White sugar. Common types include granulated sugar and caster sugar, extracted from sugarcane or sugar beets, then refined, purified, and decolorized. During refinement, impurities, caramel flavor, and color are removed, resulting in a white appearance. Next, we'll explain the differences between white sugar, brown sugar, rock sugar, and black sugar.Rock sugar is made from white sugar. By crystallizing purified, decolorized sugar syrup, large crystalline chunks form—rock sugar. Through recrystallization, impurities are further reduced, yielding a purer sweetness. Depending on processing methods and impurity levels, rock sugar comes in two types: crystal-clear white rock sugar and "more naturally appearing" yellow rock sugar.
Brown sugar is also extracted from sugarcane, differing from white sugar primarily in its lower degree of refinement. Brown sugar is produced by drying sugarcane juice after only preliminary refining—or sometimes without any refining at all—hence its alternative name, raw cane sugar. This lack of processing allows brown sugar to retain more of the sugarcane's natural juices.When heated at high temperatures, sugar undergoes two reactions: it develops a caramel aroma and caramel color, giving brown sugar its reddish-brown hue and richer fragrance.
Black sugar is simply a type of brown sugar, both being forms of sucrose. However, black sugar is sucrose that hasn't undergone high-level refining or decolorization, while brown sugar is a finished product refined and crystallized multiple times. Essentially, there's no difference between the two.
That concludes our overview of the differences between white sugar, brown sugar, rock sugar, and black sugar. We hope this has provided you with valuable insights. Finally, we sincerely wish you good health and happiness.