Refined sugar consists of 60 percent sugar cane and 40 percent sugar beet, according to refinedsugar.org. "Refined sugar is simply sucrose" states the site. It is as close to being chemically pure as possible. All harmful chemicals have been removed from the raw sugar sources to make it safe for human consumption. This refining process also results in the removal of all nutritional value. Refined sugars are often called "empty calories," according to the National Institute of Health.
Granulated Sugar
Another term for sucrose is table sugar, states becomehealthynow.com. Table sugar is also known as granulated sugar. Granulated sugar is commonly used in commercial food manufacturing. It is added to a variety of processed foods, such as frozen dinner entrees, pickles, canned food, yogurt, pasta, boxed foods, bread, condiments and deli meats. Baked goods such as cakes, pies, cookies and energy bars often contain large amounts of sugar. On food labels, table sugar will be listed as sugar. Granulated sugar can be made into sugar cubes that are used to sweeten hot beverages.
Table sugar is sold in a variety of granule or crystal sizes, depending upon its degree of processing. These include coarse, medium, fine, extra fine and ultrafine. The superfine size is also known as fruit powder, fruit sugar or powdered sugar. Turbinado sugar, also marketed as raw sugar, is an example of a coarse granule size.
Molasses
As sugar cane or sugar beets are refined, they go through a liquid stage, according to refinedsugar.org. Molasses is a byproduct of this extraction stage. It is a sweet, thick liquid that is sold in both light and dark varieties.
Brown Sugar
Both light brown and dark brown sugars have granulated sugar as their base. Molasses is added back to white sugar so it looks brown. The percentage of molasses in brown sugar is about 12 or 13 percent, states becomehealthynow.com. Brown sugars are usually used in baking or cooking and sprinkled on top of hot cereals.
Syrup
According to the Canadian Sugar Institute, as sucrose is processed further, it breaks down into glucose and fructose, resulting in table syrup. Table syrup is made from blended refinery cane syrups thickened by evaporation. The syrup is known as refiner's syrup or refined sugar syrup. With flavoring added, it can be used as a topping on pancakes, ice cream and other foods.
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