White sugar
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White sugar, also called table sugar, granulated sugar, or regular sugar, is a commonly used type of sugar, made either of beet sugar or cane sugar, which has undergone a refining process. It is nearly pure sucrose.
Description
The refining process completely removes the molasses from cane juice or beet juice to give the disaccharide white sugar, sucrose. It has a purity higher than 99.7%.<ref name="miti6">Template:Cite news</ref> Its molecular formula is Template:Chem.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> White sugars produced from sugar cane and sugar beet are chemically indistinguishable: it is possible, however, to identify their origin through a carbon-13 analysis.<ref name="miti6"/>
White sugar (and some brown sugar) produced from sugar cane may be refined using bone char by a few sugar cane refiners.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Beet sugar has never been processed with bone char and is vegan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In modern times, activated carbon and ion-exchange resin may be used Template:Crossreference.
From a chemical and nutritional point of view, white sugar does not contain—in comparison to brown sugar—some minerals (such as calcium, potassium, iron, and magnesium) present in small quantities in molasses.<ref name="focus">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="connor">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="miti5"/> The only detectable differences are, therefore, the white color and the less intense flavor.<ref name="miti5">Template:Cite news</ref>
Health impacts
The overconsumption of white sugar (or any sugar) brings many health consequences,<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> including heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes. The CDC recommends limiting daily sugar consumption to less than 200 calories worth (about 12 teaspoons/48 grams) on a 2000 calorie diet.<ref name=":0" />
References
External links
- All about White sugar – The Spruce Eats