Nov 14, 2010

Article on Sugar Sector

SUGAR –
INTRODUCTION TO SUGAR:
Sugar is an informal term for a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose characterized by a sweet flavor. In food, sugar almost exclusively refers to sucrose, which primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet.
Other sugars are used in industrial food preparation, but are usually known by more specific names—glucose, fructose or fruit sugar, high fructose corn syrup, etc.

SUGAR PLANTS CULTIVATION:
Sugar cane is a hot weather plant, which is why the largest growing areas are in South Asia, Brazil, the Caribbean Basin and the southern United States. Sugar beets are grown in cool temperate zones such as the northern Great Plains, Germany and France. Both cane and beets must be processed into raw sugar very soon after the plants are harvested or else their sugar content will drop precipitously.