar beets (about 45%). Sugar-bearing plants such as sorghum, corn, and palm are also used to produce sugar. The domestic industry produces sugar from sugar beets.

Chemical composition. Commercial sugar must consist entirely of sucrose. Free impurities are not allowed, but during the production process, non-sugars can be adsorbed inside sucrose crystals and on their surface in the form of a thin film. Non-sugars are contained in sugar in small quantities. The content of carbohydrates (mono- and disaccharides) in granulated sugar is 99.8%, in refined sugar - 99.9%. The mass fraction of moisture is 0.14% in granulated sugar and 0.1% in refined sugar. In addition, all types of sugar contain minerals (Na, K, Ca, Fe) - about 0.006%.

Granulated sugar is a bulk product consisting of sucrose crystals. Sugar is obtained from the spindle-shaped white root crops of sugar beets.

The main stages of granulated sugar production: beet processing - removing impurities, washing and cutting into chips (into narrow thin plates); obtaining diffusion juice; purification of juice from mechanical impurities and non-sugars and treatment with lime milk (an aqueous suspension of calcium oxide) to neutralize acids, precipitation of aluminum, magnesium, iron salts and coagulation of proteins and dyes (defecation), as well as treatment of juice with carbon dioxide (saturation) to precipitate excess lime in the form of fine-crystalline calcium carbonate, on the surface of the particles of which non-sugars are adsorbed; at the next stage, the juice is concentrated by evaporation, followed by crystallization of sugar from syrup, separation of sugar crystals from the intercrystalline liquid; at the last stage, drying, cooling and freeing the crystals from ferromagnetic impurities and lumps of sugar are carried out.

The size of granulated sugar crystals is from 0.2 to 2.5 mm. Deviations from the lower and upper limits of the specified sizes are allowed up to 5% of the mass of granulated sugar.

Quality granulated sugar is determined according to GOST 21 -94. From organoleptic indicators, taste and smell are assessed - sweet, without foreign tastes and odors, both dry sugar and its solutions; flowability - without lumps, free-flowing, completely soluble granulated sugar intended for industrial processing may have lumps that fall apart when lightly pressed; the color of commercial granulated sugar is white, for industrial processing - white with a yellowish tint; purity of the solution - the sugar solution is transparent or slightly opalescent, without insoluble sediment, mechanical or other foreign impurities.

According to physical and chemical indicators (in terms of dry matter), granulated sugar must meet the following requirements (in%): mass fraction of sucrose - no less than 99.75, for industrial processing - no less than 99.65; mass fraction of reducing substances - no more than 0.050, for industrial processing - no more than 0.065; mass fraction of ash - no more than 0.04, for industrial processing - no more than 0.05; mass fraction of moisture - no more than 0.14, for industrial processing - 0.15; mass fraction of ferroimpurities - no more than 0.0003; color (in conventional units of optical density) - no more than 0.8, for industrial processing - no more than 1.5.

The most common defects of granulated sugar: moisture, loss of flowability, the presence of non-scattering lumps - the result of storage at high relative humidity and sudden changes in air temperature; an uncharacteristic yellowish or grayish color and the presence of lumps of unbleached sugar appear when technology is violated; foreign tastes and odors are formed when packaging in new bags treated with an emulsion with the smell of petroleum products, as well as when the product proximity is not observed; foreign impurities (scale, lint and fire) are the result of poor purification of sugar using electromagnets and the use of poorly processed burlap bags for packaging.

Refined sugar is a product consisting of crystalline, additionally purified (refined) sucrose, produced in the form of pieces and crystals.

The main stages of refined sugar production: the starting raw materials are subjected to additional purification and recrystallization, which makes it possible to reduce the content of non-sugars in the finished product.

Granulated sugar is dissolved in water. The resulting syrup is purified using adsorbents (active carbons) and ion exchangers that absorb dyes from the syrup.

In refinery production, several crystallization cycles are carried out. Refined sugar is obtained in the first two or three cycles; in the next three or four cycles, yellow sugar is obtained from molasses, which is returned for processing. Refined molasses is removed from the last cycle as a production waste.

To reduce the inversion of sucrose, a slightly alkaline reaction of sugar solutions is maintained, and a blue dye, ultramarine, is used to mask the yellow tint of refined sugar. It is added as a suspension to a refined massecuite or when washing sugar crystals in centrifuges.

Refined granulated sugar obtained from massecuite with sucrose crystals of uniform size and structure. Sugar is separated from molasses in centrifuges. Dry and separate on sieves into fractions based on crystal size.

Lump refined sugar produce pressed and cast. When receiving cast sugar, hot massecuite is poured into conical molds 60 cm high and slowly cooled. Then into the molds from above

Pour in pure sugar solution (clere). The intercrystalline liquid containing non-sugars is displaced by the cleir. The washed refined sugar is dried in molds. The finished sugar is knocked out of the molds and split into pieces. Cast refined sugar is distinguished by its high strength and slow dissolution in water.

Pressed refined sugar obtained by removing molasses from massecuite using centrifuges and washing the crystals with clears. Wet crystals form a refined slurry. Their edges are covered with a thin film of sugar solution. Whole-pressed pieces of refined sugar or bars are formed from the porridge on presses, which are split into pieces after drying.

Assortment of refined sugar: pressed - crushed, with cast properties, instant, in cubes, in small packaging (travel); cast stabbed; refined granulated sugar - fine (from 0.2 to 0.8 mm), medium (from 0.5 to 1.2 mm), large (from 1.0 to 2.5 mm) and on special order extra large ( from 2.0 to 4.0 mm); sucrose for champagne; refined powder.

Quality Refined sugar is assessed according to GOST 22-94. By or ganoleptic indicators refined sugar must meet the following requirements: taste and smell - sweet, without foreign tastes and smells of both dry sugar and its aqueous solution; color - white, pure, without foreign impurities, a bluish tint is allowed; flowability - refined granulated sugar is free-flowing, without lumps; purity of the solution - the sugar solution is transparent or slightly opalescent. A subtle opalescent tint is allowed.

According to physical and chemical indicators refined sugar must meet the requirements specified in table. 5.3.

Defects of refined sugar: a grayish tint, dark inclusions, etc. are the result of insufficient clarification of syrups, clogging of the porridge, non-compliance with pressing and drying regimes.

According to microbiological indicators granulated sugar and refined sugar for the production of canned milk, baby food products and the biopharmaceutical industry must meet the following requirements, CFU per 1 g: mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms - no more than 1000; mold fungi - no more than 10, yeast - no more than 10. Bacteria of the E. coli group (coliforms) in 1 g, pathogenic microorganisms, including bacteria of the genus Salmonella in 25 g of product, are not allowed.

Content of toxic elements and pesticides in granulated sugar and refined sugar should not exceed the permissible levels established by SanPiN2.3.2-560-96. Content of heavy metals and arsenic (in mg/kg), no more than: mercury - 0.01; copper - 1.0, lead - 1.0; cadmium - 0.05; zinc - 3.0; arsenic - 0.5. Pesticide content (in mg/kg), no more than: hexochlorane HCH y-isomer - 0.005; phostoxin - 0.01.

Package And marking. Granulated sugar is packaged in net weight. 50 kg in new fabric bags, in returnable bags of category I or II,

in fabric bags with polyethylene or paper three-layer liners. Granulated sugar is also packaged weighing up to 1.0 tons in soft specialized containers for bulk products such as MKR-1.0 C.

Granulated sugar is packaged mechanically in paper and plastic bags with a net weight of 0.5-1.0 kg. Granulated sugar is also packaged in artistically designed bags with a net weight of 5 to 20 g, made of a combined material - paper with a polyethylene or microwax coating. Packets of granulated sugar are packed weighing 20 kg in corrugated cardboard boxes.

Pressed crushed refined sugar and pressed instant sugar are packaged in paper and cardboard packs and boxes with a net weight of 0.5 and 1.0 kg. Lump pressed refined sugar is wrapped in two pieces in separate bags, first in grade II parchment, then in an artistically designed label made of label paper. Bags of 100 pcs. placed in paper bundles with a net weight of 1.5 kg.

