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 various ways: from oil, gas, wood, etc. But the most economical way to get sugar is to process beets and a special type of cane, which they called sugar cane.

Do you know how sugar really turns out?

To get a white and clean refined sugar, it must be passed through a filter of cow bones.
For the production of refined sugar using beef bone coal!

The bone filter acts as a coarse filter and is very often used in the first step of the sugar refining 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 ashes.

The only type of bone used in the bone filter is beef bones. Bone charcoal filters are the most effective and economical whitening filters, which is why they are most often used in the cane sugar industry.
  Companies are spending their bone stocks fast enough.
  Sugar does not supply energy to the body. The fact is that the “burning” of sugar in the body is a very complicated process, in which, in addition to sugar and oxygen, dozens of other substances participate: vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc. (until now, it is completely impossible to say that all these substances are known to science ) Without these substances, energy cannot be obtained from sugar in the body.
  If we consume sugar in its pure form, then our body takes away the missing substances from its organs (from teeth, from bones, from nerves, from the skin, liver, etc.). It is clear that these organs begin to experience a lack of these nutrients (starvation) and after a while they begin to fail.

In the production of sugar by conventional technology, disinfectants are used: formalin, bleach, amine group poisons (vasin, ambizol, as well as combinations of the above substances), hydrogen peroxide and others.

“In traditional technology, the juice is obtained by an hour and a half languishing, and so that during this time the fungal mass does not grow, which can then clog the centrifuge, the beets chopped at this stage are flavored with formalin.”
... Sugar product in Russia is colored, lives its own life, is not stored without preservatives. In Europe, it is not even considered a food product, because in our sugar factories, in addition to color, technogenic impurities, including formalin, are also left. Hence the dysbiosis and other consequences. But there is no other sugar in Russia, therefore they are silent about it. And we see residues of formalin in Russian sugar on a Japanese spectrograph. ”

In the production of sugar, other chemicals are also used: milk of lime, sulfur dioxide, etc. In the final bleaching of sugar (to remove impurities that give it a yellow color, a 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 and obviously been proven. It is known that white refined sugar is an energy dummy devoid of proteins, fats and nutrients and trace elements, and even with an admixture of residual “chemistry”.

59 REASONS FOR WHICH SUGAR IS HARMFUL

1. It helps to reduce immunity.
  2. May cause disturbances in mineral metabolism.
  3. ARE ABLE TO RESULT IN IRRITABILITY, EXCITEMENT, VIOLATION OF ATTENTION, CHILDREN'S CAPRIFICATIONS.
  4. Causes a significant increase in triglycerides.
  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 trace element chromium.
  9. Promotes the occurrence of cancer of the breast, ovaries, intestines, prostate gland, and rectum.
  10. Increases glucose and insulin levels.
  11. Causes a deficiency of the trace element of copper.
  12. Violates the absorption of calcium and magnesium.
  13. WORNING VISION.
  14. Increases the concentration of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
  15. May cause hypoglycemia (lowering glucose).
  16. Helps increase the acidity of digested food.
  17. In children, it may increase adrenaline.
  18. In patients with digestive tract disorders, it leads to malabsorption of nutrients.
19. Accelerates the onset of age-related changes.
  20. Promotes the development of alcoholism.
  21. Causes caries.
22. It contributes to obesity.
  23. Increases the risk of ulcerative colitis.
  24. Leads to an exacerbation of gastric and duodenal ulcer.
  25. May cause arthritis.
  26. Provokes attacks of bronchial asthma.
  27. Promotes the occurrence of fungal diseases (pathogens - Candida albicans).
  28. Able to cause gallstones.
29. Increases the risk of 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 lead to an increase in glucose and insulin levels in women using hormonal birth control pills.
  35. Promotes the occurrence of periodontal disease.
  36. Increases the risk of osteoporosis.
  37. Increases the acidity of saliva.
  38. May impair insulin sensitivity.
  39. It leads to a decrease in glucose tolerance.
  40. May decrease growth hormone production.
  41. Able to increase cholesterol ..
  42. Promotes an increase in systolic blood pressure.
  43. In children, causes drowsiness.
44. Promotes the appearance of a headache.
  45. Violates the absorption of proteins.
46. Causes food allergies.
  47. Promotes the development of diabetes.
  48. In pregnant women can cause toxicosis.
  49. Promotes the appearance of eczema in children. 50. Predisposes to the development of cardiovascular diseases.
  51. May impair DNA structure.
  52, May disrupt the structure of proteins.
  53. By changing the structure of collagen, it promotes the early appearance of wrinkles.
  54. Predisposes to the development of cataracts.
  55. Promotes the occurrence of emphysema.
  56. Provokes the development of atherosclerosis.
  57. Promotes an increase in 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 at how much sugar is found in some familiar foods:

Are you able to eat 16 cubes of refined sugar at a time? And drink half a liter of Coca-Cola? That is how much dissolved sugar equivalent is contained in 500 milliliters of this drink.

