Non-centrifugal cane sugar

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Jaggery, non-centrifugal cane sugar, Myanmar. Indein, Sugarcane, Cane sugar, Shan State, Myanmar.jpg
Jaggery, non-centrifugal cane sugar, Myanmar.

Non-centrifugal cane sugar (NCS) is the technical name given to traditional raw sugar obtained by evaporating water from sugarcane juice. NCS is internationally recognized as a discrete and unique product by the FAO [1] since 1964 and by the World Customs Organization (WCO) since 2007. WCO defines NCS as "cane sugar obtained without centrifugation". It also states that "the product contains only natural anhedral micro-crystals, of irregular shape, not visible to the naked eye, which are surrounded by molasses' residues and other constituents of sugar cane". NCS is produced in most sugarcane-growing regions of the world, being known by many different names such as panela, jaggery, or gur. [2] [3] Some varieties of muscovado are non-centrifugal.

Contents

Composition

NCS contains over 90% carbohydrate, sucrose being the predominant (near 80%) sugar. [4] It also contains minerals (up to 3%), mainly calcium, potassium, sodium, chloride and phosphates, but also a number of essential nutrients or oligo-elements including iron, zinc, magnesium, copper, cobalt, nickel and chromium. [5] [6] The particular chemical composition of NCS depends on the cane variety used, the soils on which it was grown, the fertilization applied and the processing methods.

Economy

Generally produced for local markets, NCS probably was the dominant form of cane sugar consumption before the advent of large-scale production of refined sugar for export markets after 1700. [7] Today, NCS has practically disappeared in most non-sugarcane producing countries, as it is traded internationally only in small amounts. However, NCS remains important in most sugarcane producing countries, as shown by the average share in the daily consumption of caloric sweeteners (g/person/day, 2007) in the following countries: Myanmar 46%; Bangladesh 20%; Colombia 19%; India 10%; Pakistan 10%. [8]

Most of NCS is produced on small scale in farms which process their own sugar cane using traditional technology. Production appears inefficient and its quality uneven. In some countries, such as India, Colombia, Brazil and Costa Rica, a larger scale NCS industry exists, which process cane from outside farmers using improved technology, which is centered on more efficient energy use and better processing to obtain homogeneous quality and scale-savings.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) [8] world NCS production has been practically stagnant since the mid 1980s, after modest increases in the previous twenty years, stabilizing at about 12 to 14 million metric tons per year. The real amount produced may be greater given the difficulties in tracking small scale on-farm production. However, whilst production of NCS has been declining in Asia, it has been rising, even if only slowly, in Latin America. [9] NCS production in Latin America reached an all-time high in 2011, surpassing the two million metric ton level for the first time. This compares to around 1.6 million tons 20 years earlier. In Colombia, the share of sugarcane allocated to production of NCS is now the highest worldwide, at 40%. In Brazil, output rose from an estimated 280,000 tons in 2005 to 470,000 tons in 2011. [9] NCS is traded mostly locally in un-branded, solid presentations, such as blocks, cones or other shapes. Given the challenges associated with dealing with these solid presentations in the kitchen and in industry, such a trait restricts its consumption. In some countries (for example, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Costa Rica) solid NCS is being progressively replaced by user-friendly, branded, granulated presentations, often packed in plastic or paper bags for use at home and also as an industrial sweetener for the preparation of beverages and many other processed foods. It is also used to produce alcoholic beverages such as rum, and as a substrate for fermentation processes to produce alcohol and other derivatives.

The international trade in NCS has been small and decreasing, reaching more recently levels in the order of 50,000 tons per year. Again, the true quantities are probably greater, as NCS is classified in different ways by importing countries. The introduction of the granulated presentation has permitted the development of a small specialty market in Europe, U.S. and Japan supplied by at least a few producers from India, Costa Rica, Colombia and Brazil. [8]

Technology

NCS is clean dried sugar cane juice. Given the high sugar content of cane juice NCS is essentially made up of crystals of sucrose mixed with molasses, and many additional constituents of cane juice, like inverted sugars (glucose and fructose), minerals, vitamins, organic acids, and other trace substances, many still unknown. Depending on its manufacturing process it is either presented in solid form, known as lump sugar, or granulated form.

Manufacturing process

Sugar cane juice boiling, Myanmar. Indein, Sugarcane, Sugar cane juice, Shan State, Myanmar.jpg
Sugar cane juice boiling, Myanmar.
Non-centrifugal cane sugar (jaggery) production near Inle Lake (Myanmar). Crushing and boiling stage.

The basic manufacture process of NCS involves juice extraction, physical elimination of impurities and clarification of the juice, evaporation of the water content of the juice, crystallization, eventually drying and packaging. [10]

The cane juice is generally extracted from cleaned and eventually shredded cane stalks by mechanical processes, commonly with simple crushers consisting of three metal rollers. It is filtered to separate bagasse particles and/or allowed to settle so to eliminate solid impurities.

