Brown sugar is a product based on sucrose with a typically brown color, for the purpose of sweetening food and drink; this pigmentation is due to the presence of molasses (or better, fermented juice) obtained from sugar cane.
The name brown sugar can be attributed to two different products:
Unrefined or partially processed sugar, composed of sucrose crystals made from sugar cane molasses: whole cane sugar
White sugar added to sugar cane molasses: normal cane sugar.
According to the "Codex Alimentarius" (commission established by the FAO and WHO), the integral sugar must contain about 88% sucrose and inverted sucrose (typical of some fruits and indeed of molasses).
Commercial cane sugar contains about: 3.5% molasses volume (light brown) or 6.5% (dark brown). Whole cane sugar, on the other hand, contains up to 10% (of the weight) in molasses and has a typical humidity linked to the hygroscopic nature of the crystals.