Look at the photos. That is how much sugar in cubes is contained in the form of sweeteners in our usual drinks and sweets. Now you understand what HARM SUGAR, especially dissolved. Its harm is not visible immediately, nor can dissolved sugar be seen.

His homeland is India, where sweet grains were obtained from the juice of some varieties of cane, which later became known as sugar.

Indian sugar was well known in ancient Rome. A sweet treat was brought to the Eternal City through the territory of Egypt, which for quite some time was part of the empire. Already closer to the sunset of Rome, sugarcane began to be cultivated in Sicily and in some regions of southern Spain, but after the collapse of the empire, sugarcane cultivation was not further developed.

Sugar was first brought to Russia around the 11th-12th centuries. At that time he cost absolutely incredible money and only the prince and his entourage could try it. However, over time, overseas sweetness became a little 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 on the spot.

In 1809, a new stage began in the fate of sugar in Russia - work began on establishing sugar production from domestic raw materials. In this capacity, sugar beets.

Sugar Raw

The most ancient source of sugar is sugarcane. For the first time, they began to consciously cultivate it 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 consumed very actively, and therefore began its mass cultivation, especially since the climate was very favorable for this. Attempts to cultivate cane in Europe gradually came to naught: American sugar cost, oddly enough, much cheaper.

The idea of \u200b\u200bobtaining sugar from a long-known and familiar beet was thought only under Napoleon. When almost all of continental Europe, except Great Britain, was under his control, Napoleon decided to arrange a trade blockade for the British. But he didn’t take into account (or, on the contrary, perfectly understood) that practically all the sugar that went to Europe was brought by the merchant ships of the British fleet.

In order not to be left without sugar at all, I had to look for its alternative sources. It turned out that beets fit perfectly, and even had to invent almost nothing. Old developments came in handy.

The history of these developments is as follows. In 1747, Andreas Marggraf found out that sugar, which was previously obtained from sugarcane, is also found in beets. After 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 began to develop a special, sugar beet. To date, they have succeeded so much that in the varieties of modern beets already contains more than 20% of the desired sugar.

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

Raw material processing and sugar production

To get sugar from cane, do the following:

• Stems are cut before they bloom. They contain up to 8-12% fiber, 18-21% sugar and 67-73% water (salts and protein substances).
• Then the cut stems are crushed with iron shafts and squeeze the juice from them. The juice contains up to 18.36% sugar, 81% water and a very small amount of aromatic substances, giving the raw juice a peculiar smell.
• Freshly slaked lime is added to the raw juice. This is done to separate proteins. The resulting mixture was heated to 70 ° C, then filtered and evaporated until sugar crystallized.

To get sugar from beets, you need much more time and effort. Today the technology is as follows:

• Beets harvested in the fields are accumulated at special sites - storage sites, where they are kept for quite a long time - up to three months.
• After storage, root crops are washed and processed into shavings.
• Then, diffusion juice is obtained from beet chips using hot water (+ 75 ° C).
• Juice goes through several stages of purification. For it, calcium hydroxide and carbon dioxide are used.
• The purified juice is boiled to syrup with a solids concentration of 55-65%, then it is decolorized with sulfur oxide and filtered.
• From the syrup in the vacuum apparatus of the 1st stage receive massecuite of the 1st crystallization (7.5% water), which is centrifuged, removing the "white" molasses. The crystals remaining on the centrifuge screens are washed, dried, and packed.
• The "white" molasses is again concentrated in the vacuum apparatus of the 2nd stage and separated into the "green" molasses and the "yellow" sugar of the 2nd product, which, having previously dissolved in pure water, is added to the syrup entering the vacuum apparatus 1- oh steps.
• For additional sugar extraction, a 3-stage boiling and desugaring is sometimes used.
• Molasses obtained at the last stage of crystallization is molasses - a waste of sugar production, which contains 40-50% sucrose and by weight is 4-5% by weight of processed beets.

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

Types of sugar

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

• Maple.  It is received in the eastern provinces of Canada from the 17th century from sugar maple juice. The volumes of production are impressive: annually 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 it is often called jagre, and obtained from sweet juice from cuts on young cobs of various types of palm trees, including coconut and date.
• Sorghum.  It is obtained from the stems of sugar sorghum. Moreover, the technology was first developed in China in antiquity.

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

• Great Soviet Encyclopedia
• Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
• Free electronic encyclopedia Wikipedia, section "Sugarcane".
• Free electronic encyclopedia Wikipedia, section "Sugar beet".
• Shorin P.M. The technology of cultivation and use of sugar sorghum.