Refined granulated sugar is packaged in net weights of 0.5 and 1.0 kg, refined powder - 0.25; 0.5 and 1.0 kg in paper and plastic bags.

Packaged refined sugar is packaged in 20 kg weights in corrugated cardboard boxes or in group packaging made of paper or shrink film.

Labeling of granulated sugar and refined sugar must contain: the name of the organization in whose system the manufacturer is included; name and trademark of the manufacturer; Name of product; standard designation; net weight; calorie content of 100 g of product; carbohydrate content per 100 g of product. The labeling of bags of granulated sugar and refined sugar must contain: the name and trademark of the manufacturer; Name of product; standard designation; net weight. Boxes and bags of granulated sugar or refined sugar must have a label containing the information indicated on the bags, but instead of caloric content and carbohydrate content, the gross weight, bag category or box number and place number are indicated. Transport markings must have the “Keep away from moisture” sign.

Sugar substitutes. Sugar substitutes include syrups and sweet substances.

Syrups. Sweet syrups are produced from sugar-bearing plants: sugar maple, sweet sorghum; from chicory roots and Jerusalem artichoke tubers. Syrups contain up to 65-67% Sugars, minerals and other substances transferred from raw materials. They are a thick liquid from light to dark brown in color, with a pleasant sweet taste and a characteristic odor.

Syrups are also prepared on the basis of starch molasses in a wide range. The molasses is diluted with sugar syrup or fruit and berry juices, citric acid, essences, and dyes are added.

Glucose-fructose syrup is also obtained from starch syrup. This syrup contains 71% dry matter. Mass fraction (in terms of dry matter); glucose - 52%, fructose - 42, oligo-saccharides - about 6%.

Syrups are used in confectionery, baking and other industries.

Sweet substances. Along with carbohydrates, many substances of different chemical natures also have a sweet taste - glycosides, proteins, polyalcohols, etc. Some of them. - natural sweet substances, others are synthetic.

There are four groups of sweet substances - sweeteners. The first includes fructose.

Fructose(levulose, fruit sugar) is found in a free state in the green parts of plants, flower nectar, seeds, and honey. Fructose is part of sucrose and also forms the high molecular weight polysaccharide inulin. Fructose is obtained from sucrose, inulin, and transformations of some other monosaccharides using biotechnology.

The second group includes the sweet alcohols xylitol and sorbitol.

Xylitol And sorbitol, belonging to polyalcohols, do not have reducing groups, do not participate in melanoidin reactions, and do not cause darkening of products when heated. These sugar substitutes are well absorbed by the body.

Sorbitol is naturally found in the fruits of rowan, rose hips, etc. Sorbitol is obtained from glucose by hydrogenation.

Sorbitol crystals are grayish-white. They are compressed and produced in the form of tiles from 100 to 300 g, in large packaging - from 4 to 7 kg. Sorbitol should be sweet, odorless, and completely dissolve in water. The maximum moisture content allowed in a commercial product is 5%, mass fraction of sorbitol - not less than 99% in terms of dry matter.

Sorbitol is packaged in waxed paper, then in boxes. Store at a temperature not exceeding 25 °C.

Food grade crystalline xylitol is produced from cotton husks and corn cobs. It is white crystals, with a slightly yellowish tint allowed. Xylitol is odorless, humidity: premium grade - 1.5%, 1st grade - 2%.

Xylitol weighing up to 25 kg is packaged in non-impregnated paper bags with liners made of polyethylene film, hermetically sealed after filling.

Store xylitol in dry warehouses at a relative humidity of no higher than 75%.

The guaranteed shelf life of sorbitol and xylitol is one year.

The third group of sugar substitutes includes substances such as aspartame and acesulfame K.

Molecule aspartame consists of the amino acids asparagine and phenylalanine combined with the alcohol methanol. The latter is harmful to humans, but in aspartame its concentrations are negligible; much more methanol enters the body with fruits and juices. At high temperatures, aspartame is destroyed.

Acesulfame K is one of the new sugar substitutes. It is an organic salt obtained in 1967 in Germany. Acesulfame has undergone extensive safety testing and is registered in more than 40 countries.

The third group of sugar substitutes also includes saccharin, cyclomate, dulcine and other substances.

The fourth group includes products that are a mixture of sucrose with its substitutes from the third group. The most famous is “sweet sugar”. In mixtures, sweet substances reinforce each other, which makes it possible to significantly reduce their quantities.

"Sweet sugar" represents ordinary sugar crystals on which saccharin is applied. Other sugar substitutes from the third group - aspartame, acesulfame K, etc. - can also be applied to sugar.

Data on the caloric content and sweetness coefficient (the sweetness of sucrose is taken as one unit) of some sugar substitutes in comparison with sucrose are shown in the table.

Sugar has been known to mankind for hundreds of years. Its homeland is India, where sweet grains were obtained from the juice of certain varieties of cane, which later received the name sugar.

Indian sugar was well known in Ancient Rome. The sweet delicacy was brought to the Eternal City through the territory of Egypt, which was part of the empire for quite a long time. Already closer to the end of Rome, sugar cane began to be cultivated in Sicily and in some regions of Southern Spain, but after the collapse of the empire, sugar cane cultivation did not receive further development.

Sugar was first brought to Russia around the 11th - 12th centuries. It cost absolutely incredible money at that time and only the prince and his entourage could try it. However, over time, overseas sweets became somewhat cheaper, and under Peter the Great, a “sugar chamber” appeared in Russia: they organized the import of raw materials from abroad and the production of sugar locally.

Since 1809, a new stage in the fate of sugar in Russia began - work began to establish sugar production from domestic raw materials. Sugar beets acted in this capacity.

2. Sugar raw materials

The oldest source of sugar is sugar cane. For the first time, it began to be deliberately cultivated in the Persian Gulf region, from where it gradually spread first to Europe and then to America.

By the time sugar cane arrived on the American continent, sugar in Europe was already being consumed very actively and therefore its mass cultivation began, especially since the climate was very favorable for this. Attempts to cultivate cane in Europe gradually came to naught: American sugar, oddly enough, was much cheaper.

It was only under Napoleon that they thought about obtaining sugar from the long-known and familiar beetroot. When almost all of continental Europe, except for Great Britain, came under his control, Napoleon decided to arrange a trade blockade for the British. But he did not take into account (or, on the contrary, he understood perfectly well) that almost all the sugar that reached Europe was brought by merchant ships of the British fleet.

In order not to be completely without sugar, I had to look for alternative sources. It turned out that beets were perfect, and there was almost no need to invent anything. Old ideas came in handy.

The history of these developments is as follows. In 1747, Andreas Marggraf discovered that sugar, which had previously been obtained from sugar cane, was also found in beets. After conducting a series of experiments, the scientist was able to determine that the sugar content in fodder beets is 1.3%. Breeders decided to increase this percentage and started breeding special sugar beets. To date, they have succeeded in this so much that modern beet varieties already contain more than 20% of the required sugar.

Until 1801, all these discoveries were not in demand, and then one of Marggraf’s students, whose name was Franz Karl Achard, devoted his life to the problem of obtaining beet sugar. It was he who, back in 1801, equipped the first factory in Europe for processing beets into sugar in Lower Silesia. In general, in 1807, when Napoleon organized a trade blockade, Europe was not left without sugar.

3. Processing of raw materials and production of sugar

To obtain sugar from cane, do the following:

• The stems are cut before they bloom. They contain up to 8-12% fiber, 18-21% sugar and 67-73% water (salts and proteins).
• The cut stems are then crushed with iron rollers and the juice is squeezed out. The juice contains up to 18.36% sugar, 81% water and a very small amount of aromatic substances, which give the raw juice a distinctive smell.
• Freshly slaked lime is added to the raw juice. This is done to separate proteins. The resulting mixture is heated to 70°C, then filtered and evaporated until the sugar crystallizes.

