- Want the Real Scoop on Sucanat, Rapadura, Panela and Muscovado Sugar?
- Sucanat
- Panela
- Rapadura
- Muscovado
- Sucanat and Rapadura: Natural Granulated Sweeteners
- How Sucanat and Rapadura are Processed
- Health Benefits of Sucanat and Rapadura
- Nutrition Facts of Rapadura and Sucanat
- Possible Disadvantages of Sucanat and Rapadura
- How to Use Sucanat and Rapadura
- Refined Sugars
- White Sugars
- Sugar Alcohols
- Sugar and Inflammation
- How to Bake with Honey
- Raw Honey Benefits
- Is Stevia Safe?
- Unrefined Sucanat and Rapadura
- How to Use Sorghum Syrup
- Maple Syrup
- Is Agave Healthy?
- Artificial Sweeteners
- Overview of Natural Sugars
Unrefined sugars can be SO confusing – sucanat, rapadura, panela, and muscovado. Not only are they unfamiliar in the culture, tough to find at your local grocery store, and a maze of nutritional myths. When you have 3-4 names for basically the same product it can be difficult to find an answer to the question, “Are unrefined sugars healthier than white sugar?”
Want the Real Scoop on Sucanat, Rapadura, Panela and Muscovado Sugar?
Three of them mean basically the same thing. Here’s why there are 4 names:
Sucanat
A trademarked name for whole cane sugar from dried (dehydrated) sugar cane juice. It stands for “sucre de canne naturel” which you can also remember in English as “SUgar CAne NATural.” You’ll find it in a dark brown granulated form. It retains 100% of the sugar cane’s molasses (sucanat is about 13% molasses). (Purchase at Amazon.)
Panela
Similar to sucanat, panela is dried cane juice, traditionally found in a large block in Central and South American countries and Mexico. The terms dehydrated and evaporated are both used here! (Purchase at Amazon.)
Rapadura
The Portuguese name for Panela, also sold in large blocks in Brazil but also in granular form from a German company called Rapunzel, who tried to trademark the name amidst much controversy. Rapunzel removed the term from their packaging in February 2009 and simply use “organic whole cane sugar” now. Ironic: In Venezuela, rapadura is cheaper than white sugar, while in America it costs 5-10 times as much. (Purchase Rapunzel brand at Amazon.)
Muscovado
Typically substituted for brown sugar, muscovado is a product of the Philippines. It sounds like it’s more moist than other unrefined cane sugars and quite sticky, but it looks just like dark brown sugar.1 Muscovado is evaporated cane juice, which makes it closer in nutrition to white sugar than sucanat or rapadura. (Purchase at Amazon.)
Note: from what I can tell, ‘dehydrated’ and ‘evaporated’ cane juice are often used synonymously, although this article at Wholesome Sweeteners describes two very different processes for dehydrating and evaporating sugar cane. In short, sucanat is dehydrated and retains the set of minerals and balance of sucrose, fructose and glucose in the whole sugar cane, while other organic sugars (including their own) is evaporated with some separation of the molasses, retaining only a smidge of the natural minerals.
Sucanat and Rapadura: Natural Granulated Sweeteners
Sucanat and Rapadura both are very brown in color and certainly a larger grain than refined white sugar. They do impart both color and flavor to just about anything you choose to use them in.
Because both retain the molasses of the original sugar cane (often over 10%), it’s that deep molasses flavor that changes the way sucanat and rapadura affect the taste of the recipe. On the other hand, it’s really nice that they can be substituted 1:1 for white sugar.
I’ve found that in something like water kefir, the end product is radically different than with white sugar: more depth of flavor and usually more carbonated. It often gets “too zippy” for my kids.
The sucanat does a nice job in recipes that already have depth of flavor, like healthy pumpkin muffins or sourdough chocolate cake. You might notice the molasses content more in something like banana bread, homemade ice cream or sugar cookies.
If you’re used to whole wheat baked goods, I’m thinking you’d have an easier time adjusting to dehydrated sugar cane, as it strikes me as the “whole wheat” of the sweetener family and adds a similar heartiness and depth to recipes.
