The viral Instagram video has everyone questioning their pantry staples, but is brown sugar really adulterated?
A recent social media trend has sparked widespread concern among health-conscious consumers. Videos show brown sugar turning white under running water, leading many to believe it is dangerously adulterated. Dr. Palaniappan Manickam, a gastroenterologist, breaks down the concern and offers a better alternative to common sweeteners.
Dr. Pal’s viral video explanation is simple and eye-opening. He clarifies that water is only draining certain impurities and is not proof that the it is fake or harmful.
One reason for this phenomenon could be:
Water washes away the molasses coating, leaving behind the white sugar crystals underneath.
Brown sugar is a traditional sweetener prepared from sugarcane by extracting juice, clarifying it, and boiling it into crystals.
It is a non-centrifugal cane sugar, meaning the molasses remains during manufacturing. This molasses gives brown sugar its distinctive brown-red or yellow-brown color, its unique flavor, and its nutritional profile. 1
When water runs over brown sugar, it simply washes away this surface molasses layer and reveals the underlying sugar crystals. This is not evidence of adulteration, it is basic chemistry.
Here is the inconvenient truth Dr. Pal highlights, your body does not distinguish between different types of sugars.
“Whether it's white sugar, brown sugar, organic sugar or jaggery, your bloodstream breaks all of them down into glucose, causing the same blood sugar spike,” said Dr. Pal.
So for the friend who avoids white sugar but loads up on jaggery, it may be time to rethink that approach.
According to Dr. Pal, if you are searching for a genuinely better alternative, palm jaggery stands out.
Palm jaggery has a lower glycemic index than refined white sugar, meaning it raises blood sugar more slowly and helps maintain steadier energy levels. This slower absorption may also prevent the classic sugar crash that often follows typical sweet consumption.
Palm jaggery contains micronutrients that refined sugars lack.
Research comparing palm jaggery and sugarcane jaggery shows notable differences,
Vitamin C: Palm jaggery contains 11.04 mg, almost double the 5.98 mg in sugarcane jaggery
Calcium: Palm jaggery provides 84 mg, while sugarcane jaggery offers 72 mg 2
Palm jaggery also performs better in terms of environmental impact. Palmyra palm trees require significantly less water and land than sugarcane, making palm jaggery an eco-friendly choice for consumers.
Palm jaggery comes from Palmyra palm trees, largely cultivated in South India. Production begins with neera, an unfermented sap extracted from the palms, which is then processed into jaggery.
India’s palm jaggery sector is substantial. Of the 103 million palms across the country, 30 percent grow in Andhra Pradesh.
India produces about 6 million metric tons of jaggery every year, contributing 70 percent of global jaggery output. About 65 to 70 percent of this comes from sugarcane, and the remaining portion comes from palms, making the Palmyra palm an important alternative resource.
Palm jaggery is flavorful, traditional, and slightly better than white sugar when consumed in equal amounts, but it is still sugar. The key is moderation.
Erbao Chen, Huanlu Song, Shuna Zhao, Chen Liu, Long Tang, and Yu Zhang. “Comparison of Odor Compounds of Brown Sugar, Muscovado Sugar, and Brown Granulated Sugar Using GC-O-MS.” LWT 142 (2021): 111002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2021.111002
Manisha, J., T. Roja, S. Saipriya, R. Jayaprakash, G. Rajender, and R. Swamy. “Development of Palm Jaggery and Comparison with Sugarcane Jaggery.” The Pharma Innovation Journal 11, no. 2 (2022): 812–816.