Clarification is carried out to coagulate the particulates, which come to the surface during boiling and are skimmed off. A variety of materials are used, such as plant material, ash, etc. With the aim of neutralizing the juice, which facilitates the formation of sugar crystals, lime or sulfur dioxide are added. In some of the larger factories the juice is filtered and chemically clarified.

Boiling, typically in open pans, either in a single pan or in a series of pans placed above a furnace, is how water gets evaporated. Vacuum pans are used in larger enterprises. Crystallization is accomplished in the final stage of evaporation by either pouring the heavy syrup into suitable molds to produce solid forms or swirling the syrup to produce granular result. The granulated product may be dried to enhance its flow and shelf life. Both solid and granulated presentations are then packed.

Nutrition and health

The progressive loss of worldwide importance of NCS is a typical case of the displacement of a traditional product by an industrialized alternative, in this case by refined sugar and other caloric and non-caloric sweeteners, as judged from the decreasing relative importance of NCS within caloric sweetener consumption. [11] This is part of broader changes in global food consumption patterns characterized by a large increase in refined foods, especially fats, sugar and flours. This pattern, part of a more general nutrition transition, has been linked to the development of diseases such as obesity, diabetes and strokes, which have taken on epidemic proportions in many countries. [12] Increasing recognition of the negative impacts of current dominant diets and sedentary behavioral patterns may help reverse such a pattern and hopefully allow better health upon aging. "Natural" and "organic" products appear increasingly popular, attaining significant market shares in many countries. Conversely, refined and "industrial" products tend to be negatively perceived, among them specially refined sugar and non-caloric sweeteners. This might open opportunities for the revival of NCS consumption.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double sugars, are molecules made of two bonded monosaccharides; common examples are sucrose, lactose, and maltose. White sugar is a refined form of sucrose. In the body, compound sugars are hydrolysed into simple sugars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sucrose</span> Disaccharide made of glucose and fructose

Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits. It is produced naturally in plants and is the main constituent of white sugar. It has the molecular formula C
12H
22O
11.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syrup</span> Thick, viscous solution of sugar in water

In cooking, syrup is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but showing little tendency to deposit crystals. Its consistency is similar to that of molasses. The viscosity arises from the multiple hydrogen bonds between the dissolved sugar, which has many hydroxyl (OH) groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refinery</span> Production facility for processing raw materials

A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaggery</span> Unrefined cane sugar

Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Africa. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in colour. It contains up to 50% sucrose, up to 20% invert sugars, and up to 20% moisture, with the remainder made up of other insoluble matter, such as wood ash, proteins, and bagasse fibres. Jaggery is very similar to muscovado, an important sweetener in Portuguese, British and French cuisine. The Kenyan Sukari ngutu/nguru has no fibre; it is dark and is made from sugar cane and also sometimes extracted from palm tree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown sugar</span> Sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown colour

Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is by tradition an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content, but is now often produced by the addition of molasses to refined white sugar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panela</span> Unrefined whole cane sugar, typical of Latin America

Panela or rapadura is an unrefined whole cane sugar, typical of Central and Latin America. It is a solid form of sucrose derived from the boiling and evaporation of sugarcane juice. Panela is known by other names in Latin America, such as chancaca in Chile, Bolivia, and Peru, piloncillo in Mexico. Just like brown sugar, two varieties of piloncillo are available; one is lighter (blanco) and one darker (oscuro). Unrefined, it is commonly used in Mexico, where it has been around for at least 500 years. Made from crushed sugar cane, the juice is collected, boiled, and poured into molds, where it hardens into blocks. Elsewhere in the world, the word jaggery describes a similar foodstuff. Both are considered non-centrifugal cane sugars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muscovado</span> Type of unrefined brown sugar

Muscovado is a type of partially refined to unrefined sugar with a strong molasses content and flavour, and dark brown in colour. It is technically considered either a non-centrifugal cane sugar or a centrifuged, partially refined sugar according to the process used by the manufacturer. Muscovado contains higher levels of various minerals than processed white sugar, and is considered by some to be healthier. Its main uses are in food and confectionery, and the manufacture of rum and other forms of alcohol. The largest producer and consumer of muscovado is India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-fructose corn syrup</span> Processed corn syrup

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugarcane juice</span> Liquid extracted from sugarcane

Sugarcane juice is the liquid extracted from pressed sugarcane. It is consumed as a beverage in many places, especially where sugarcane is commercially grown, such as Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, North Africa, and Latin America. Sugarcane juice is obtained by crushing peeled sugar cane in a mill and is one of the main precursors of rum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Colombia</span> Economic sector in Colombia

Agriculture in Colombia refers to all agricultural activities, essential to food, feed, and fiber production, including all techniques for raising and processing livestock within the Republic of Colombia. Plant cultivation and livestock production have continuously abandoned subsistence agricultural practices in favour of technological farming resulting in cash crops which contribute to the economy of Colombia. The Colombian agricultural production has significant gaps in domestic and/or international human and animal sustenance needs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugarcane</span> Several species of grass cultivated for sugar production

Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, perennial grass that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sucrose, which accumulates in the stalk internodes. Sugarcanes belong to the grass family, Poaceae, an economically important flowering plant family that includes maize, wheat, rice, and sorghum, and many forage crops. It is native to the warm temperate and tropical regions of India, Southeast Asia, and New Guinea. Grown in tropical and subtropical regions, sugarcane is the world's largest crop by production quantity, totaling 1.9 billion tonnes in 2020, with Brazil accounting for 40% of the world total. Sugarcane accounts for 79% of sugar produced globally. About 70% of the sugar produced comes from Saccharum officinarum and its hybrids. All sugarcane species can interbreed, and the major commercial cultivars are complex hybrids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of sugar</span>

The history of sugar has five main phases:

  1. The extraction of sugar cane juice from the sugarcane plant, and the subsequent domestication of the plant in tropical India and Southeast Asia sometime around 4,000 BC.
  2. The invention of manufacture of cane sugar granules from sugarcane juice in India a little over two thousand years ago, followed by improvements in refining the crystal granules in India in the early centuries AD.
  3. The spread of cultivation and manufacture of cane sugar to the medieval Islamic world together with some improvements in production methods.
  4. The spread of cultivation and manufacture of cane sugar to the West Indies and tropical parts of the Americas beginning in the 16th century, followed by more intensive improvements in production in the 17th through 19th centuries in that part of the world.
  5. The development of beet sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners in the 19th and 20th centuries.
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugarcane mill</span> Factory that processes sugar cane to produce raw or white sugar

A sugar cane mill is a factory that processes sugar cane to produce raw sugar or plantation white sugar. Some sugar mills are situated next to a back-end refinery, that turns raw sugar into (refined) white sugar.

Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida is a vertically integrated agricultural enterprise that harvests, transports and processes sugarcane grown primarily in Palm Beach County, Florida and markets the raw sugar and blackstrap molasses through the Florida Sugar and Molasses Exchange. The Cooperative is made up of 45 grower-owners who produce sugarcane on approximately 70,000 acres of some of the most fertile farmland in America, located in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA). Sugarcane grown by Cooperative members is harvested, transported and processed. The raw sugar is then marketed to one of the ASR Group's sugar refineries. The Cooperative produces more than 350,000 tons of raw sugar annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Added sugar</span> Caloric sweeteners added to food and beverages

Added sugars or free sugars are sugar carbohydrates added to food and beverages at some point before their consumption. These include added carbohydrates, and more broadly, sugars naturally present in honey, syrup, and fruits. They can take multiple chemical forms, including sucrose, glucose (dextrose), and fructose.

The sugar industry of the United States produces sugarcane and sugar beets, operates sugar refineries, and produces and markets refined sugars, sugar-sweetened goods, and other products. The United States is among the world's largest sugar producers. Unlike most other sugar producing countries, the United States has both large and well-developed sugarcane and sugar beet industries. Refined sugarcane, processed sugar beet, and high-fructose corn syrup are all commonly used in the U.S. as added sugars to sweeten food and beverages.

References

  1. ↑ "Sugar non-centrifugal". data.fao.org. Retrieved Aug 27, 2014.
  2. ↑ ". FAO, Definition and Classification of Commodities, 3. Sugar Crops and Sweeteners and Derived Products" (PDF). www.panelamonitor.org. Retrieved Aug 25, 2014.
  3. ↑ "World Customs Organization 2011" (PDF). www.panelamonitor.org. Retrieved Aug 25, 2014.
  4. ↑ "PANELA / CHANCACA / RASPADURA / PILONCILLO". www.ccbolgroup.com. Retrieved Aug 29, 2014.
  5. ↑ Guerra, Marisa Josefina; Mujica, María Virginia (March 2010). "Physical and chemical properties of granulated cane sugar 'panelas'". Food Science and Technology. 30 (1): 250–257. doi: 10.1590/S0101-20612010005000012 .
  6. ↑ "What is Panela?". www.panelamonitor.org. Retrieved Aug 28, 2014.
  7. ↑ Galloway, J. H. (2000). "Sugar". The Cambridge World History of Food. pp. 437–449. doi:10.1017/CHOL9780521402149.045. ISBN   978-1-139-05863-6.
  8. 1 2 3 Jaffé, W.R. "NON CENTRIFUGAL SUGAR: WORLD PRODUCTION AND TRADE" (PDF). www.panelamonitor.org. Retrieved Aug 28, 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Special focus. Non-centrifugal sugar: A survey" (PDF). www.panelamonitor.org. Retrieved Aug 27, 2014.
  10. ↑ Jaffé, W.R. "centrifugal cane sugar (NCS) (panela, jaggery, gur, muscovado) process technology and the need of its innovation" (PDF). www.panelamonitor.org. Retrieved Aug 27, 2014.
  11. ↑ Popkin, Barry M. (December 2012). "Sugary beverages represent a threat to global health". Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism. 23 (12): 591–593. doi:10.1016/j.tem.2012.07.003. PMID   22867870. S2CID   20909210.
  12. ↑ Popkin, Barry M. "The Nutrition Transition in the Developing World" (PDF). www.cpc.unc.edu. Retrieved Aug 28, 2014.
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