Different Kinds of Sugar
Sugar is divided into 2 types according to production characteristics: sugar produced on an industrial scale and sugar produced at the household level. Here, the sugar produced in the industry will be classified and discussed.
Different kinds of Sugar produced in the industry
1. Raw Sugar
Raw Sugar is sucrose in crystalline form with low purity. It looks like light brown or dark brown crystals, moderate humidity, a lot of molasses, Sugar flakes hold together tightly, not crumbly. It can be produced from sugarcane juice, consists of crushing sugarcane, separating the impurities by sedimentation bleaching with lime. This type of sugar is not edible sugar. But it is used as raw material to produce refined sugar.
2. Plantation or Mill White Sugar
Plantation or Mill White Sugar is sucrose in crystal form, white to light yellow, molasses and low moisture content. Sugar flakes do not hold tight. It is more crumbly than raw sugar. It uses to bleach sugarcane color using SO2 gas or CO2 gas. This type of sugar is commonly used for the food industry, soft drinks and also for household use.
3. Refined Sugar
Refined Sugar is sucrose in crystalline form that is very high purity. It looks like a clear white scale, high cleanliness, no molasses and with very little or no moisture at all. It is white sugar that is available in the general market which is commonly used in the food industry and in the household.
4. Brown Sugar
Brown Sugar is a type of white sugar that is clear, light brown with small flakes and has less moisture than raw sugar
5. Soft Brown Sugar
Soft Brown Sugar is a fine powdered sugar, light brown to reddish brown with smells of burnt sugar. It is a sugar that has a high moisture content, so it doesn’t clump. Crystal size depends on molasses content. If there is a lot of molasses, the color will be dark, the crystals will be large and clump together, giving off a strong flavor and smell. Sometimes it called raw sugar because it is unrefined sugar. There is production at the household level and also industrial level. This kind of sugar is commonly used as a substitute for white sugar. For example, it is used as a substitute for other expensive sugars in the production of soy sauce and used to mix with food.
6. Icing Sugar
Icing Sugar is sugar obtained by grinding white sugar until fine and being sifted through a sieve to the desired size, ready to add anti-caking agent such as tapioca starch, rice flour and silicon dioxide. This type of sugar is commonly used for making desserts, desserts decoration and making cream fillings.
7. Caster Sugar
Caster Sugar is being made from sugar to be ground thoroughly until it becomes a grain of sugar, similar to icing sugar, but there is no added anti-caking agent only. It has the property to dissolve easily. It’s therefore popularly used for cooking or used as an ingredient in baking.
8. Pounds of Sugar (Cube Sugar)
Pounds of Sugar (Cube Sugar) is produced by compressing white sugar into a square shape and blowing with cold air to solidify which has a moisture content of about 0.5-1.0%. It is commonly used in tea and coffee.
9. Rock Sugar (Crystalline Sugar)
Rock sugar (Crystalline Sugar) is sugar made from sugarcane syrup or refined sugar dissolved in water, and
crystallize slowly, not bleaching. It looks like alum, white and clear color. This type of sugar has a sweet taste. It is commonly used to mix food that requires elaboration, such as stewed bird’s nest, stewed medicine, and made various kinds of desserts.
10. Honey (Honey)
Honey is a sugar in the form of a solution that comes from the nectar of flower pollen. The composition is mainly fructose rather than glucose with humidity about 18–20%.
11. Syrup
Syrup is sugar in liquid form. It can be prepared by bringing white sugar or various types of sugar to dissolve in water and simmer until a concentrated sugar solution is obtained. The color characteristics are different according to the type of sugar being used. In case of using raw sugar or colored sugar but clearer syrup is required, then Eggshells must be used to add to the simmering pot as well.
In the production of syrup in industry, starch is digested by acid or enzyme until a solution of glucose or other sugars is obtained from the flour used which are;
– Glucose Syrup, also known as glucose syrup, is a syrup obtained from the digestion of starch or sucrose, until it becomes glucose and fructose and then separate the sugar fructose, leaving only glucose. It is a sticky sugar with moderately sweet, being commonly used to make sweets, candy, chewing gum, etc.
– Fructose Syrup is a syrup obtained from the digestion of starch or sucrose, until only fructose is left. It is a very popular sugar used in the beverage industry and food industry.
– Maple Syrup is a syrup obtained from simmering the rubber of maple trees. The moisture content does not exceed about 35%, mainly composed of glucose. It is a specific type of syrup, unlike other sugars because it contains calcium and iron. It is commonly used as a topping for ice cream, an ingredient in bread, etc.
– Artificial Fruit Syrup. It is a syrup obtained by dissolving sugar in water and adding fruit extracts to give it a fruity, sticky, brown flavor with a sweet and bitter taste. It is commonly used in desserts, for fermenting alcohol, produce MSG or dark soy sauce, and etc.