Extracting sugar from beets requires much more time and effort. Today the technology is as follows:

• The beets collected in the fields are accumulated in special areas - coke storage facilities, where they are kept for quite a long time - up to three months.
• After storage, root crops are washed and processed into chips.
• Diffusion juice is then obtained from the beet chips using hot water (+75°C).
• The juice goes through several stages of purification. It uses calcium hydroxide and carbon dioxide.
• The purified juice is boiled down to a syrup with a solids concentration of 55-65%, then it is decolorized with sulfur oxide and filtered.
• From the syrup in the 1st stage vacuum apparatus, a massecuite of the 1st crystallization (7.5% water) is obtained, which is centrifuged, removing the “white” molasses. The crystals remaining on the centrifuge sieves are washed, dried, and packaged.
• “White” molasses is again condensed in the 2nd stage vacuum apparatus and divided into “green” molasses and “yellow” sugar of the 2nd product, which, having previously been dissolved in clean water, is added to the syrup entering the 1st vacuum apparatus. oh steps.
• For additional sugar extraction, a 3-stage boiling and desaccharification stage is sometimes used.
• The molasses obtained at the last stage of crystallization is molasses - a waste product from sugar production, which contains 40-50% sucrose and by weight makes up 4-5% of the weight of processed beets.

Today, the leader in the cultivation of sugar beets is Ukraine, followed by Russia and Belarus. Then - the countries of the European Union and regions of North and Central America with a temperate climate.

4. Types of sugar

Types of sugar are distinguished by the plant from which it is obtained. In addition to cane and beet sugars, there are three more types:

• Maple. It has been produced in the eastern provinces of Canada since the 17th century from the sap of the sugar maple tree. The production volumes are impressive: annually up to 3-6 pounds of sugar are “strained” from each tree.
• Palm. This type of sugar is very common in South and Southeast Asia, the Moluccas and many islands of the Indian Ocean. Here he is often called jagre, and is obtained from the sweet juice of cuts on young flower cobs of various types of palm trees, including coconut and date.
• Sorghum. It is obtained from the stalks of sweet sorghum. Moreover, the technology was first developed in China back in ancient times.

By the way. Refined sugar (the one in the form of cubes) was invented in 1843 in the Czech Republic. This brilliant idea came to the mind of the Swiss Jacob Christoph Radu, who worked as a manager at a sugar factory in Dačice. Today, on the site where this plant was located, there is a monument - a snow-white cube, symbolizing refined sugar.

• Great Soviet Encyclopedia
• Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron
• Free electronic encyclopedia Wikipedia, section “Sugar cane”.
• Free electronic encyclopedia Wikipedia, section “Sugar beets”.
• Shorin P.M. Technology of cultivation and use of sweet sorghum.

www.poetomu.ru

Beet sugar

Ordinary white sugar in the form of sand, cubes and powder. Due to the instant dissolution on the tongue, the powder seems sweeter, so it can be used to reduce the total amount of sugar consumed.

Brown sugar

It can be either beetroot, made from digested syrup, or cane.

Cane sugar

Brought from India by the Arabs, it was first used in the Middle East. In the 15th century, sugar cane made its main voyage to the New World, and then brown cane sugar plantations were opened in America.

Its crystals are coated with cane molasses and it is more aromatic. In marinades, baked goods and as an addition to coffee, dark sugar with a more pronounced aroma is preferred. In delicate desserts with cream and banana, light varieties sound more advantageous.

Demerara

One of the popular types of cane sugar, which originally came from the district of the same name in Guyana (South America). The crystals are relatively hard and large, sticky, and have a golden-brown color.

Muscovado

Cane sugar, which has a strong molasses smell, usually unrefined. These crystals are larger than regular brown sugar and are very sticky and flavorful.

Turbinado

Partially refined, processed raw sugar from which much of the molasses has been removed by steam or jets of water. Its color varies from light golden to pale brown.

Malt sugar

Malt sugar is obtained from malt, a fermented product from sprouted, dried and coarsely ground cereals. In Japan, malt sugar made from starchy rice or millet has been used for over two thousand years. Malt sugar is significantly less sweet than sucrose; it is added to baked goods and various baby food products.

Sorghum sugar

Sorghum sugar is a type of sugar that is obtained from the juice of sweet sorghum (Sorghum saccharatum), a plant of the grass family, the stems of which contain up to 18% sugar. In China, molasses (sorghum honey) has been produced from sweet sorghum since ancient times.

During the Civil War, the northern states of the United States tried to put the production of sorghum sugar on an industrial basis. But extracting sugar from sorghum juice turned out to be not cost-effective - the juice contains a lot of mineral salts, gums and invert sugar, so the yield of pure crystalline sugar is very small.

Chemical composition of sugar

Glucose is the simplest type of sugar. It is he who is absorbed by the circulatory system. The human body processes carbohydrates and all sugars into glucose. Only this form of sugar is accepted by cells and used for energy.

Sucrose is the name given to solid table sugar. In terms of chemical composition, it is one molecule of fructose and one molecule of glucose. It can be granular, lump or powder. It is the end product of processing sugar beets or cane.

Maltose is found in cereals, mostly barley. Its composition is two glucose molecules.

Blackstrap molasses is a sugar that remains as a by-product in the production of table sugar. It is a thick syrup. Contains a lot of useful substances. The darker the molasses, the greater its nutritional value and the more nutrients it contains.

Brown sugar is table sugar that has molasses added to it, causing it to turn brown.

Fructose is a sugar found in honey and fruits. It is absorbed by the body very slowly and does not immediately enter the circulatory system. Widely used and one of the main types of sugar. Because of its name, there is a misconception that fructose, like fruit, contains many nutrients. In fact, when used alone, fructose is no different from other sugars.

Lactose is a type of sugar found in milk and dairy products. To digest lactose, the body needs a special enzyme - lactase, which helps break down sugars so that they are absorbed into the intestinal walls. Some people's bodies produce little or no lactase. Milk sugar is poorly absorbed in such people.

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What is white sugar made from?

Of all types of sugar, the most famous and widely used is white or refined sugar, which is made from beets, or rather from their rhizomes, because it contains a large amount of sucrose. The emergence of sugar production in Europe occurred at the beginning of the 19th century, when the British, in the war with the French, completely cut off their supply of sugar, which was then produced from cane. It was accessible only to wealthy people.

Then in France they promised to give a prize to anyone who would find another way to obtain sugar, that is, from beets. In Russia, the first sugar factory was built in 1802 in the Tula province. By the end of the 19th century, Russia not only produced sugar for itself, but also exported it.

What is brown sugar made from?

This is not the first year we have seen brown sugar on store shelves. The price of such a product is noticeably different from white sugar. Then what is brown sugar made from? And such sugar is produced from sugar cane, which grows in India. Cane sugar was first brought to Europe from the Demerara region of British Guiana in the mid-16th century and quickly became a symbol of wealth and luxury.

What does sugar consist of?

Cane sugar is actually healthier than white sugar because of molasses, which contains potassium, calcium, sodium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, organic acids and biologically active substances. It contains more vitamin B. However, the calorie content of brown sugar is the same as white sugar - 377 kcal.

In addition, brown sugar tastes like caramel, and its color depends on the presence of molasses in it. If there is a lot of molasses, the sugar will be dark brown and more flavorful. It is brown sugar that Europeans prefer to add to tea or coffee. Brown sugar is popular in baking sweets and making cocktails.

elhow.ru

Sugar (sucrose) is a sweet crystalline substance isolated mainly from the juice of sugar cane or sugar beets. In its pure (refined) form, sugar is white, and its crystals are colorless. The brownish color of many of its varieties is explained by the admixture of various amounts of molasses - condensed plant juice that envelops the crystals.
Of all types of sugar, the most famous and popular is white granulated sugar or granulated sugar. After it - classic refined lump sugar. It is these two types of sugar, obtained from sugar beets, that are most widely used in home cooking.
The taste of refined cane and beet sugar is almost indistinguishable.
Brown sugars are obtained from sugar cane by evaporating the extracted syrup.
Brown means not cleared of the so-called black molasses. Yesterday, black molasses was considered a waste product from sugar production and was used to make rum. Today we realized that black molasses is incredibly useful because it contains a lot of microelements: potassium, calcium, iron
Against the background of foreign brown sugar, our white sugar, obtained from beets, looks like a poor relative. However, it also has considerable advantages. It also contains microelements, but it’s just not customary for us to state this on the label. There are not as many of them as in cane sugar, but they are still there.
There is also palm, malt, maple, and sorghum sugar
A sugary syrup is obtained from the stalks of sorghum, which has been used in China since ancient times. Sugar from it, however, has never been refined so well that it could successfully compete with beet or cane sugar. India is practically the only country where palm sugar is produced on a commercial scale, but this country produces much more cane sugar. In Japan, malt sugar produced from starchy rice or millet has been used as a sweet additive for over 2000 years. This substance (maltose) can also be obtained from ordinary starch using yeast. It is much inferior to sucrose in sweetness, but is used in the manufacture of baked goods and various types of baby food.

otvet.mail.ru

White sugar

White sugar is obtained by refining - purifying natural raw materials from impurities. This sugar is mainly made from sugar beets or sugar cane. Unrefined beet sugar has an unpleasant taste and aroma, so it is sold exclusively in refined form. On the shelves you can see white sugar in different forms: pressed, granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Due to the nature of production, such sugar does not contain minerals and vitamins, because When processed, they almost completely go to waste.