Nowadays, there are two types of raw materials from which sugar is made - it is sugar beets and sugarcane. Beetroot is the most convenient and common raw material for the manufacture of sugar. As it quickly deteriorates, sugar factories are located next to the fields.

Cane sugar is made in tropical areas. This division is due to climatic and territorial factors. From the article you can learn more about this substance and its features.

What white sugar is made of

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

Then in France they promised to give a bonus to someone who finds another way to get 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 brown sugar is made of

This is far from the first year on the shelves of stores we see brown sugar. The price of such a product differs markedly from white sugar. Then what is brown sugar made of? And they produce such sugar from sugarcane, which grows in India. Cane sugar was first brought to Europe from the Demerara region of British Guiana in the mid-16th century and very quickly became a symbol of wealth and luxury.

What sugar is made of

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

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

SUGAR
from a chemical point of view, any substance from an extensive group of water-soluble carbohydrates, usually with a low molecular weight and more or less pronounced sweet taste. It is mainly about monosaccharides (simple sugars) and disaccharides, the molecule of which consists of two residues of monosaccharides. The first include glucose (sometimes called dextrose or grape sugar) and fructose (fruit sugar, levulose); to the second - lactose (milk sugar), maltose (malt sugar) and sucrose (cane or beet sugar). In everyday life, however, it is customary to call sugar only the usual food sweetener - sucrose; it will be considered in this article. Sugar (sucrose) is a sweet crystalline substance, secreted mainly from sugarcane juice or sugar beet. In its pure (refined) form, sugar is white, and its crystals are colorless. The brownish color of many of its varieties is explained by an admixture of various amounts of molasses - a condensed vegetable juice enveloping the crystals. Sugar - 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 rapidly mobilized source of energy.
Application.  Sugar is an important ingredient in various dishes, drinks, bakery and confectionery. It is added to tea, coffee, cocoa; it is the main component of sweets, glazes, creams and ice cream. Sugar is used in canning meat, leather dressing and in the tobacco industry. It serves as a preservative in preserves, jellies and other fruit products. Sugar is also important for the chemical industry. It produces thousands of derivatives used in a wide range of fields, including plastics, pharmaceuticals, effervescent drinks and frozen foods.
Sources. In nature, several hundred different sugars are known. Each green plant forms certain substances belonging to this group. In the process of photosynthesis of atmospheric carbon dioxide and water obtained mainly from the soil under the influence of solar energy, glucose is first formed, and then it is converted into other sugars. In different parts of the world, in addition to cane and beet sugar, some other products are used as sweeteners, for example, corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, sorghum, palm 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 cane sugar is made today. Molasses is significantly inferior to refined sugar in sweetness, however, 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 the confectionery business. Honey, which is high in fructose and glucose, is more expensive than sugar, and it is added to some products only in those cases when you want to give them a special taste. The same is with maple syrup, which is prized primarily for its specific flavor. From the stalks of sorghum bread get sugar syrup, used since ancient times in China. Sugar from it, however, was never refined so well that it could compete successfully with beet or cane. India is practically the only country where palm sugar is produced commercially, but this country produces significantly more cane sugar. For over 2,000 years, Japan has been using malt sugar from starchy rice or millet as a sweet additive. This substance (maltose) can also be obtained with yeast from ordinary starch. It is much inferior to sucrose in sweetness, but it is used in the manufacture of bakery products and various types of baby food. Prehistoric man satisfied his need for sugar with honey and fruits. Some flowers, whose nectar contains a small amount of sucrose, probably also served the same purpose. In India, over 4000 years ago, a kind of raw sugar was extracted from the flowers of the Madhuca tree. Africans in the Cape colony used the species Melianthus major, and the Boers in South Africa used 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, incidentally, is confirmed by historical evidence, according to which sugar cane was grown in the Middle East in the first centuries of our era. For not too sophisticated taste, refined cane and beet sugar are almost indistinguishable. Raw sugar, an intermediate product of production containing an admixture of vegetable juice, is another matter. Here the difference is very noticeable: cane raw sugar is quite suitable for consumption (unless, of course, obtained in adequate sanitary conditions), while beet sugar tastes unpleasant. The molasses (fodder molasses), an important by-product of sugar production, also varies in taste: cane is eaten willingly in England, and beetroot is not suitable for food.
Production.  If sugar beet refining is carried out directly in sugar beet factories, cane sugar refining, in which 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. Only thanks to the enormous scale of production of refined cane and beet sugar is this product so cheap today.
Consumption. Judging by the statistics, the country's consumption of refined sugar is directly proportional to per capita income. The leaders here include, for example, Australia, Ireland and Denmark, where more than 45 kg of refined sugar per person per year, while in China - 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 not in its pure form, but in a different form, usually in fruits and sugary drinks.
CANE SUGAR
Plant.  Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum), a perennial very tall herbaceous species of the cereal family, is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions for the sake of sucrose contained in it, as well as some sugar by-products. 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 are the kidneys, or “eyes,” developing into short lateral shoots. From them receive cuttings used for propagation of reed. Seeds are formed in apical inflorescences panicles. They are used to develop new varieties and only in exceptional cases as seeds. The plant needs a lot of sun, heat and water, as well as fertile soil. That is why sugarcane is cultivated only in areas with a hot and humid climate. Under favorable conditions, it grows very quickly, its plantations before harvesting look like impenetrable jungle. In Louisiana (USA), sugarcane ripens in 6-7 months, in Cuba it takes a year for this, and in Hawaii - 1.5-2 years. To ensure maximum sucrose content in the stems (10-17% of the mass), the crop is harvested as soon as the plant ceases to grow in height. If harvesting is carried out manually (using long machete knives), shoots are cut down near the ground, after which leaves are removed and the stems are cut into short pieces convenient for processing. Manual cleaning is used where labor is cheap or the features of the site do not allow the efficient use of machines. On large plantations, the technique is usually used, pre-burning the lower tier of vegetation. Fire destroys the bulk of weeds without damaging sugarcane, and the mechanization of the process significantly reduces the cost of production.

