Sugar

All sugar in Australia comes from Australian sugar cane, milled and refined to extract the sugar in its purest form, as it was originally made by the plant. Sugar cane is crushed in the mill and the resulting juice is purified and then boiled to produce a thick syrup. From this syrup, raw sugar crystals are formed leaving the dark, sticky liquid called molasses behind. The only difference between the types of sugar on the market is the amount of molasses which remains on the crystal. So brown sugar is not more ‘natural’ than white sugar, it simply has a different flavour and colour. Products such as golden syrup and treacle are produced by partly breaking down sugar into its components - glucose and fructose. This resulting mix stop crystals from forming and thus creates a stable liquid product. White sugar - The most popular and widely used sugar. Its high degree of purity means it has no additional flavour other than sweetness. Caster sugar - Dissolves more quickly than granulated sugar and has a smaller crystal size. Suited to baking – sponges, meringues, cakes Brown sugar - Fine grained and moist, crystallised in the refinery from dark coloured sucrose syrup. Used in cakes, particularly dark fruit cakes Raw sugar - Straw-coloured, granulated sugar. Pure texture, colour and flavour that makes it a favourite for for many people. Golden demerara - Golden coloured granulated sugar with a distinctive rich flavour that is often favoured by coffee drinkers Golden syrup - A concentrated, refined sugar syrup with a distinctive flavour and golden colour Treacle - A concentrated, refined sugar syrup with a distinctive flavour and dark black colour Molasses - By-product of the milling process usually used in animal feeds or for fermentation in Australia, also used by Americans for cooking.