Does brown sugar come from the same cane as white sugar?

Yes, both white sugar and brown sugar come from the same sugarcane. The difference between the two sugars lies in their processing and final steps of production.

Here's a breakdown of how brown sugar is made:

1. Sugarcane Harvesting: Sugarcane is harvested from the fields and processed at sugar mills.

2. Juice Extraction: The harvested sugarcane is crushed to extract its juice. This juice contains sucrose along with other impurities like molasses and minerals.

3. Clarification and Filtration: The extracted juice undergoes a series of clarification and filtration processes to remove impurities and sediments.

4. Evaporation and Crystallization: The clarified juice is then concentrated through evaporation. As the water content evaporates, the sucrose concentration increases, leading to crystallization.

5. Separation of Crystals: The crystallized sugar crystals are separated from the remaining liquid, which is known as molasses.

6. Centrifugation and Drying: The separated crystals are subjected to centrifugation to remove any remaining molasses. They are then dried to reduce moisture content.

7. Brown Sugar Production: To obtain brown sugar, a specific amount of molasses is added back to the dried sugar crystals. This gives brown sugar its distinctive color, flavor, and moisture content.

8. Packaging: Brown sugar is packaged and sold in various forms, including granulated, packed, or as lumps.

So, while both white sugar and brown sugar originate from the same sugarcane, they differ in their processing and the inclusion of molasses in brown sugar, which gives it its distinct characteristics.