Story. Two regions challenge the right to be considered the birthplace of sugarcane - 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-growing varieties of sugar cane found there do not differ in their main characteristics from modern cultural forms. Sugarcane is mentioned in the Laws of Manu and other sacred books of the Hindus. The word sugar itself comes from the Sanskrit sarkara (gravel, sand or sugar); centuries later, this term entered the Arabic language as sukkar, in medieval Latin as succarum. From India, sugarcane culture is between 1800 and 1700 BC. infiltrated China. This is evidenced by several Chinese sources reporting that people living in the Ganges valley taught the Chinese how to obtain sugar by digesting its stems. Ancient seafarers from China probably brought it to the Philippines, Java, and even to Hawaii. When Spanish sailors appeared in the Pacific many centuries later, feral sugarcane was already growing on many Pacific islands. Apparently, the first mention of sugar in ancient times dates back to the time of the expedition of Alexander the Great to India. In 327 BC one of his generals, Nearch, reported: "It is said that reed grows in India, which produces honey without the help of bees; it is as if an intoxicating drink can also be made 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 its cleaning. Already in the 700s, Nestorian monks in the Euphrates Valley successfully made white sugar using ash to clean it. Arabs spread from the 7th to 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, which found itself at the crossroads of the trade routes of the Muslim and Christian world, eventually became the center of European sugar trade and remained for more than 500 years. At the beginning of the 15th century Portuguese and Spanish sailors spread sugarcane culture to the islands of the Atlantic Ocean. His plantations first appeared on Madeira, Azores, and the Cape Verde Islands. In 1506, Pedro de Atienza ordered sugarcane to be planted in Santo Domingo (Haiti) - this way this culture penetrated the New World. In just 30 years after its appearance in the Caribbean, it has spread there so widely that it has become one of the main ones in the West Indies, which is 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 sugarcane 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 were not very suitable for exploitation, and the planters found a way out of the importation of slaves from Africa. In the end, sugar production turned out to be inextricably linked with the slave system and the bloody riots that spawned the West Indies islands in the 18th and 19th centuries. Initially, sugarcane presses were driven by oxen or horses. Later, in places blown by the trade winds, they were replaced by more efficient wind turbines. However, production as a whole was still quite primitive. After pressing raw cane, the resulting juice was purified using lime, clay or ash, and then evaporated in copper or iron tanks, under which a fire was made. 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 in the West Indies of the previous owners of the islands who made fortunes in this profitable business. By the middle of the 17th century the main sugar producers in the world are Santo Domingo and Brazil. Sugarcane first appeared in modern USA in 1791 in Louisiana, where it was brought by the Jesuits from Santo Domingo. True, they cultivated it here at first mainly in order to chew on sweet stems. However, forty years later, two enterprising colonists, Antonio Mendes and Etienne de Bore, planted his plantations on the site of the current New Orleans, with the goal of producing refined sugar for sale. After de Boret went on successfully, other landowners followed suit and sugarcane was cultivated throughout Louisiana. In the future, the main events in the history of cane sugar are reduced to important improvements in the technology of its cultivation, mechanical processing and final purification of the product.
Recycling. The reed is first chopped to facilitate further squeezing of juice from it. Then he enters the three-roll squeezer. Usually the reed is squeezed twice, wetting between the first and second times with water in order to dilute the sweet liquid contained in the pulp (this process is called maceration). The resulting so-called "diffusion juice" (usually gray or dark green in color) contains sucrose, glucose, gum, pectin, acids and various kinds of contaminants. The methods of cleaning it 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”; Now, to precipitate impurities, use milk of lime. Where sugar is produced based on local consumption, the diffusion juice is treated immediately with sulfur dioxide (sulfur dioxide) before adding lime to speed up bleaching and purification. Sugar turns yellowish, i.e. not completely peeled, but pleasant enough to taste. In both cases, after adding lime, the juice is poured into the clarifier-clarifier and kept there at 110-116 ° С under pressure. The next important step in the production of raw sugar is evaporation. Juice flows through pipes into evaporators, where it is heated by steam passing through a closed pipe system. When the concentration of dry matter reaches 40-50%, evaporation is continued in a vacuum apparatus. The result is a mass of sugar crystals suspended in thick molasses, the so-called massecuite. The massecuite is centrifuged, removing molasses through the mesh walls of the centrifuge, in which only sucrose crystals remain. The degree of purity of this raw sugar is 96-97%. The removed molasses (massecuite edema) is again boiled, crystallized and centrifuged. The resulting second serving of raw sugar is slightly 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 amount of impurities. This product ("black molasses") goes to the USA mainly for livestock feed. In some countries, such as India, where the soil is in dire need of fertilizer, the massecuite drain is simply plowed into the ground. Refining it briefly boils down to the following. First, the raw sugar is mixed with sugar syrup to dissolve the remains of molasses enveloping the crystals. The resulting mixture (reflux massecuite) is centrifuged. The centrifuged crystals are washed with steam to give an almost white product. It is dissolved, turning into a thick syrup, lime and phosphoric acid are added there, so that impurities emerge in the form of flakes, and then filtered through bone coal (black granular material obtained from animal bones). The main task at this stage is the complete discoloration and desalination of the product. For the refining of 45 kg of dissolved raw sugar, 4.5 to 27 kg of bone coal is consumed. The exact ratio is not established, since the absorption capacity of the filter decreases as it is used. The resulting white mass is evaporated and centrifuged after crystallization, i.e. treat it in much the same way as with sugarcane juice, after which the refined sugar is dried, removing residual water (approx. 1%) from it.
