Does Beet Sugar Bring Benefits?

Have you ever heard of beet sugar? Find out here if this sugar provides health benefits compared to cane sugar.

Sugar is part of our life. We consume it regularly through soft drinks, pastries, cakes and even through certain sauces and processed foods.

Do you know what beet sugar is? Is it really better for your health than cane sugar? Find out the answer to this question in this article.

What is beet sugar?

Beet sugar is extracted from the sugar beet. It is a root vegetable from the beet family that we usually eat in salads. You may not know it, but this plant is, along with sugar cane, the most widely used plant to produce refined sugar (white sugar) around the world.

Sugar beets are also used to produce brown sugar and molasses. As you can imagine by now, you have ever consumed beet sugar without even knowing that the sugar came from this vegetable! And this is quite normal: in many products, the origin of the sugar is not indicated.

To obtain beet sugar, it is necessary to extract the juice from this vegetable and purify it through cooking. The juice will eventually turn into concentrated syrup which, once crystallized, becomes beet sugar.

The history of this sugar

We have known sugar for a long time. Evidence of its existence dates back to ancient Persia, to the time of Alexander the Great. Knowledge about sugar spread throughout Europe during the Crusades. But at that time, it was a luxury item reserved only for the rich.

In Spain, sugar arrived with the arrival of the Arabs, and after the discovery of America, the Spanish introduced the cultivation of sugar cane to the new continent.

In 1705, Olivier de Serres, a French chemist discovered that the composition of beet was similar to that of sugar cane. But it is only from the year 1747 that this information is taken into consideration.

The German chemist Marggraf was responsible for documenting the existence of sugar from different varieties of beets and was able to extract the sugar after several weeks of rest.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the first beet sugar factory opened its doors  and from then on the growth in beet sugar production was exponential.

Cane sugar and beet sugar: what are the differences?

• Sweetening power: the two sugars have similar sweetening power; it is practically impossible to detect a significant difference between these two sugars
• Taste and Aroma: Beet sugar has an earthy aroma with a slight oxidized touch that gives it a slight taste of burnt sugar. Cane sugar has a sweet aftertaste and a fruity aroma.
• Caramelization: Cane sugar can more easily be caramelized evenly compared to beet sugar. The texture of the latter can be crispier, a perfect texture for some pies

The benefits of beet sugar

The reality is that there is no scientific study determining a large nutritional difference between beet sugar and cane sugar. Whatever plant the sugar comes from, it is sucrose, a compound of molecules of glucose and fructose.

For this reason, consuming too much sugar can contribute to weight gain and the development of diseases such as diabetes or coronary heart problems. The American Heart Association recommends limiting your intake of added sugars: 24 grams maximum per day for women (about 6 tablespoons) and 36 grams maximum per day for men (9 tablespoons).

In short, beet sugar does not provide better nutrients than cane sugar. Regardless of which plant the sugar you consume comes from, you should moderate your intake. Keep in mind that a balanced diet is the basis of a healthy life.