Cane sugar is extracted, as the word itself says, from sugar cane (unlike the common white, derived from beet).
The plant, whose scientific name is Saccharum Officinarum, is of Indian origin and is currently cultivated, in addition to Asia, mainly in southern America and Spain.
The preparation of raw cane sugar can be synthesized as follows: the sugar is extracted from the stem by grinding the cane cleaned out of the leaves, smearing it and making it macerate in water; thus, a “juice” (called “molasses”) is extracted, from which a purified mixture is obtained by boiling, to be crystallized subsequently.
In case of the most natural and finer whole cane sugar, unrefined molasses are immediately dried to give more intense color, smell and aroma.
The final product is the same carbohydrate, sucrose, a glucose and fructose disaccharide.
Barley sugar has many more preferable properties than the white one: the same weight gives a greater intake of vitamins (mainly B, A and C) and mineral salts (potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, fluorine and zinc) and a lower caloric intake (377 kcal per 100 g versus 392), which drops considerably in the case of whole cane sugar (275 kcal / 100 g).
Cane sugar is advised, besides “dietary reasons”, also for oral health, as it has a lower incidence of caries, so that South American children who directly suck sugar cane juice have a very healthy teeth!
It is also rich in glycolic acid, a component that has important effects on acne, due to its antiseptic and exfoliating properties.
Cane sugar is therefore not a fad and in the Teo & Bia creams are used exclusively because they are healthier!