Production. Major manufacturers include Brazil, India, Cuba, as well as China, Mexico, Pakistan, the USA, Thailand, Australia and the Philippines.
BEET Sugar
Plant.  Sugar beets (Beta vulgaris) use a long silver-white root (from which sugar is obtained) and a rosette of leaves (tops), which serve as an excellent livestock feed. The root in its thickest part reaches 10-15 cm in diameter, and its thin processes penetrate the soil to a depth of 90-120 cm. The average mass of the root is approx. 1 kg; up to 15% is sucrose in it, which corresponds to about 14 teaspoons of granulated sugar. Sugar beet is grown mainly in the temperate zone, and since each plant consumes an average of approx. 55 liters of water, the culture requires abundant watering. By the time of harvesting, the water content in the roots can reach 75-80%, and in the tops - 90%. By the efficiency of photosynthesis, i.e. The conversion of solar energy and inorganic substances into organic nutrients, sugar beet is 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 North Africa. Later, in areas with a cooler climate, sugar beet became a biennial, storing sugar in the root in the first year and producing seeds in the second. Now 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 Spanish explorers, the Indians in the valley of the Santa Clara River in what is now California made some sweets from the juice of wild sugar beets. In Europe, sugar was found in beets already in the 16th century, but only in 1747 the German chemist A. Marggraf obtained crystalline sucrose from it. The most important event in the history of beet sugar occurred in 1799, when laboratory experiments of F. Ahard confirmed that the production of this product is justified from an economic point of view. As a result, already in 1802 sugar beet factories appeared in Silesia (Germany). At the beginning of the 19th century during the Napoleonic Wars, the British fleet blocked the shores of France, and sugar imports from the West Indies temporarily stopped. This forced Napoleon to turn to the German model and build a number of experienced sugar beet enterprises. In 1811, the business was already well established: sugar beet crops occupied over 32 thousand hectares, and refineries worked throughout the country. After Napoleon’s defeat, the European market was literally littered with Caribbean sugar, and the newly emerged beet sugar industry began to grow weak. Interest in him, however, increased again during the reign of Louis Philippe and Napoleon III, and since then it has been one of the important sectors of the French economy. In America, they talked about beet sugar in the 1830s. The Philadelphia-based association delegated its representatives to Europe to study its production. From 1838 to 1879, the United States made about 14 unsuccessful attempts to establish the production of beet sugar. The real catastrophe happened to the Mormons in the 1850s, when they bought equipment in France for $ 12,500, delivered it by sea to New Orleans, then up the Mississippi to Kansas, and finally from there on oxen to Utah, but to launch it failed. Success was achieved by E. Dyer, who applied new methods of production in California. Thanks to him, America began its own sugar beet production. Since then, it has been continuously developing, and now the proportion of beet sugar is approx. 25% of all refined in the USA.
Recycling. Sugar beet is a voluminous and perishable product, therefore, plants for its processing are usually built near 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 chips, which are loaded into a diffuser, where sugar is extracted from the plant mass with hot water. The result is a "diffusion juice" containing from 10 to 15% sucrose. The remaining beet pulp is an excellent livestock feed. Diffusion juice is mixed in a saturator with milk of lime. Heavy impurities settle here. Then carbon dioxide is passed through the heated solution so that lime binds non-sugar. By filtering them, they get the so-called "peeled juice". Whitening involves passing sulfur dioxide through it, and then filtering through activated carbon. Excess water is removed by evaporation. The resulting liquid ultimately contains from 50 to 65% sugar. Crystallization is carried out in huge vacuum containers sometimes as tall 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 reed, it does not require further refining and is suitable for consumption. From molasses (first outflow), a second, and then a third batch of already less pure crystals is obtained by evaporation. They are dissolved and refined.
Production.  The main manufacturers are Russia, Germany, USA, France, Poland, China, Turkey and Italy. In Europe, almost all sugar is obtained from sugar beets. In the USA, sugar beet harvest in 1991 amounted to 24 982 000 tons; It is grown mainly in Minnesota, California, Idaho and North Dakota.
Maple sugar and syrup
The maple syrup is brown in color, very sweet and has a strong peculiar flavor that arises as a result of reactions that occur during its manufacture. Maple sugar and syrup are produced almost exclusively in the northeastern United States, mainly in the states of Vermont and New York. And sugar and syrup are obtained mainly from the apiary 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 gives annually from 38 to 95 l of apiary, from which 35 times less syrup is obtained. The American Indians added it instead of salt to cereals, soups, and even to meat dishes. They also taught the collection and processing of maple apiaries of European settlers who tried to plant birch and gray walnut for the same purpose. The first written mention of this product dates back to 1760; it follows that maples grow in Canada, "giving a large amount of healthy refreshing juice," suitable for making special sugar. The Winnebug and Chippewa tribes supplied large quantities to the Northwest Fur Company. Most maple sugar and syrup were produced between 1850 and 1890. In the future, the role of these products fell, mainly because cane sugar is much cheaper. In our time, maple syrup is valued only for its special aroma and is used mainly with waffles and pancakes. Usually, people tack from the end of February to the end of April; during this period, cold, dry nights and sunny days contribute to sap flow. A hole with a diameter of 1.5 cm is drilled in a tree trunk to a depth of 5 cm and a wooden or metal groove is inserted into it, along which the juice flows into the trough. Since it can quickly ferment, the portions collected per day are immediately sent for evaporation. Processing in general follows the same pattern as in the case of sugarcane, although the technology here is somewhat simpler.