How Sucanat and Rapadura are Processed
I get a different answer every time. Let’s explore:
How is Sucanat Made?
In the case of Sucanat™, however, the sugar cane juice is simply heated and then allowed to cool, forming granular crystals of what is basically dried sugar cane juice. The Sucanat™ retains the molasses, creating a very distinctive and quite strong flavor, along with other impurities which may be present in the cane.2
OR
How is Rapadura Made?
More Than Alive claims that “Sucanat is different to Rapadura in that the sugar stream and the molasses stream are separated from each other during processing, then reblended to create a consistent product…”
It seems that everywhere on the Internet, people are saying that sucanat is no longer processed correctly, simply has a bit of molasses added back in, and doesn’t really have the nutrients you want, whereas rapadura (usually referenced as the Rapunzel brand, which no longer uses that label on their packaging) is the properly prepared unrefined whole cane sugar.
I’m thinking this is mostly based in myth and a little in fact – the bottom line being that you need to check with the supplier on process rather than just relying on a label. I’m confident in Rapunzel brand and Wholesome Sweeteners, both of which disclose their process and are organically grown and fair trade certified.
On the Packages:
Rapunzel is labeled “organic whole cane sugar, unrefined and unbleached.” Ingredients: Organic, unrefined whole cane sugar. They have a graphic of their process on the back of the bag to show that the sugar cane is simply squeezed, filtered, dried, and ground (not separated at all).
Wholesome Sweeteners describes the product as “Dehydrated cane juice, Organic Sucanat. Ingredients: Organic Dehydrated Cane Juice The back of the package describes the processing, including crushing sugar cane, heating to a syrup, then stirring by hand to create the granule.
And here is the rather lengthy process to refine white sugar – and why is it LESS expensive???
Health Benefits of Sucanat and Rapadura
Here’s where the situation gets sticky – stickier! – in my humble opinion. Every time I spend 5-10 times as much on something like rapadura or sucanat (which when properly processed I see as equals), I wonder: is this upgrade really worth the money? Are there health benefits to unrefined sugar cane that are 5-10 times as beneficial as white sugar? If you believe that white sugar is basically a poison, is 5-10x as good as poison still mostly poison?
I can’t find any source that reliably says that there are any health benefits to dehydrated cane juice.
Some claim that it metabolizes slightly slower than white sugar and is, therefore, lower on the glycemic index – BUT the sucrose content is still so high that it’s not exactly a recommended food for diabetics and the like. The difference is evident but minimal.
Sucanat and rapadura do contain calcium, potassium, magnesium, Vitamin A and B vitamins, and although I continue to see websites state that they’re “an excellent source of” the above, they really only have trace amounts. There’s iron in there, too, which never hurts, but again, you’d have to eat a lot of unrefined sugar to get a decent amount of iron.
There’s a chart here that shows considerable amounts of calcium and potassium particularly in rapadura and “some” more in sucanat, but the chart isn’t well-sourced and somehow, I still don’t think it will make a difference. The chart demonstrates mineral levels in 100g of the product, and a teaspoon is only 4g. We’re still talking trace amounts.
My final opinion? Both sucanat and rapadura are better than sugar…but not by much.
If you’re working on a budget, simply cut down on the sugars your family eats, period, and you’ll spend less in the long run for better nutrition. To spend so much more on these products seems like a luxury for those who have already made many other nutritional changes and have the expendable income to make a small positive impact for a big price.
A great example of a sweet treat with barely any sugars of any kind…Almond Power Bars!
Nutrition Facts of Rapadura and Sucanat
It was actually quite difficult to find nutrition facts statistically on these guys, as my usual sources didn’t list them. Here are some pieces from other sites put together:
Rapunzel whole cane sugar (rapadura):
in 1 tsp.
- 15 cal.
- 4g carbs
- 4g sugars
- 11% iron
But for the iron, that matches white sugar exactly.
Sucanat
in 1 tsp.
- 15 cal.
- 4g carbs
- 4g sugars
- 24 mg potassium
- 33 IU Vitamin A
- 3.5 mg calcium
- ~3 mg magnesium
I used the chart here which lists the nutrition in a whole cup of sucanat vs. white sugar and tries to make sucanat seem as healthy as bananas, spinach, whole milk and sweet potatoes. Of course, if you eat a cup of sugar every day, even if it’s sucanat, you’re in trouble.