Brown sugar

Unrefined cane sugar is brown in color due to the fact that it is covered with a thin film of molasses - black molasses. The variety of varieties of brown sugar is due precisely to the amount of molasses it contains. During the production process, raw materials undergo only partial processing, so vitamins and minerals are preserved. Of course, the amount of useful elements is not comparable with their content, for example, in honey or dried fruits.

Brown sugar has a naturally rich taste and aroma; it is often used not only as an additive to coffee or tea, but also in the preparation of confectionery and savory sauces. Boxes of natural brown cane sugar must be labeled “unrefined,” otherwise it may be an artificially created product with added coloring.

Properties of sugar

Sucrose, which is essentially sugar, is broken down into fructose and glucose during digestion. That is why a glass of sweet tea is a universal source of quick energy for the body. Glucose is a simple carbohydrate that powers the heart and brain. Fructose is a monosaccharide; due to its sweet taste, it is often a sugar substitute; it is found in free form in almost all sweet fruits and berries.

Any sugar is a high-calorie product, people who are prone to gaining excess weight should remember this. However, complete abstinence from sugar is recommended only for certain diseases. The optimal dose of consumption per day for a healthy person is 8-10 teaspoons, which takes into account not only pure sugar, but also that contained in baked goods and sweet drinks.

When choosing between brown and white sugar, you should focus on your own taste preferences, since all the benefits lie only in the body quickly receiving glucose. Although brown sugar, due to the production method, is slightly healthier than white sugar.

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Sugar, such a familiar product for us, appeared in Rus' only in the 13th century, but for a long time remained an inaccessible product for the people. Sugar even appeared on the royal table in the 16th century. Until this moment, our ancestors enjoyed their lives with other means: honey, birch, linden and maple sap. Sugar became widespread thanks to the ardent reformer, Peter I. It was he who in 1718 issued a decree in which the Moscow merchant Pavel Vestov was ordered to maintain a sugar factory and sell sweets.

Initially, sugar was made only from sugar cane. But in 1747, the German chemist Marggraf discovered that a little-known root vegetable contained no less sugar than cane. And if in those ancient times sugar beets contained about 8% sugar, then after 100 years this figure reached 20-24%. Nowadays, more than 1/3 of the sugar consumed worldwide is made from sugar beets.

The refined sugar we are used to in its pure form does not exist in nature. meets. Plants most often contain glucose and fructose. Glucose is especially common. Glucose is also referred to as grape sugar (or dextrose), and fructose is also referred to as fruit sugar (or levulose). Glucose is found in almost all plant organs, and is also part of the most important polysaccharides - starch and cellulose. Glucose is less sweet than fructose. Fructose, along with glucose, is found in many fruits and, together with glucose, is part of sucrose. Fructose is the sweetest natural sugar. In addition to glucose and fructose, many other sugars are found in nature: mannose, inulin, pentose, sorbose, arabilose, xylose, methylpentose, lactose (milk sugar), cellobiose, maltose...

Why all this chemistry? Now you will understand. Sugar in various forms and in the form of complex compounds is included in almost all food products. Sugar is found in milk, vegetables and fruits, seeds, nuts, seed skins and even bark. But all this sugar variety is found in them in complex forms. But refined - artificially purified - sugar can only be found in industrially produced products. It is added to ketchups, tomato paste, yoghurts, juices, sausages, frankfurters, pickled cucumbers, and it’s not worth talking about “Cola” and other lemonades... About sugar “horror stories” a little lower, but for now a few words about the benefits of sugar.

Sugar accompanies a person from birth - mother's milk is so sweet that it even seems unpleasant to any adult. But not for kids! And although sugar does not contain any useful substances - neither minerals, nor proteins, nor vitamins, it is absolutely impossible to live without it. Thanks to sugar in the blood, the process of formation of glycogen occurs - a substance that nourishes the muscles, heart, and liver. Sugar has a positive effect on the central nervous system and stimulates brain function.

Sugar (or rather, glucose) contained in the blood serves as the only source of nutrition for the brain, providing it with the necessary energy for normal functioning. If the brain does not receive enough glucose from the blood, then a crisis ensues: when you get up from a chair, you feel empty in your head, dizzy, feel palpitations, nausea, drowsiness and dullness (there is no other word for it). All these symptoms indicate the onset of hypoglycemia - low blood sugar. But since sugar is so important for the body, why is it called the “sweet death”?

It's all about purification or refining. Purified from all impurities (and at the same time from all useful substances) sugar does nothing but harm to our body. Moreover, if you eat a lump of sugar, a sandwich with jam or candy on an empty stomach, then you will start the program that the pancreas performs - work to urgently lower blood sugar levels. As soon as a portion of sugar enters the blood, a loading dose of insulin distributes the required amount of glucose into the cells that need it, and stores the remainder “in reserve.” In the form of fat, of course. Your blood sugar levels drop and you feel hungry again! A vicious circle from which it is very difficult to break out.

Experts recommend consuming no more than 12 teaspoons of sugar per day. This is not just the sugar that you put in tea or coffee. In fact, sugar can be found in the most unexpected products - you just have to read the labels carefully. Manufacturers often disguise sugar under other names. The label may say "sugar cane juice", "corn sweetener", "dextrin/dextrose", "high fructose corn syrup", "fructose/maltose/sucrose/glucose", "honey", "turbinado", " brown raw sugar”, “barley malt”, “raw raw sugar” - the essence does not change. Modern man eats up to 30 spoons of sugar a day!

So what, in this case, should you eat so as not to harm your body? Here you need to remember one important rule, or, more precisely, the principle of dividing food into foods containing simple and complex carbohydrates. We are talking about the glycemic (diabetic) index. This index shows how quickly food entering the body is converted into glucose and enters the blood. The glycemic index is a valuable tool for controlling the amount of sugar entering the body.

High glycemic index foods

Medium Glycemic Index Foods

Low glycemic index foods (less than 40)

Foods with a high glycemic index quickly raise blood sugar levels, and chronic consumption of such foods can lead to serious health problems. Foods with a low glycemic index slowly increase blood sugar, which means that such food will allow you to stock up on energy for a long time. And you won’t have the desire to snack on an advertising chocolate bar!

Now you can decide for yourself what foods to eat in the morning to prevent your stomach from rumbling before lunch, and what foods are best to snack on after a workout to help you recover faster. But the general rules are as follows: your diet should contain a lot of fruits, vegetables, and grains. Their advantages are that it is impossible to overeat them: a large volume of products contains a minimum of calories. With such a “diet” your figure and health are not in danger.

It’s a completely different matter when it comes to semi-finished products and fast food, which are so firmly established in our everyday life. menu. This is where the pantries of hidden sugar are! Add saturated and trans fats to it and you have suicide food. This is not a joke or promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Doctors have been sounding the alarm for a long time. The number of people with diabetes is growing steadily year after year, and many do not even realize that their health is not all right. Until, as they say, the roast rooster bites. If we do not take into account the hereditary tendency to diabetes, the picture is disappointing. Constant consumption of foods with a high glycemic index causes the pancreas to stop producing insulin. Hormonal levels change in the body, a tendency towards obesity appears, heart disease increases, diabetes occurs...