Encyclopedia of Collier. - Open Society. 2000 .

What is sugar? Sugar is commonly called sugar in everyday life. Sugar has a sweet taste; it consists of fructose and glucose. Sugar is made massively from sugar beets and less often from sugar cane. In addition to the main types of sugar, there are other types of sugar, varieties, types.

Regular sugar (granulated sugar and refined sugar) is pure sucrose. Sugar by composition is divided into disaccharides and monosaccharides. Monosaccharides include: glucose - grape sugar - and fructose - fruit sugar. Disaccharides are: sucrose - cane or beet sugar - and maltose - malt sugar. In addition to sucrose and maltose, milk sugar is also known disaccharide (or it is also called lactose).

Testologist advises. Before eating, it is important to remember that sugar is a high-carb and high-calorie food product. Only 100 grams of sugar contains 400 kcal.

Sugar is a valuable food product, moderate consumption of sweet foods improves mood, provides the body with energy. Sugars have a beneficial effect on the brain, contribute to the production of hormones of joy in the human body.

The subject of sugar is often the subject of discussion among lovers of sweets and adherents of a healthy diet. To find out whether it is worth refusing sugar, how harmful is a sweet product called “white death” by nutritionists along with salt, you need to understand the product in detail. Much of what we know about the dangers of sugar is actually myths. Information about sugar is untrue. In fact, the proper use of the product can be beneficial, and only eaten above the norm - to harm.

What is known about sugar, its types, types, varieties, effects on the body - we understand before completely eliminating sugar from our diet.

The chemical composition of sugar

The constituents of ordinary sugar are sucrose and a group of complex substances. It is the sugar formula in chemistry that is missing. 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 that we eat daily in food.

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

Fructose is considered the sweetest natural sugar. Glucose is less sweet than fructose. The glucose content exceeds the amount of fructose in the organs of plants. Glucose is a component 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. Cellobiosis.

