View source for White sugar

{{short description|Refined sugar}}
{{About|table sugar|album by Joanne Shaw Taylor|White Sugar (album)}}
[[File:A Bowl of Sugar 2.jpg|thumb|right|A bowl of white sugar]]
'''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 [[Sugar refinery|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">{{cite news |title=Miti culinari 6: lo zucchero veleno bianco|url=http://bressanini-lescienze.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2009/06/03/miti-culinari-6-lo-zucchero-veleno-bianco/|author=Dario Bressanini|work=Le Scienze Blog|date=3 June 2009|language=it|access-date=30 October 2018}}</ref> Its molecular formula is {{chem|C|12|H|22|O|11}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is sugar? |url=https://www.exploratorium.edu/explore/cooking/sugar#:~:text=The%20white%20stuff%20we%20know,elements%2C%20sugar%20is%20a%20carbohydrate. |access-date=November 15, 2023 |website=Exploratorium| date=7 March 2023 }}</ref> White sugars produced from sugar cane and sugar beet are chemically indistinguishable: it is possible, however, to identify its 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>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sucrose.com/bonechar.html|title=Animal Bones|website=www.sucrose.com |language=en|access-date=2019-09-19}}</ref> Beet sugar has never been processed with bone char and is vegan.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ordinaryvegan.net/vegansugar/|title=A List of Bone Char Free Vegan Sugar Companies |website=ordinaryvegan.net |date=29 March 2014 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-19}}</ref>
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">{{cite news |title=Lo zucchero bianco fa male più dello zucchero grezzo?|url=https://www.focus.it/scienza/scienze/lo-zucchero-bianco-fa-male-piu-dello-zucchero-grezzo|author=Raffaella Procenzano|date=28 January 2014|language=it|access-date=30 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="connor">{{cite news |title=The Claim: Brown Sugar Is Healthier Than White Sugar|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/12/health/nutrition/12real.html?ei=5070&en=2c7b0deda8710630&ex=1186632000&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1186592818-8CJn9xUUuK6+4WQViP11tA&_r=0.|author=Anahad O'Connor|language=en|date=12 June 2007|access-date=30 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="miti5"/> The only detectable differences are, therefore, the white color and the less intense flavor.<ref name="miti5">{{cite news |title=Miti culinari 5: le virtù dello zucchero di canna|url=http://bressanini-lescienze.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2009/04/06/miti-culinari-5-le-virtu-dello-zucchero-di-canna/|author=Dario Bressanini|work=Le Scienze Blog|date=6 April 2009|language=it|access-date=30 October 2018}}</ref>
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== Related items ==
* [[Brown sugar]]
== External links ==
* [https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-white-sugar-1328679 All about White sugar] – The Spruce Eats
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[[Category:Types of sugar]]