By the way, for lovers of “light” “diet” products like muesli, yoghurt and corn flakes for breakfast, it will be useful to know that despite the almost complete absence of fat, such products sometimes contain a huge amount of sugar. For example, a standard cup of yogurt weighing 125 grams. can contain up to 5 tablespoons of refined sugar!

Finally, here are a few rules that will help you reduce your cravings for sweets:

. Accustom your taste buds to less sweet foods: instead of sugary drinks, drink water acidified with cranberry or lemon juice.
. Eat more fruits and sweet vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin).
. Include protein and healthy unsaturated fats in your diet to help control your appetite and blood sugar levels.
. Do not use artificial sweeteners, they prevent the body from forgetting the taste of sugar. It’s better to buy the natural sweetener xylitol, it contains 2 times less carbohydrates and calories than sugar.
. If you can’t bear to go without sugar, try to find natural brown sugar in stores. Keep in mind that the vast majority of brown sugar now sold in Russian stores is fake, ordinary refined sugar, tinted with molasses.

And finally, don't give sweets to children! Caries is no longer uncommon in children 2-3 years old, but it will also take up residence on the molars! Instead of store-bought sweets, dip dried fruits or nuts in melted chocolate, instead of buns, give your baby an apple or banana, and add raisins or candied fruits to sweet cereals. Take care of yourself and the health of your children!

Larisa Shuftaykina

kedem.ru

Description and composition of sugar

In terms of its meaning, “sugar” is a word that is used in everyday life to refer to sucrose. Sugar belongs to the group of carbohydrates, which serve as important elements that give the body an energy boost. During digestion, sucrose breaks down into glucose and fructose, which enter the bloodstream.

It is with the help of glucose that most of the body's energy expenditure is replenished. The beneficial properties of glucose also include the fact that it promotes liver function, helping it serve as a barrier to dangerous toxic substances. It is this function of glucose that determines its use in cases of poisoning or liver disease.

"Sugar" story

Most researchers consider India to be the birthplace of sugar; it is from this language that the name “sugar” comes - sarkarah, which means “grain of sand”. Sugar was in quite high demand even among the ancient Romans, who received brown sugar made from sugar cane directly from India. And the role of intermediary in the sale and purchase of sugar was assigned to Egypt.

Sugar came to Russia around the 11th-12th centuries. Only the knower had the opportunity to be the first to try a new product. And the opening of the very first “Sugar Chamber” in our country took place only in the 13th century by Tsar Peter Alekseevich. At that time, raw materials for sugar production were delivered from abroad. The year 1809 is significant because it was then that Russia began to produce sugar from its own raw materials - sugar beets.

Composition and energy value of white sugar

Sugar, of course, is very high in calories and 100 grams of it contain as much as 387 kcal. In addition to carbohydrates, sugar also contains a small amount of water, vitamin B2, and minerals: potassium, calcium and iron.

Types of sugar

Sugar can be cane, beet, palm, sorghum, maple and even grape.

Cane sugar

Most of the sugar we produce and use today is made from sugar cane. Brown sugar is also cane sugar, but unrefined. This type of sugar is often called coffee (tea) sugar. And although companies producing this sweet advertise brown sugar as a prestigious and environmentally friendly product, nutritionists agree that brown sugar may contain unhealthy impurities and a high calorie content.

Beet sugar

It is made from a root vegetable – sugar beet.

Grape sugar

This type of sugar is obtained by condensing grape juice.

Maple sugar

Maple sugar is also obtained from the sap of the sugar maple tree, which mainly grows in Canada. First, syrup is made from maple sap, and then sugar is made from it.

Palm sugar (jagre)

Palm sugar (jagre) is also produced from the sap of different types of palm trees, collected by cutting the flower cobs.

Sorghum sugar

Sorghum sugar is produced by processing the cereal grain sorghum.

About the benefits of sugar

The benefit of sugar is its ability to activate blood flow in both the spinal cord and the brain. Therefore, a complete refusal to consume sugar can lead to sclerotic changes.

According to scientists, consuming sugar significantly reduces the likelihood of plaque formation on the walls of blood vessels, and therefore reduces the likelihood of thrombosis. It has also been noted that people with a sweet tooth are less likely to suffer from arthritis.

Sugar has a beneficial effect not only on the liver, but also on the spleen. Therefore, when problems arise with these organs, doctors often prescribe diet foods with increased amounts of sugar.

About the dangers of excessive sugar consumption

Interestingly, glucose was previously prescribed for the treatment of heart and vascular diseases, as well as for disorders of the digestive system and central nervous system. But since the above diseases are more typical for older people, it was noted that excess sugar in them disrupts fat metabolism, increases blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and negatively affects the condition of cells.

Moreover, an increased concentration of sugar in the blood negatively affects the permeability of arterial walls, literally preparing the ground for the deposition of lipids on the walls and increased platelet adhesiveness. According to nutritionists, the menu of elderly people or those prone to obesity should not contain more than 15% of the daily intake of carbohydrates. From the point of view of cardiology, sugar in excessive quantities is also not indicated for people leading a sedentary lifestyle. Since it, by increasing the calorie content of food, creates favorable conditions not only for gaining extra pounds, but also for the rapid development of atherosclerosis.

Dentists are also critical of sugar. Sugar, although indirectly, destroys teeth, causing the development of caries. This happens because the teeth are covered with a microscopic plaque consisting of bacteria, saliva and food particles. So sugar, mixing with dental plaque, increases the level of acidity in the oral cavity. And the acid formed in the mouth provokes the development of caries, corroding the enamel of the teeth.

Sugar is a fast carbohydrate that is instantly absorbed into the blood, increasing its glucose level. Unlike fast carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates (which are found in grains, cereals, potatoes, other vegetables and fruits, etc.) are slowly absorbed by the body, giving a long-lasting boost of energy and without harming the body. Of course, glucose is necessary for the full development and functioning of cells, organs and body systems. But if there is an excessive intake of glucose or an insufficiently active lifestyle, the body does not have time to use up all the “fuel reserves” and stores glucose as fat in reserve. Which is not only harmful to your figure, but also puts unnecessary stress on the pancreas.

How to make sugar healthy

It is important to know that the need for carbohydrate consumption in middle-aged people is 400-500 g per day, in older people - 300-400 g. At the same time, it is very important to understand that carbohydrates are found not only in sugar, but also in other products , such as fruits, vegetables, honey, flour and confectionery products, cereals, etc. Simple fast carbohydrates from sugar are almost instantly absorbed into the blood, as they are easily soluble in water. To slow down the process of sugar entering the body's tissues, you should replace foods high in sugar with foods containing starch.

What is sugar?

Most often, sugar is produced in the following form: granulated sugar, refined sugar pressed into cubes, candy sugar; it is interesting that sugar used to be made in the form of “sugar loaf”. Today, portioned bags, which were invented by Benjamin Eisenstadt back in the last century, have become a popular form of packaging sugar. Such oblong paper bags with sugar were called “sticks”, they have not lost their popularity to this day, there is only one “but”... The creator of the sugar stick meant that his invention would help people become more careful and improve the process of drinking tea. Since the bags, it turns out, should be broken in half in the middle, without tearing off the corners. So, in one motion, the sugar from the stick should pour into the cup, and only one neat wrapper would remain in your hands. Despite the fact that the hygienic, aesthetic and convenient for mass production portioned bags took root very quickly, few people knew how to open them as intended.

Interestingly, over time, sugar packets have become so popular that they have even become a collector's item for “glucophiles.”

How much sugar should you eat?

According to nutritionists, an adult should eat about 60 grams of sugar during the day, which is approximately 11-12 teaspoons or 15 pieces of refined sugar. Keeping in mind that many foods contain sugar. It’s good to know that three oatmeal cookies contain 20 g of sugar, half a 100-gram chocolate bar contains 60 g, one apple contains 10 g, a glass of orange juice contains 20 g, and a glass of carbonated drink (sweet) – 30 g.

