What is Muscovado Sugar
Muscovado sugar: what is it?
Muscovado, also known as Khandsari and Khand, is a type of partially or totally refined sugar with a characteristic taste of molasses.
Some classify it in the group of whole sugars.
Technically, muscovado is a sugar that is not (or only partially) centrifuged and refined. The degree of purification changes according to the processes used.
Compared to granular sugar (white or raw - raw does not mean integral), muscovado contains higher levels of minerals and for this reason many consider it more healthy and nutritious.
Muscovado sugar is mainly used to sweeten beverages (coffee, tea, etc.), to season foods (chopped fruit, etc.) and in pastry recipes. It is also the raw material for distilling rum and other alcohol.
India is the largest producer and consumer of muscovado in the world.
Nutritional Properties
Nutritional properties of muscovado sugar
Being a "natural sugar", many people consider muscovado healthier than table granular sugar.
When produced under certain conditions, muscovado sugar proves to have better nutritional characteristics, as it retains a higher percentage of natural minerals from sugar cane juice (raw material).
We briefly summarize the nutritional properties of muscovado and normal sugar.
- Calories 383 kcal
- Total mineral salts 740 mg max
- Phosphorus (P) 3.9 mg max
- Calcium (Ca) 85 mg max
- Magnesium (Mg) 23 mg max
- Potassium (K) 100 mg max
- Iron (Fe) 1.3 mg max
Instead, white granular sugar has the following chemical profile:
- Calories 387 kcal
- Total mineral salts - mg max
- Phosphorus (P) - mg max
- Calcium (Ca) 1.0 mg max
- Magnesium (Mg) - mg max
- Potassium (K) 2.0 mg max
- Iron (Fe) - mg max.
Muscovado sugar VS Refined sugar
In fact, observing the nutritional values referring to the salt content, the muscovado seems decidedly richer than the refined sucrose. From the mineral point of view, therefore, it could be defined as superior to the other.
It is different with regards to general health, which is not inferior but not even superior to the other. Table sugar does not belong to any of the VII fundamental food groups. This is because, not constituting a nutritional resource of any kind, it does not participate in the global balance of the diet. This applies not only to refined sugar, but also to muscovado. Although it is richer in minerals than the traditional sweetener, the muscovado does not participate significantly in achieving the recommended rations in question. This is because, respecting the portion and frequency of consumption suggested for the use of sugar (less possible), the final contribution on the intake of minerals is irrelevant.
More generally, the chemical characteristics of muscovado sugar do not differ much from those of refined sugar. It is very caloric, due to the high concentration of sucrose, soluble disaccharide glucose (glucose + fructose). The glycemic index and glycemic load are therefore exactly the same. This makes it totally inadequate to the diet against overweight and certain metabolic pathologies, such as diabetes mellitus type 2 and hypertriglyceridemia; more generally, sugar should be limited significantly or avoided in the case of any metabolic disease, to prevent the onset or worsening of the so-called metabolic syndrome. It should also be noted that an excess of simple sugars can increase the chances of tooth decay. In pregnancy, when women are more likely to contract diabetes (called gestational), it is advisable to be very careful not to overdo it with sugar, even if it is of muscovado type.
The vitamin profile is practically non-existent, except, perhaps, for a minimum concentration of water-soluble vitamins of group B. It does not contain fiber and cholesterol. It is also free of lactose, gluten and histamine; it therefore lends itself to the diet of all three related food intolerances.
It has no contraindications for the vegetarian and vegan diet and for most philosophies and religions.
The average portion of muscovado sugar, identical to that of refined sugar, is 5 g at a time (about 20 kcal - a medium teaspoon, satin).
How to use
Muscovado sugar in food, beverages and sweets
Muscovado sugar is used as an ingredient for beverages (hot, like coffee, and cold, such as juices, juices and extracts), for food (for example in fruit salads) and for pastry recipes.
The muscovado is brown in color and is slightly coarser and stickier than most dark sugars. The muscovado sugar takes its taste and color from the raw material used, the sugar cane juice. It has a good resistance to high temperatures and a shelf-life of reasonable duration.
Muscovado sugar can be replaced by cane sugar in most recipes by slightly reducing the total liquid content. Another muscovado substitute can be obtained artificially by mixing white sugar with black molasses in a ratio of about 1:10.
The use of muscovado sugar in India for the production of sweets dates back to at least 500 BC Along with the gur, muscovado is the most used Indian traditional sweetener for Masala chai (flavored Indian tea), to accompany the roti mixed with melted butter, for traditional Indian desserts such as kheer (Indian rice pudding) and khand chawal (sweet rice).
Muscovado sugar for alcohol
A significant percentage of the Indian muscovado production is used for the illicit production of desi daru, a distilled alcoholic beverage.
Muscovado sugar in Ayurvedic medicine
Muscovado sugar is also used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine (not recognized by Western conventions) to facilitate blood purification, digestion, improve bone and lung health.
Production
Elements of muscovado sugar production
The muscovado sugar is obtained from the juice of the sugar cane, which is evaporated until crystallization. The solution based on crystals and molasses is called massecuite. In the nineteenth century various techniques were developed for the production of muscovado sugar and today it is produced mainly with three methods:
- Manual production method: it consists in crystallizing the mass by cooling it in special containers and mixing it continuously with a spatula
- Industrial centrifuge method: invented between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The mass is crystallized using a centrifuge to separate the crystal-rich sludge, drained by molasses by gravity.
- Modern industrial methods: they use a spray dryer.
History
Historical notes of muscovado sugar
The sugar refining process was invented on the Indian subcontinent 8000 years ago, where sugar cane was cultivated for thousands of years (from the Bronze Age) by the Indus Valley civilization.
Sugar production was an important commercial activity of the British Empire. Sugar cane was grown in British colonial territories (West Indies, India, Mauritius, Fiji) and beyond (Cuba, French West Indies, Java, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Réunion, Louisiana). Sugar cane production often involved the use of slaves or forced inductive bondage. Raw sugar was shipped to Europe or New England, where it was refined or distilled in rum, much of which was re-exported at higher prices. The first sugar refineries were founded in Bihar of eastern India.
Raw sugar was introduced to the market for the production of alcohol or refined sugar (especially at the refineries in Glasgow or London). In the British Empire, sugars refined enough to lose most of the molasses content were considered to be of superior quality, while those with a high content of molasses, raw, were called muscovado or simply "brown".
Terminology
Names of muscovado
The Indian-English names for this type of sugar are Khandsari and Khand (sometimes pronounced Khaand). In most other languages, the name is Muscovado, which derives from the Portuguese "açúcar mascavado" (unrefined sugar).
There is no real legal definition of muscovado, just as there are no international standards like the "Codex Alimentarius" or the "Denomination of Protected Origin". This has obviously allowed producers to call different sugars of the same name, confusing consumers about the real meaning of muscovado, brown / raw sugar and even jaggery (traditional non-centrifuged cane sugar, typical of Asia, Africa and other Americas).