A teaspoon seemed like a better measurement since the coconut muffins found in Healthy Snacks to Go eBook only call for 1/4 c. of sweetener for 6 muffins, which makes each muffin contain 2 teaspoons sweetener.
If taking real food on the go is a challenge for you, you’re not alone.
Join thousands of other happy owners of Healthy Snacks to Go, an eBook that is helping real foodies everywhere keep their families nourished (and kids happy) even when they need to pack a snack — without resorting to processed junk food or expensive health food store treats.
With over a dozen different “bar” recipes alone, including many that are grain-free and contain zero refined sugar, I guarantee you’ll find a new family favorite in Healthy Snacks to Go.
That chart more or less matches this one except in Vitamin A – you have to divide the figures there by 25 to get a 4g teaspoon. However, the second chart lists rapadura as having double the potassium, up to 10x the magnesium, 3x the phosphorus and up to 50x Vitamin A. I’m not sure that makes sense since the processing should be so similar. If Vitamin A was heat sensitive I’d buy that one, but A doesn’t show up on the common list of vitamins that degrade under heat.
So.
Bottom line? Nutrition facts are not clear and certainly aren’t enough to vault sugar, even unrefined whole cane sugar, into the realm of a “health food.”
“Evaporated cane juice” only hits the scales on riboflavin, ringing in at about 10% DV in an ounce of sugar.
White sugar = 99% sucrose.4
Sucanat has less sucrose than white sugar, to the tune of 11%…That means sucanat still rings in at a whopping 88% sucrose.
Possible Disadvantages of Sucanat and Rapadura
A big question I set out to answer, both before and after it was posed by a reader, is Do the reasons white sugar is bad for you at my previous post also apply to unrefined sugars, or not?
My thoughts:
- Dehydrated cane juice has the same number of calories as white sugar, so anything related to weight gain carries the same risks.
- The glucose ratings are slightly less…but only slightly. The minerals that come with whole cane sugar still aren’t fats, proteins or fiber, so the risk of heart disease and cancer ought to be similar if not even.
- I don’t know if it’s as addictive as white sugar…but the sweet taste talking to our pleasure receptors is still there, so…
- Bad bacteria still eat these unrefined sugars, so the immune depression and candida issues should remain just as volatile.
The bottom line is:
How to Use Sucanat and Rapadura
Simply substitute this granular sweetener 1:1 for any recipe that calls for white sugar.
Try sucanant or rapadura in these apple flax muffins (pictured above).
If you’re convinced you’d rather use sucanat than white sugar, you might want to know how to make your own Homemade Powdered Sugar with Sucanat. Pretty easy!
Want recipes to use natural granulated sweeteners in?
Try these:
- Easy, Healthy Pumpkin Cookies Recipe
- Best Gluten-free Pumpkin Muffins Recipe (Dairy-free, Egg-free, Corn-free, Soy-free, Nut-free)
- Whole Foods for the Holidays: St. Nicholas Spice Cookies
- Healthy Pumpkin Pie Recipe {with a secret, ahem, twist}
- Grain-free Coconut Muffins
Want more help and inspiration to reduce sugar? Check these out:
Sources
- McMahon, M., & Harris, B. (2020, April 28). What is Muscovado Sugar? Retrieved from https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-muscovado-sugar.htm
- McMahon, M., & Harris, B. (2020, May 1). What is Sucanat? Retrieved from https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-sucanat.htm
- Which Organic Sweetener & Why?: Wholesome! (2017, April 6). Retrieved from https://wholesomesweet.com/which-sweetener-and-why/
- Sugarcane. (2020, May 9). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarcane
Thank you for helping to clarify this confusing topic. I can say from personal experience there is a significant difference between sucanat and rapadura. Sugar contributes to my teeth grinding (bruxism), but it was fine while I was using Rapuzel. When I decided to try the bulk sucanat because it was cheaper, even small amounts increased my grinding.