At the same time, it is a mistake to believe that your body doesn’t care if you ate a piece of fruit or a couple of pieces of sugar. This is due to the fact that sugar, as we know, comes in two types: containing fast and slow (complex) carbohydrates. Fast carbohydrates are found in the so-called external sugar, which enters the body from honey, confectionery products and sweet drinks. It is this kind of sugar that can ruin not only your figure and teeth, but also harm your health. Internal sugars, those that contain complex carbohydrates, enter the body in the company of fiber, which helps eliminate excess sugar. Also, such sugar contains significantly more essential vitamins and microelements.

Sugar substitutes

When talking about sugar, one cannot fail to mention sweeteners. These include sorbitol, xylitol and aspartame. The appearance and sweetness of the substitutes practically do not distinguish them from regular sugar. However, modern research has shown that the use of sweeteners should be due to medical reasons, such as diabetes or obesity. It is believed that only in this case will substitutes bring more benefit to the body than harm. It is also believed that in older people, sugar substitutes can accelerate the development of vascular atherosclerosis.

To summarize the above, it should be noted that with excessive consumption, any food can become dangerous to human health and life. And although the importance of sugar as a food product is not questioned, its consumption should be more than moderate.

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In order to understand what sugar is made from in our country, it is worth turning to the regulatory documents that regulate its production. First of all, this is GOST No. 52678-2006, approved in 2006 (December 27). According to its provisions, various types of sugar (including raw sugar, granulated sugar, powdered sugar and refined sugar) are produced from sugar beets.

Sugar beets are a root crop that can be grown in the climatic conditions of Russia, unlike palm trees, sugar cane, certain varieties of sorghum and millet, from which sweet extractives are obtained in other areas of the planet (South-East Asia, China, Cuba, Japan) .

To find out what sugar is made from, you need to consider in general terms the technological chain of production of this product. At the first stages, the sugar beet roots (they are light, not red in color, by the way) are washed, weighed and chopped into shavings. Then, in a diffuser, the juice is extracted from the raw material using hot water. It contains about 15% sucrose. The juice is separated from the so-called pulp, which is fed to livestock feed.

Many people, thinking about what sugar is made from, do not even imagine how many additional components are involved in this process. For example, the resulting beet juice is mixed with lime milk, then, after the impurities have precipitated, carbon dioxide is passed through the solution for filtration (sometimes the mixture is filtered through ion exchange resins).

What sugar is made from looks like sugar syrup after being refined. It is further evaporated, treated with sulfur dioxide and filtered again. At this stage, the solution already contains about 60% sugar. After which the raw material must be crystallized in vacuum devices at a temperature of about 75 degrees Celsius. The resulting mixtures are passed through centrifuges to separate the sucrose from the molasses, resulting in crystalline sugar.

How is refined sugar made? The usual method used here is to dry and press sugar syrup, which is subsequently cut into cubes. A more complex and expensive method allows the syrup to be initially poured into molds into which refined sugar is added. The raw materials are dried in molds, removed and separated.

Today you can find quite expensive brown sugar on the shelves. Its color is determined by the fact that the components of cane molasses are not completely separated from the sugar raw material, which gives it additional aroma and color. How is sugar made from cane? The production cycle of this product is similar to that of beet sugar. But there are also certain features. For example, at the first stage the juice is squeezed out using rollers, and processing is characterized by the use of a small amount of lime (up to 3% of the weight of the beets and up to 0.07% of the weight of the stems).

Which sugar is healthier is up to everyone to decide for themselves. Reed is subject to less chemical exposure, which, on the one hand, is good, but on the other, it can produce unwanted impurities. In addition, brown sugar is considered higher in calories than white sugar.

Chemical composition of sugar

The components of regular sugar are sucrose and a group of substances that are complex in composition. It is the sugar formula that is missing in chemistry. The chemical formula of sucrose is C 12 H 22 O 11. Sucrose, in turn, consists of fructose and glucose. Now we know what is contained in sugar, what is the chemical composition of the carbohydrate we eat daily.

Sugar in the form of complex compounds is included in most food products. It is found in breast milk, is part of cow's milk, and has a high sugar content in vegetables, fruits, berries and nuts. Plants typically contain glucose and fructose. In nature, glucose is most often found in plants. Glucose is also called dextrose or grape sugar. Fructose is referred to as fruit sugar or called levulose.

Fructose is considered the sweetest natural sugar. Glucose is less sweet than fructose. The glucose content exceeds the amount of fructose in plant organs. Glucose is part of polysaccharides such as starch and cellulose.

In addition to glucose, there are other natural sugars:

1. Maltose.
2. Lactose.
3. Mannose.
4. Sorbose.
5. Methylpentose.
6. Arabilose.
7. Inulin.
8. Pentose.
9. Xylose.
10. Cellobiose.

In different countries, sugar is extracted from various plant products. For the production of sugar in Russia, sugar beets are common, containing up to 22% sucrose. Cane sugar in the form of brown crystals or grains is obtained from sugarcane juice and the product is imported from India.

Sugar production

Sugar production on an industrial scale began in India in the 16th century. The sugar industry in Russia and the first factory for the production of a sweet product from imported raw materials appeared in 1719 in St. Petersburg. In the 19th century, sugar in Russia began to be obtained from beets grown in its own fields. Most of the sugar factories of the Russian Empire operated on the territory of today's Ukraine.

Later, in the USSR, the sugar industry began to develop rapidly in Ukraine, sugar factories for the production of beet sugar were opened in various regions of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and the Transcaucasian republics. In the 30s of the 20th century, the USSR held first place in the world in the production of sugar from sugar beets. In the 70s, the number of sugar factories was already 318 units. Currently, there are about 70 sugar beet processing factories in Russia.

What is sugar made from now?

In Russia, sugar is made from sugar beets. What is sugar made from in different countries, besides cane and beets? In different countries, it is extracted from various natural sources, the raw materials, as a rule, being plants. Types of sugars by raw materials:

1. The Chinese make sorghum from the juice of the cereal plant.
2. In Canada, maple syrup is often used. To make maple sugar, take the sap of the sugar maple tree.
3. Egyptians obtain a sweet food product from beans.
4. Palm sugar (or yagre) is extracted from the sap of sweet palm species in South and Southeast Asia, and on most islands of the Indian Ocean.
5. In Poland, sweetness is obtained from birch sap.
6. The Japanese make malt sugar from starchy rice.
7. Mexicans enjoy agave molasses, the sap of the plant.

In addition to the listed types of sugars by raw material, sugar is extracted from various sugar-bearing plants, including flowers. The raw material for sugar production can be starch. The sweetness made from corn starch is more often called corn syrup. There are hundreds of different types of sugars in nature. But refined, artificially purified sugar does not occur in nature in its pure form; it is produced industrially.

Getting sugars

How is sugar made? Sugar production technology has remained unchanged for many years. In order to extract sugar from beets or obtain a product from sugar cane stalks, plant raw materials undergo several stages of a complex technological process in production.

1. First of all, the beets are washed to remove dirt and cut into shavings.
2. To neutralize microbes, the raw material is filled with lime mortar.
3. The purified mass is crushed.
4. The surface of the crushed raw material mass is treated with active substances; as a result of a chemical reaction, sugar syrup is released from the raw material.
5. Sugar syrup is filtered.
6. The next step is evaporation of the syrup. Used to remove excess water.
7. Vacuum crystallization.
8. The product obtained as a result of crystallization consists of crystals of sucrose and molasses.
9. The next step in the extraction of solid sugar is the separation of sucrose and molasses using a centrifuge.
10. Finally, drying is used; after drying, sugar can be eaten.

The technology for producing beet sugar is similar to producing a sweet product from cane.

Types of sugar

What types of sugar are there? Sugar, as you know, is produced in different types, its main types:

1. Reed.
2. Beetroot.
3. Palm.
4. Malt.
5. Sorghum.
6. Maple.

In addition to the main types, there are types of sugar intended for use in confectionery production; such sugar cannot be bought in a store. We buy and eat regular white granulated sugar or granulated sugar. A less popular type is refined lump sugar. At home, consumers widely use a product made from sugar beets; this is what we buy in the store.

