Britannica AI Icon

Quick Summary

Cane sugar is a type of sugar derived from sugarcane, a tall grass cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions. Chemically, refined cane sugar is pure sucrose, identical to sugar derived from sugar beets. The processing of sugarcane involves harvesting, extracting juice through crushing or diffusion, clarifying the juice, concentrating it into syrup, and then crystallizing the sugar. By-products include molasses and bagasse, which can be used for biofuel. While chemically the same as beet sugar, some bakers prefer cane sugar, and its processing often involves bone char, making it unsuitable for some vegans.12345

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.