Pingback: Sweeteners and Healthy Eating: Part Three - Intentional Dabblings
Hi! It’s har d to find a site where every sugar is represented. I wonder about muscovado. It is said to have less nutrients, due to evaporating process.
But avery muscovado sugar I’ve seen, has been very dark, ans so strong tasting that it sometimes can’t be used alone.
Is it really true that sucanat and rapadura has more nutrients when muscoavado tastes more like the very nutrious blackstrap molasses?
Hope you can answer, I am really confused :/ At first one thinks “the darker and more strong tasting, the better” but on the other hand, if rapadura is more nutrient than dark muscovado, that theory is not correct.
There are also jaggery, and how nutrient dense is this kind of sugar, compared to the other?
Thanks for your info and hope you can answer my confused questions 🙂
Hi Anna,
I’ve never actually had muscavado in my house, so I wish I could answer but I’m not positive, sorry! 🙂 Katie
Fair Trade was great until it got all organized and big money was at stake. DON’T buy Fair Trade–it actually hurts the poorest of the farmers, and only helps those who are able to afford Fair Trade labels.
http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/4-reasons-why-fair-trade-coffee-scam/
WOW!!!! That is SUCH an informative article! Although I’m not sure if I feel better having read it! 🙂 I am one of those people who has been spending extra to get ‘the best’ sugar product out there, and in a way I wonder if I have been wasting my money. That being said, I use the Rapunzel and really love the way it tastes, and smells. I also notice that because of it’s potency, I tend to use less, so if a recipe calls for 1c sugar, I only used 3/4c of the rapunzel. I guess it’s good if I’m using less sugar when baking, etc. But I am now second guessing the benefit vs the exorbitant cost. I am open and interested in any thoughts you may offer. Thank you,
Mackytack,
Not sure if I can add anything more than I shared here – it really depends on what your goal is with Rapunzel. If you are looking to lose weight or control blood sugar or cease sugar cravings, sucanat isn’t going to help. If you want to avoid GMOs, then you’re doing it right. Using less is always the best! 🙂 Katie
“Jaggery does not alter the blood sugar level and is therefore preferred over refined sugar in case of diabetes”
This Indian version of panel is claimed to be very different in its effects for diabetes sufferers. Your claim is very much opposed to what I have found elsewhere, namely that these sugar alternatives re not much different from sugar itself. For those who have to be careful about sugar intake because of pre diabetes this product is indeed a healthful alternative to any othe sugar type product
As far as I can see the sucanat is exactly the same thing as Jagery that I saw made in India. The sugar cane went through a mangle and then the liquid was heated until it became a brown gooey substance which was then formed into cakes and cooled. Delicious.
Pingback: “The Switch” ~ Let’s talk about sweets | Where My Treasure Is
Pingback: Healthy Eating on a Budget
Read “The Science of Skinny” – like everything, you must take it with a grain of salt (including my commentary). Refined white sugar is a chemical substance, and sugar substitutes are chemicals as well. So what if there is controversy on whether they are harmful? Cigarettes weren’t known to be harmful for a period of time. Make your own choice. I personally choose not to eat pesticides, and if it costs more, then reduce consumption or avoid as necessary. There are plenty of “normal” foods that do not require you to grossly manipulate your grocery list (apples, bananas, broccoli, fish). Yes it’s more costly, but saying that unrefined/unprocessed products are only slightly better is like saying that inhaling fresh air is only slightly better than inhaling through a cigarette.
I didn’t see any answers to the question of why it was recommended to add baking soda to Sucanat. I may have an answer.
Baking POWDER produces carbon dioxide through a reaction between baking SODA and a powdered acid. When the two ingredients contained in baking powder get wet, they mix and react with each other. When a recipe includes acidic ingredients such as buttermilk, lemon juice, or vinegar, baking soda should be partially or completely substituted for the baking powder. The acidic ingredient replaces the powdered acid of baking powder.
Molasses is acidic, so it is common to use baking soda instead of baking powder in molasses-sweetened recipes. It is possible that Sucanat is also acidic, unlike pure sugar. In that case, adding a small amount of baking soda could help to neutralize the pH of Sucanat. However, a better solution would be to replace some the recipe’s baking powder with baking soda.
