Brown sugar 517951 217702822 2008-06-07T07:24:30Z Closedmouth 372693 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/219.95.199.192|219.95.199.192]] to last version by 69.138.73.77 ([[WP:HG|huggle]]) :''This page is about the sugar product. For other uses see [[brown sugar (disambiguation)]].'' <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Brownsugar.JPG|thumb|250px|right|Brown sugar typical of that bought in Western supermarkets]] --> '''Brown sugar''' is a [[sucrose]] [[sugar]] product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of [[molasses]]. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar [[crystal]]s with some residual molasses content or produced by the addition of molasses to refined [[white sugar]]. Brown sugar contains from 3.5% molasses ('''light brown sugar''') to 6.5% [[molasses]] ('''dark brown sugar'''). The product is naturally moist from the [[Hygroscopy|hygroscopic]] nature of the molasses and is often labelled as "soft." The product may undergo processing to give a product that flows better for industrial handling. The addition of dyes and/or other chemicals may be permitted in some areas or for industrial products. Particle size is variable but generally less than granulated white sugar. Products for industrial use (e.g. the industrial production of cakes) may be based on [[caster sugar]] which has crystals of approximately 0.35 mm. ==Manufacture== Many brown sugar producers produce brown sugar by adding cane molasses to completely refined white sugar crystals in order to more carefully control the ratio of molasses to sugar crystals and to reduce manufacturing costs. This also allows the production of brown sugars to be based predominantly on beet sugar. Brown sugar prepared in this manner is often much coarser than its unrefined equivalent and its molasses may be easily separated from the crystals by simple washing to reveal the underlying white sugar crystals; with unrefined brown there is inclusion of molasses within the crystal which will appear off-white if washed. This is mainly done for inventory control and convenience. The molasses usually used is that obtained from [[sugar cane]], because the flavor is generally preferred over [[Molasses#Sugar beet molasses|beet sugar molasses]]. Although in some areas, especially in the [[Netherlands]], [[sugar beet]] molasses is used. The white sugar used can be from either beet or cane as odour and color differences will be covered by the molasses. Brown sugar can be made at home by mixing white granulated sugar with molasses, using one [[tablespoon]] of molasses for every [[Cup (unit)|cup]] of white sugar (one-sixteenth or 6.25% of the total [[volume]]). Thorough blending will yield dark brown sugar; for light brown sugar, between one and two teaspoons of molasses per cup should be used instead. It is, however, simpler to substitute molasses for an equal portion of white sugar while cooking, without mixing them separately. When a recipe calls for "brown sugar" it is usually referring to dark brown sugar, light brown sugar should only be used when specified.{{Fact|date=August 2007}} ==Nutritional value== Brown sugar has a slightly lower caloric value by weight than white sugar due to the presence of water. One hundred grams of brown sugar contains 373 calories, as opposed to 396 calories in white sugar.<ref name=newsci>New Scientist. [http://www.newscientist.com/backpage.ns?id=mg18925352.300 I'm Sweet Enough] 21 January 2006</ref> However, brown sugar packs more densely than white sugar due to the smaller crystal size and may have more calories when measured by volume. One tablespoon of brown sugar has 48 calories against 45 calories for white sugar<ref>[http://www.sugar.org/consumers/15_calories.asp Sugar Association<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <p>Brown sugar is reputed to have some value as a home remedy for menstrual cramps, though this is likely apocryphal.<ref>Shils, Olson, and Shike. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. Eighth edition. [http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/Dec2002/1040585062.Me.r.html] </ref> John Yudkin, in his studies (cited in "Pure, White and Deadly" - UK title) that rats fed brown sugar, as opposed to white sugar, suffered all the same ills from such consumption as did the control group fed white sugar, while their offspring did not exhibit the same abnormalities related to the offspring of the rats fed on white sugar. This led to the conclusion that there are some trace nutritional aspects he was unable to detect in brown sugar that made it less harmful than white sugar, though the impact could only be detected in their offspring. Nutritionally, apart from pure carbohydrate, he was not able to detect any nutritional component to white or brown sugar, and such pure carbohydrate is on the list to avoid (therefore the term ''nutritional'' is suspect in this case) in the [[World Health Organization]] and FAO study [http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/AC911E/ac911e07.htm#bm07.1.3] on obesity and chronic preventable diseases. Note this study does state that carbohydrates in their ''intrinsic'' or ''unrefined'' form are nutritionally highly beneficial and should make up 55-75% of our diet, but they are fundamentally different from ''extrinsic'' carbohydrates such as both white and brown sugar. ==History== In the late 1800s, the newly consolidated refined white sugar industry, which did not have full control over brown sugar production, mounted a smear campaign against brown sugar, reproducing microscopic photographs of harmless but repulsive-looking microbes living in brown sugar. The effort was so successful that by 1900, a best-selling cookbook warned that brown sugar was of inferior quality and was susceptible to infestation by "a minute insect."<ref name="revolution">Levenstein, Harvey. [http://books.google.com/books?id=NXULJejXRWoC Revolution at the Table] Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003. 32-33</ref> ==Natural brown sugar== [[Image:Muscovadosugar.jpg|thumb|right|260px|A measuring cup containing muscovado (left); on the right is a measuring cup containing regular (light) brown sugar.]] '''Natural brown sugar''' is a name for '''raw sugar''' which is a brown sugar produced from the first crystallisation of the sugar cane. As such "natural brown sugar" is free of additional dyes and chemicals. There is more molasses in brown sugar, giving it a higher mineral content. Some natural brown sugars have particular names and characteristics, and are sold as: [[Demerara (sugar)|Demerara]] or [[Muscovado]]. ==References== {{reflist|1}} == See also == Related sugar types * [[Demerara (sugar)]] * [[Muscovado]] * [[Molasses Sugar]] * [[Sucanat]] * [[Jaggery]] ==External links== *[http://yarchive.net/food/brown_sugar.html Usenet posting about sugar refining techniques] *[http://www.britishsugar.co.uk/RVE45ab7523614a40cc9e5fcb3e40ccb7f6,,.aspx British Sugar - Brown sugar products] [[Category:Sweeteners]] [[Category:Sugar|Brown sugar ]] [[da:Farin]] [[fr:Cassonade]] [[ja:黒砂糖]] [[sv:Farinsocker]]