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

Sugar production

Industrial sugar production began in India in the sixteenth century. The sugar industry in Russia and the first plant for the production of sweet products from imported raw materials appeared in 1719 in St. Petersburg. In the XIX century, sugar in Russia began to be obtained from beets grown in own fields. Most of the sugar factories of the Russian Empire worked on the territory of today's Ukraine.

Later, in the USSR, the sugar industry began to develop rapidly in Ukraine, sugar beet sugar factories were opened in various regions of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and the republics of Transcaucasia. In the 30s of the XX century, the USSR occupied the 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. At present, there are about 70 sugar beet processing plants in Russia.

What sugar is made of now

In Russia, sugar is made from sugar beets. What is sugar made in different countries except cane and beet? In different countries, it is extracted from various natural sources, plants are usually used as raw materials. Types of raw sugar:

1. The Chinese make sorghum from the juice of a cereal plant.
2. In Canada, maple syrup is often used. To prepare maple sugar, they take the juice of sugar maple.
3. Egyptians get a sweet bean food product.
4. Palm sugar (or berry) is extracted from the juice of sweet palm species in South, Southeast Asia, on most islands of the Indian Ocean.
5. In Poland, sweets are obtained from birch sap.
6. The Japanese produce malt sugar from starchy rice.
7. Mexicans feast on molasses from agave, plant juice.

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

Sugar Production

How do they make sugar? Sugar production technology has remained unchanged for many years. In order to get sugar from beetroot or to get a product from stalks of sugarcane, plant raw materials in production go through several stages of a complex technological process.

1. First of all, the beets are washed to remove dirt and cut into chips.
2. To neutralize microbes, the raw material is poured with a lime solution.
3. The cleaned mass is ground.
4. The surface of the crushed raw material is processed by active substances, as a result of a chemical reaction it is released from the raw material.
5. Sugar syrup is filtered.
6. The next step is evaporation of the syrup. It is used to remove excess water.
7. Vacuum crystallization.
8. The product obtained by crystallization consists of sucrose and molasses crystals.
9. The next step in the extraction of hard sugar is the separation of sucrose and molasses using a centrifuge.
10. In conclusion, drying is used, after drying, you can eat sugar in food.

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 the confectionery industry; such sugar cannot be bought at the store. We buy and eat regular white granular sugar or granulated sugar. A less popular type is refined lump sugar. At home, consumers widely use a product made from sugar beets, which we buy in the store.

Sugar Types

Sugar is divided by type and type. Sugars have the same composition, the difference lies in the degree of processing and the quality of cleaning the product from impurities.

There are such types of granular sugar

1. Regular Sugar - regular or it is also called crystalline. Crystalline is the most eaten type of sugar. Crystal size affects the palatability of crystalline sugar. It is an essential ingredient in home-made sweet dishes. It is used for harvesting for the winter, cooking home, it is he found in home recipes and.
2. Bakers Special - bakery has the smallest crystal size. Small bakers sugar is used in cooking for baking,.
3. Fruit sugar - fruit with small granules. Valued more than usual for the uniformity of the structure. It is used in the preparation of sweet puddings,.
4. Coarse Sugar is coarse, having large granules, which makes it an indispensable component in the production of liquors and sweets.
5. Superfine, Ultrafine, Bar Sugar is an ultrafine product with the smallest crystals, due to which sugar crystals dissolve quickly in water at any temperature. An ideal meringue component for strudel with delicate dough.
6. Confectioners (Powdered) Sugar - confectionery powder. Powder of the finest grinding is presented under the usual name sugar powder on the shelves of stores. In home cooking it is used for cream, eggs, making creams, powder is a part for Easter cakes,.
7. Sanding Sugar - sugar sprinkling. The product has large crystals. It is used, as a rule, in the confectionery industry; at home, sugar sprinkling is not used.

Assortment of sugar

The basis of the assortment of sugar in the store is granulated sugar and refined sugar. Brown sugar is today considered less popular among buyers, unlike white. Sugar Range:

1. Hard and loose.
2. Granulated sugar.
3. Chipped, lump sugar and sawn.
4. Lollipop, stone.

Beet White Sugar

White or regular sugar is an ordinary sweetener in food. It is obtained by processing sugarcane or sugar beets. Sugar industry enterprises produce the main types of white sugar - granulated sugar and refined sugar. White sugar is available 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 is dissolved in water, the resulting syrup is further purified - refined. As a result of refining, refined is obtained with a high content of sucrose, is a product that is maximally purified from impurities.

Refined sugar is produced in the following assortment:

1. The pressed refined crushed.
2. Pressed refined cubes.
3. Pressed instant refined.
4. Pressed refined sugar in small packaging is the road option.
5. Refined high biological value with the addition of lemongrass or eleutherococcus.

