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Where does table sugar come from?

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A biochemical flowchart shows the metabolic pathways for carbohydrate utilization, including glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. The diagram traces the conversion of glucose, fructose, and glycerol through various intermediates, leading to energy production, carbon dioxide release, and biosynthesis of amino acids and porphyrins. Key steps and branches are labeled, with colored boxes highlighting biosynthetic outputs. — Carbohydrate Pathways for the utilization of carbohydrates.

Table sugar, known chemically as sucrose, is a disaccharide produced by plants through photosynthesis. While sucrose is found in almost all plants, it is commercially extracted in high concentrations primarily from two sources:123

Sugarcane: A giant grass grown in tropical and subtropical regions.1
Sugar beets: A root crop cultivated in temperate zones.1

Minor amounts of sucrose can also be obtained from the sugar maple tree and the date palm.1

In the manufacturing process, the plant material is processed to extract juice, which is then purified and crystallized to form table sugar. Because sugarcane is highly perishable, its processing typically occurs in two stages—raw sugar manufacture near the growing site and final refining in consuming countries—whereas sugar beets can be stored and processed in a single stage. Regardless of the source, the resulting sucrose molecule is identical.4521