Types of Sugars

Sugar is divided into types and types. Sugars have the same composition, the difference lies in the degree of processing and the quality of purification of the product from impurities.

There are such types of granulated sugar

1. Regular Sugar - regular or also called crystalline. Crystalline is the most commonly consumed type of sugar. The size of the crystals affects the taste of crystalline sugar. It is an essential ingredient in sweet dishes prepared at home. It is used when preparing jam for the winter, making homemade jam, and it is found in culinary recipes for homemade cakes and desserts.
2. Bakers Special - bakery has the smallest crystal size. Bakers use fine sugar in cooking when making baked goods and biscuits.
3. Fruit sugar – fruity with small granules. It is valued more than usual for its uniform structure. Used in the preparation of sweet puddings and custards.
4. Coarse Sugar is coarse and has large granules, making it an indispensable ingredient in the production of fudge, liqueurs and candies.


5. Superfine, Ultrafine, Bar Sugar is an ultra-fine product with the smallest crystals, due to which sugar crystals quickly dissolve in water of any temperature. An ideal component for meringues, strudel filling, and pies with thin dough.
6. Confectioners (Powdered) Sugar – confectionery powder. On store shelves, the finest powder is presented under the usual name powdered sugar. In home cooking, it is used for whipping cream, egg whites, preparing creams; the powder is included in glazes for Easter cakes and cupcakes.
7. Sanding Sugar - sugar coating. The product has large crystals. It is used, as a rule, in confectionery production; sugar coating is not used at home.

Sugar assortment

The main assortment of sugar in the store is granulated sugar and refined sugar. Brown sugar today is considered less popular among buyers in contrast to white sugar. Sugar range:

1. Hard and friable.
2. Granulated sugar.
3. Crushed, lump and sawn sugar.
4. Candy, stone.

Beet white sugar

White or regular sugar is a common food sweetener. It is obtained by processing sugar cane or sugar beets. Sugar industry enterprises produce the main types of white sugar - granulated sugar and refined sugar. White sugar is sold in the form of granulated sugar and refined sugar in pieces.

Rafinated sugar

Refined sugar is produced from granulated sugar. In order to obtain refined sugar, granulated sugar is dissolved in water, and the resulting syrup is further purified - refined. As a result of refining, refined sugar is obtained with a high content of sucrose and is a product that is maximally purified from impurities.

Refined sugar is produced in the following assortment:

1. Pressed crushed refined sugar.
2. Pressed refined sugar in cubes.
3. Pressed instant refined sugar.
4. Pressed refined sugar in small packaging is a travel option.
5. Refined sugar of increased biological value with the addition of lemongrass or eleutherococcus.

Refined sugar is packaged in cardboard boxes and in this form the goods are delivered from sugar factories to stores.

Granulated sugar

Refined granulated sugar is made from purified sugar syrup. Depending on the size of the crystals, granulated sugar is presented in the following assortment:

1. Small.
2. Average.
3. Large.
4. Very large.

Unlike refined sugar, white granulated sugar contains a small amount of useful substances: calcium, sodium, iron and potassium. Granulated sugar is packaged in bags and bags.

Vanilla sugar

Culinary experts often call vanilla sugar vanilla or vanillin. What is the difference between vanillin and vanilla sugar? In order to understand the difference between regular sugar and vanilla sugar, you need to know what vanilla sugar is.

Vanilla is regular granulated sugar flavored with vanilla beans. Real vanilla is considered an expensive and valuable product. Vanillin is a substance derived from vanilla, its artificial substitute.

Brown cane sugar

Cane sugar is obtained from cane juice. There are many varieties of cane sugar; the main difference between types is the quantitative content of molasses (molasses) in the sugar. Brown is unrefined cane sugar. Dark unrefined is dark in color and rich in molasses flavor, unlike light unrefined sugar.

Unrefined cane sugar is considered a healthy substitute for regular white sugar. Before you make the right choice between refined cane, unrefined and unrefined, you need to know what types of cane sugar there are.

Types of cane sugar

1. High quality
2. Special.
3. Special.
4. Refined purified
5. Unrefined.
6. Brown unrefined.

Cane sugar is sold in refined and unrefined form; there are special varieties of cane sugar.

Varieties of cane sugar

1. Demerara variety (Demerara sugar). Unrefined, light brown with large crystals. It has a strong molasses aroma. Demerara is used as a natural sweetener for tea and coffee. Demerara is added to desserts; its large crystals are used to sprinkle muffins, buns, and sweet pies.


2. Muscavado sugar. Unrefined sugar, crystalline and rich in molasses flavor. The crystals are slightly larger than regular brown, but not as large as Demerara.
3. Turbinado sugar. Partially refined. Large crystals from yellow to brown. Has a pleasant caramel taste. Ideal for sweet and savory dishes.
4. Barbados (Soft molasses sugar/Black Barbados sugar). Soft, thin and moist. It has a dark color and a strong aroma due to the high molasses content. Used for making gingerbread, gingerbread, gingerbread houses and ginger dough.

What are the differences

Beet white sugar is edible only in refined form. Cane cane can be purchased in refined, unrefined and unrefined forms. This is what distinguishes cane sugar from white sugar.

Liquid sugars

In addition to crystalline sugar, there is liquid sugar. In liquid form, it is a solution of white sugar and can be used for its intended purpose as crystalline sugar.

An amber-colored liquid with the addition of molasses is used to impart a special flavor to food products.

Another type of liquid sugar is invert sugar.

What is invert sugar

Invert Sugar is sugar in liquid form, consisting of a mixture of glucose and fructose. Used only in industry for the production of carbonated drinks. Invert sugar is used only in liquid form.

Which sugar is better to buy?

Before you buy sugar, you need to understand which sugar is better to buy for baking, white beet sugar or brown dark cane sugar. How to choose?

All sugar - white and brown - causes food addiction and is classified as gluten-free products. When preparing sweet pastries, as you know, it is impossible to do without sugar. You can buy inexpensive granulated sugar, good quality refined sugar, or low-quality, but expensive brown sugar, which is popular among healthy eating supporters. Plain sugar, colored with sugar, is often sold under the guise of cane sugar. If you want to buy real cane sugar, its packaging should indicate:

1. Unrefined.
2. Type of cane sugar: Demerara, Muscovado, Turbinado or Black Barbados.

The crystals should have different sizes, the same crystalline sugar indicates chemical processing of the product.

You can safely buy granulated white sugar in original packaging; a conscientious manufacturer, as a rule, indicates the following data on the pack:

1. Category. Category can be first or extra.
2. GOST R 55396-2009.
3. Nutritional value of the product.
4. What raw materials are sand or refined sugar made from: beet sugar or raw cane sugar?
5. Year of manufacture and date of packaging.

Packets of lump sugar contain the same information as packages of granulated sugar. Powdered sugar produced at a sugar factory contains harmful additives. They are added so that the powder remains free-flowing and does not clump. It is more useful to prepare the powder at home; to prepare it you will need to grind simple granulated sugar in a mill.

Where is sugar used?

In food, the product is used in various dishes. As a main ingredient, sucrose, along with flour, is included in traditional pizza dough recipes. Sucrose is used everywhere in the confectionery industry, in the production of condensed milk. Sweet fillings for pies, dessert fillings for pies, and some types of pizza contain a sweet ingredient.

White sugar is an excellent preservative; it is added when making jams for the winter, making preserves. Almost all homemade preparations and preserves contain it. Products where the manufacturer adds sugar:

1. Sausages, sausages.
2. Ketchups, sauces.
3. Instant porridge in bags, breakfast cereals.
4. Canned meat.
5. Low-fat yoghurts, curds.
6. Juices, soda, cocktails.
7. Syrups, ice cream.
8. Frozen food products.
9. Confectionery, bakery.
10. Beer, kvass.

In addition to food, sugar is used for the manufacture of medicines, in the tobacco industry, in the leather industry, and is widely used in the chemical industry.

Why is sugar harmful to the human body?

