What is the difference between brown sugar and white sugar

Due to the presence of molasses in brown sugar, it retains some moisture and is best suited to baked desserts which have a soft texture. If you are planning to eliminate sugar from your diet then there are a number of healthy substitutes available in the market.

You can opt for stevia or coconut sugar, which are similar in taste and appearance. Maple syrup, honey and agave nectar are some of the options that can replace sugar in your diet.

The best option to pick when switching from white sugar is shakkar. Shakkar is unprocessed and rich in nutrients like potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron. You can also use jaggery to sweeten up your desserts or beverages. If consumed in large quantities, no sweetener can be termed as healthy or better.

So, the key lies in moderation. Even if you consume white or brown sugar, it is better to use them mindfully. Excess of any sweetener, be it honey, jaggery, shakkar or maple syrup can be harmful to your body.

As long as your consumption remains moderate, you are good to go with a sweetener of your choice. For scrumptious recipes, videos and exciting food news, subscribe to our free Daily and Weekly Newsletters.

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Your current city: Mumbai Mumbai search close. White sugar is produced through a purifying process that removes a brown syrup called molasses. On the other hand, brown sugar either undergoes less processing to retain its molasses content or is produced by mixing white sugar with molasses. While they can sometimes be used interchangeably , doing so may affect the color, flavor, or texture of your final product. The molasses in brown sugar retains moisture, so using it will result in baked goods that are softer yet denser.

For example, cookies made with brown sugar will be more moist and dense, whereas cookies made with white sugar will rise to a greater extent, allowing more air into the dough and resulting in an airier texture. In contrast, brown sugar is used for dense baked goods, such as zucchini bread and rich cookies. Swapping white sugar for brown sugar in recipes will affect the color of foods, giving a light-caramel or brown hue.

Contrarily, baking with white sugar will result in a lighter-colored product. Thus, whichever you choose will depend on your desired end result. Brown and white sugar also have unique flavor profiles. Brown sugar has a deep, caramel or toffee-like flavor due to the added molasses. For this reason, it works well in chocolate cakes and cookies, as well as rich fruit cakes.

On the other hand, white sugar is sweeter, so you can use less of it to attain your desired taste. Its neutral flavor makes it a versatile ingredient in baking, working well in fruit sponges and sweet pastries.

White and brown sugar are used similarly in cooking. However, brown sugar contains molasses, which will affect the taste and color of food. Whether you choose white or brown sugar comes down to personal preference, as taste and color are the main differences between the two.

Importantly, sugar is thought to be a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic and major cause of diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease 8 , 9 , However, this should be limited even further for optimal health 11 , When choosing between brown or white sugar, let your personal preference guide you, as they will have equal effects on your health.

Brown and white sugar have different flavors and textures, while recipes often call for a specific type. Substituting another kind of sugar can change the overall texture and taste of a dish. This article explores the nutritional differences between white and brown sugar.

It also examines how manufacturers make each type, and discusses which type is best for baking and using in foods and drinks. Finally, it offers more nutritious alternatives.

White and brown sugar contain similar calories. Brown sugar contains calories per grams g , while white sugar contains calories per g. Brown sugar contains more calcium than white sugar, with 83 milligrams mg per g compared to 1 mg per g of white sugar. Equally, other minerals, such as iron, are slightly higher in brown sugar. However, per teaspoon, the tiny differences in these mineral amounts are not worthy of consideration, as sugar is not a nutrient-dense food.

This means that if a person consumes 2, calories a day, no more than of them should come from added sugar, equating to about 12 teaspoons. Learn more about the nutrition of added sugar. Learn the effects of eating too much sugar on the body. The Sugar Association explains that manufacturers make all sugar by extracting sugar juice from sugar beet or sugar cane plants.

The production process involves cleaning, crystallizing, and drying the raw sugar. During the production process, manufacturers separate sugar crystals from molasses, a thick, dark brown syrup naturally present in sugar beet and sugar cane. Sugar cane molasses feature a sweet flavor, but sugar beet molasses are not very sweet, and manufacturers use this for animal feeds and other industries.

Brown sugar has molasses and a little richer flavor. White sugar has no molasses and is just plain sweet. Um, maybe. White sugar and brown sugar have the same degree of sweetness, so you can exchange the two. As we mentioned above, brown sugar has a little different flavor than white sugar, so you might notice a change in the flavor of your recipe. Brown sugar also has a little more liquid in it than white sugar, so it will react a little different in your recipes.

Different ingredients and different amounts of wet or dry ingredients will change the way the brown sugar interacts. So, maybe you can substitute white sugar for brown sugar. You must be logged in to post a comment.