Brown sugar has a layer of white stuff

It is quite common for brown sugar to turn white. This is mainly because brown sugar absorbs water, thereby reducing the concentration of brown sugar, which results in a layer of white substance growing on the brown sugar. Brown sugar has a strong water absorption capacity. People should keep brown sugar in a dry and ventilated environment, and brown sugar should not be stored for too long, otherwise the brown sugar will absorb water and affect its nutritional value.

It's just a physical change. The main reason why brown sugar turns white is a physical change after it absorbs moisture from the air. Among the components in brown sugar, reducing sugar and impurities are very hygroscopic, so they are particularly sensitive to temperature. When brown sugar absorbs a large amount of moisture and encounters a high temperature and dry environment, the moisture on the surface quickly evaporates and dissipates, while the deep moisture continues to remain in the sugar, forming hard white sugar blocks.

Brown sugar is sugar that has not been washed or bleached. It has a lot of molasses attached to the surface and also contains non-sugar ingredients such as pigments and gum. In a broad sense, brown sugar can be further divided into two types: raw granulated sugar and brown sugar. Raw granulated sugar is machine-made sugar that has not been washed with honey, while brown sugar is handmade raw sugar.

Additional information:

Brown sugar identification

Traditional brown sugar and various types of black sugar are made in the same way, and have the same nutritional and edible effects, so they can be said to be the same thing.

The depth of color between the two is affected by the length of time the syrup is boiled. Brown sugar takes a longer time to boil, and the sugar bricks made after the syrup is concentrated appear nearly black. The difference in shape and thickness between the two is due to the different processing methods, so it is common to see sugar bricks cut into different sizes or powdered sugar ground into powder.

Whether it is brown sugar, yellow sugar, white sugar, or rock sugar, the initial refining method is the same. The reason why they become sugars of different colors and shapes is due to the different degrees of final refining and decolorization. The higher the degree of refining, the whiter the color and the higher the purity, but the sweetness does not increase due to high purity.