First of all, sugar is harmful for people leading a sedentary lifestyle. The refined product is quickly absorbed by the human body and instantly raises blood glucose levels.

Elevated blood sugar levels are known to contribute to the development of diabetes. The load on the pancreas increases, and the gland does not have time to produce the required amount of insulin necessary for normal human life.

Excessive sugar consumption harms teeth and figure. Excess weight and sweets in the form of pastries and cakes in addition to fats are harmful to the body. Compliance with the norms of sucrose consumption brings benefits to the human body instead of harm. Harm is caused by sugar eaten in excess of the norm.

Sweets consumption rate

According to the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO), the norm for sugar consumption is:

1. For women, the daily norm is 50 g per day.
2. For men 60 g per day.

Remember! Excessive consumption of sweets leads those with a sweet tooth more often than others to obesity, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

How can you replace sugar?

Sweeteners are used as a dietary supplement, as a rule, by people suffering from diabetes. For healthy people, it is better to replace sucrose and artificial sweeteners with natural sweet products; they are lower in calories and more healthy:

1. Honey.
2. Stevia (or the herb is also called honey grass).
3. Maple syrup.
4. Agave syrup.
5. Jerusalem artichoke or earthen pear syrup.

How to properly store sugar at home

Sugar, as a food product, has its own shelf life. For proper preservation of all long-term stored food products, it is necessary to comply with the conditions for storing them at home.

The shelf life of sugar is calculated in years. Sugar is a shelf-stable product. After the expiration date, it retains its original taste for a long time.

All types of sugar have the same shelf life. At home, granulated sugar and refined sugar pieces should be stored in a dry place at a temperature not exceeding 25+. This storage period will be about 8 years.

The shelf life of the product in a cold room is reduced to 5-6 years. For long-term storage, it is better to keep sugar in a fabric bag; for use throughout the year, you can pour it into glass containers, plastic dishes, or leave it in its original packaging.

In addition to the well-known types of sugars, there are other types. Today you can often hear that brown sugar is healthier than white sugar. This is actually a myth. A purified beet or cane product does not contain vitamins, minerals, or fiber.

Nutritionists advise replacing sucrose, if possible, with fructose from fresh fruits, reducing the consumption of sweets and monitoring blood glucose levels in order to stay healthy for many years, eat right, using healthy foods.

Do you know how sugar is made?

Sugar is not a food product, but a pure chemical substance added to food to improve taste. This substance can be obtained in different ways: from oil, gas, wood, etc. But the most cost-effective way to obtain sugar is the processing of beets and a special type of cane, which is called sugar cane.

Do you know how sugar is actually made?

To get white and pure refined sugar, it must be passed through a filter made of cow bones.
Beef bone char is used to produce refined sugar!

A bone char filter acts as a coarse filter and is very often used in the first step of the sugar purification process. In addition, this filter allows you to eliminate coloring substances; the most commonly used coloring agents are amino acids, organic acids, phenols (carbolic acids) and ash.

The only type of bones used in a bone filter are beef bones. Bone char filters are the most effective and economical bleaching filters, which is why they are the most commonly used filters in the cane sugar industry.
Companies are using up their bone char reserves quite quickly.
Sugar does not provide energy to the body. The fact is that the “burning” of sugar in the body is a complex process in which, in addition to sugar and oxygen, dozens of other substances are involved: vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc. (it is still impossible to definitively say that all these substances are known to science ). Without these substances, the body cannot produce energy from sugar.
If we consume sugar in its pure form, then our body takes the missing substances from its organs (from teeth, from bones, from nerves, from skin, liver, etc.). It is clear that these organs begin to experience a lack of these nutrients (starvation) and after a while begin to malfunction.

When producing sugar using conventional technology, disinfectants are used: formaldehyde, bleach, amine group poisons (vasin, ambisol, and combinations of the above substances), hydrogen peroxide and others.

“In traditional technology, the juice is obtained by simmering for an hour and a half, and to prevent the fungal mass from growing during this time, which can then clog the centrifuges, the chopped beets are flavored with formaldehyde at this stage.”
... The sucrose product in Russia is colored, lives its own life, and is not stored without preservatives. In Europe, it is not even considered a food product, because in our sugar factories, in addition to color, they also leave man-made impurities, including formaldehyde. Hence dysbacteriosis and other consequences. But there is no other sugar in Russia, so they are silent about it. And on a Japanese spectrograph we see residues of formaldehyde in Russian sugar.”

Other chemicals are also used in the production of sugar: milk of lime, sulfur dioxide, etc. During the final bleaching of sugar (to remove impurities that give it a yellow color, specific taste and smell), chemistry is also used, for example, ion exchange resins.

Now about the effects of sugar on our body.

The harm of sugar has long been clearly proven. It is known that white refined sugar is an energy waste, devoid of proteins, fats, nutrients and microelements, and even mixed with residual “chemicals”.

59 REASONS SUGAR IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH

1. It helps reduce immunity.
2. May cause disturbances in mineral metabolism.
3. CAN LEAD TO IRRITABILITY, ANXIETY, ATTENTION DISORDERS, AND CHILDREN’S WAIMS.
4. Causes a significant increase in triglyceride levels.
5. Helps reduce resistance to bacterial infections.
6. May cause kidney damage.
7. Reduces the level of high-density lipoproteins.
8. Leads to a deficiency of the microelement chromium.
9. Contributes to the occurrence of breast, ovarian, intestinal, prostate, and rectal cancer.
10. Increases glucose and insulin levels.
11. Causes deficiency of the microelement copper.
12. Interferes with the absorption of calcium and magnesium.
13. VISION WORSES.
14. Increases the concentration of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
15. May cause hypoglycemia (low glucose levels).
16. Helps increase the acidity of digested food.
17. May increase adrenaline levels in children.
18. In patients with gastrointestinal disorders, it leads to impaired absorption of nutrients.
19. Accelerates the onset of age-related changes.
20. Contributes to the development of alcoholism.
21. Causes tooth decay.
22. Promotes obesity.
23. Increases the risk of developing ulcerative colitis.
24. Leads to exacerbation of peptic ulcers of the stomach and duodenum.
25. May lead to the development of arthritis.
26. Provokes attacks of bronchial asthma.
27. Contributes to the occurrence of fungal diseases (pathogens - Candida albicans).
28. Can cause the formation of gallstones.
29. Increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease.
30. May cause acute appendicitis.
31. May cause multiple sclerosis.
32. Promotes the appearance of hemorrhoids.
33. Increases the likelihood of varicose veins.
34. May cause elevated glucose and insulin levels in women using hormonal birth control pills.
35. Contributes to the occurrence of periodontal disease.
36. Increases the risk of developing osteoporosis.
37. Increases the acidity of saliva.
38. May impair insulin sensitivity.
39. Leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
40. May reduce growth hormone production.
41. Can increase cholesterol levels..
42. Helps increase systolic blood pressure.
43. Causes drowsiness in children.
44. Promotes headaches.
45. Interferes with protein absorption.
46. Causes food allergies.
47. Contributes to the development of diabetes.
48. May cause toxicosis in pregnant women.
49. Promotes the appearance of eczema in children. 50. Predisposes to the development of cardiovascular diseases.
51. May disrupt DNA structure.
52, May disrupt protein structure.
53. By changing the structure of collagen, it promotes the early appearance of wrinkles.
54. Predisposes to the development of cataracts.
55. Contributes to the occurrence of pulmonary emphysema.
56. Provokes the development of atherosclerosis.
57. Helps increase the content of low-density lipoproteins.
58. Leads to the appearance of free radicals in the bloodstream.
59. Reduces the functional activity of enzymes.

But look how much sugar is contained in some common foods:

Are you able to eat 16 cubes of refined sugar at one time? How about drinking half a liter of Coca-Cola? This is exactly how much dissolved sugar equivalent is contained in 500 milliliters of this drink.

Look at the photos. This is exactly how much sugar in cubes is contained in the form of sweeteners in our usual drinks and sweets. Now you understand the harm of sugar, especially dissolved sugar. Its harm is not immediately visible, just as dissolved sugar is not visible.