These measures should be irrelevant in most non-baking recipes.
Thank you for the clarification. I bought a small amount of Sucanat to try before I bought a 50 lb bag and I am so glad I did. I am grain and starch free so I bake with almond flour and coconut flour when I bake sweets. I make a basic cake out of those ingredients that can be adapted to different uses. One use is for strawberry shortcake which I made after going strawberry picking. Usually the cake is light, moist, and delicately sweet. Not when I used Sucanat though. It was heavy, soggy, and tasted awful with the fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream. I threw it all out and chalked it up to an expensive experiment.
how about demerara sugar ?
Star,
From what I understand, demerara is pretty much just “big” crystals of regular sugar.
🙂 Katie
Bad bacteria still eat these unrefined sugars, so the immune depression and candida issues should remain just as volatile….
well but how will you get the bactiria ,with all this packed nutrients in it your immune system will long eat up all these bactiria
True,, these sugars are no good for candida or other carb-sugar problematic issues.
Pingback: Soaked Almond Poppy Seed Muffins | Sustain, Create and Flow
In my readings concerning the removal of the nutrients from sugar during the refining process, there is a point that isn’t addressed here. The nutrients in raw sugar are not important as dietary supplements but are there to help metabolize the sugar. Taking this into consideration, those “trace” amounts seem pretty important.
Em,
Ah, so you’re saying that rather than saying, “Eh, there’s not much nutrition there no matter what,” you’re saying that whole sugar is going to be dealt with by the body in a more healthy way than white sugar, which won’t digest as well? That’s awesome!! 🙂 Katie
Pingback: Lemon Rose Sourdough Cake | Rock Farmer
The proceesing and chemicals used in the white sugar it was seals the deal for me! Simple is better.
Pingback: Chocolate Pie: Grain-Free and Amazing | A Simple Haven
Pingback: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Pingback: Sweet, High Fiber Scones
Pingback: Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes - The Sprouting Seed
Little difference between white sugar and the unrefined sugars? I skimmed through the information on sugars, but here it goes. Wouldn’t the difference be that the refined sugar is processed in the body through the liver (causing fatty deposits in the liver), and the unrefined (or less refined) is digested in the intestine? Feeling a little confused…
I started using Sucanat over ten years ago. I was living in New Mexico at over 6000 feet. I was having horrible problems withy hypoglycemia, due to the elevation. Every time I ate white sugar I would have a terrible crash and burn about 2 hours later. When I switched to Sucanat I didn’t have that problem any more, period. I had and still have no sugar rush or crash from eating Sucanat. I don’t care if it’s Sucanat, Rapadura, or evaporated cane juice. From my personal experience whole sugars are way different from white sugar in how they affect the body. As written, it is a treat and not meant to be your main meal, but I don’t think many of us are going to give up our occasional sweets, so making them as healthy as possible by using whole sugars, flours, etc. ensures we’re not putting too much of a load on our systems.
Hi, I’m curious about organic sucanat vs natural sucanat…is there a major difference? I’m looking at buying bulk sucanat from a source that has both organic and natural, the natural says GMO-free, so I’m leaning toward that since it is about 50c/pound cheaper. Any thoughts? Thanks for your input! :0)
Heather, I’d personally say if you can get non-GMO, I’d go with natural over organic for price – hopefully you’re not eating a ton of sucanat anyway, since it’s still a sugar. ??? The one thing I might Google quickly is how heavily pesticides/fertilizers are even used on sugar cane, since I’m not really sure.
🙂 Katie
Hi. Just found your article. Wow! Thanks for the research. We have used Sucanat for over 15 yrs now; can’t say I started because of the nutritional factor but because of how it effected my husband. He became extremely irritable and agitated (not his personality at all) whenever he would eat something w/white sugar in it. Took us a while to figure out what was causing these mood swings but when we switched to and used only Sucanat in our foods it stopped. Don’t know why exactly this is but we’re glad we figured it out.
Thank you so much for the info and recipes!
I think it’s good to point out also that sucanat is still a vegan product as opposed to white cane sugar which is process through cow (&/or pig) bones. That’s a large part of why I buy it instead.
Thanks again, I love your site! -Suzi.