The refined product is packed in cardboard boxes and in this form the goods from sugar factories go to stores.

Granulated sugar

Refined granulated sugar is produced from refined 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 sand contains a small amount of nutrients: calcium, sodium, iron and potassium. Granulated sugar in bags and packages.

Vanilla sugar

The culinary experts of vanilla sugar are often called vanilla or vanillin. What is the difference between vanilla and vanilla sugar? In order to understand how ordinary sugar differs from vanilla sugar, you need to know what vanilla sugar is.

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

Brown cane sugar

Get cane sugar from cane juice. There are many varieties of cane sugar, the main difference between the species is in the quantitative content of molasses (molasses) in sugar. Brown is unrefined cane sugar. Dark brown has a dark color and is saturated with the aroma of molasses in contrast to light brown sugar.

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

Types of Cane Sugar

1. High quality
2. Special.
3. Special.
4. Refined peeled
5. Unrefined.
6. Brown unpeeled.

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

Cane Sugar Varieties

1. Variety Demerara (Demerara sugar). Unrefined, light, brown with large crystals. It has a strong aroma of molasses. Demerara is used as a natural sweetener for tea and coffee. Demerara is added to, its large crystals are used for sprinkling, rolls,.
2. Muscavado (Muscavado sugar). Unrefined sugar, crystalline and saturated with the aroma of molasses. The crystals are slightly larger than ordinary brown, but not as large as Demerar.
3. Turbinado (Turbinado sugar). Partially refined. Large crystals from yellow to brown. It has a pleasant caramel flavor. Ideal for sweet and savory.
4. Barbados (Soft molasses sugar / Black Barbados sugar). Soft, thin and moist. It has a dark color, has 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. Reed can be bought in refined, unrefined and unpeeled form. This is the difference between cane sugar and white sugar.

Liquid sugars

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

Amber-colored liquid with molasses is used to add a special aroma to food products.

Another type belongs to liquid types - invert sugar.

What is invert sugar

Invert Sugar is a sugar in liquid form consisting of a mixture of glucose and fructose. It is 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 best to buy for, white beet or brown dark cane. How to choose?

All sugar - white and brown - causes food dependence, applies. When cooking, as you know, it is impossible to do without sugar. You can buy inexpensive granulated sugar, refined sugar of good quality or low-quality, but expensive brown sugar that is popular with healthy food supporters. Under the guise of cane sugar, sugar colored with sugar color is often sold. 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 a chemical treatment of the product.

You can safely buy white sugar in the factory packaging, on it a bona fide producer, as a rule, indicates the following data on the pack:

1. Category. The category is first or Extra.
2. GOST R 55396-2009.
3. The nutritional value of the product.
4. What raw material is sand or refined made from: beetroot or raw cane sugar.
5. Year of manufacture and packing date.

Packets of lump sugar contain the same data as packs of granulated sugar. Powdered sugar produced at a sugar mill contains harmful additives. They are added so that the powder remains loose and does not stray into lumps. It is more useful to cook the powder at home; to prepare it, you need to grind simple granulated sugar in a mill.

1. Sausages, sausages.
2. Ketchups.
3. Instant porridge in packages, breakfast cereals.
4. Canned meat.
5. Fat-free yogurts, curds.
6. Juices, soda, cocktails.
7. Syrups, ice cream.
8. Frozen Foods.
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, it is widely used in the chemical industry.

What is sugar harmful to the human body

First of all, sugar is harmful for people with a sedentary lifestyle. Refined product is quickly absorbed by the human body and instantly raises the level of glucose in the blood.

Elevated blood sugar, as you know, contributes to the development of diabetes. The load on the pancreas increases, and the gland does not have time to produce the right amount of insulin, which is necessary for normal human life.

Excessive consumption of sugar harms the teeth, the figure. Being overweight and sweet in appearance, in addition to fats, harms the body. Compliance with sucrose instead of harm benefits the human body. Sugar eaten beyond normal causes harm.

The rate of sweet

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

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

Remember! Excessive consumption leads the sweet tooth more often than others to obesity, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

How can I 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 foods, they are less high-calorie and more useful:

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

How to store sugar at home

Sugar, as a food product, has its expiration date. For proper preservation of all long-stored food products, it is necessary to observe the conditions of their storage at home.

Shelf life of sugar is estimated in years. Sugar refers to long-term storage products. 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 should be stored in a dry place at a temperature not exceeding 25+. Shelf life is 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 cloth bag, for use during 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 one can often hear that brown sugar is healthier than white. This is actually a myth. The peeled product from beets or cane does not contain vitamins, minerals, it does not have fiber.

Nutritionists advise replacing sucrose with fresh fructose if possible, reduce the consumption of sweets and monitor blood glucose levels to stay healthy for years to eat properly using healthy foods.