You must know, sugar is neither a toxin nor a replacement for authentic food. Eventually, modest amounts of sugar can fit into a whole-food, nutrient-dense, wholesome diet, as long as you see it for what it truly is: a treat.

Refining raw cane sugar to produce those white cube of sugar on your table is an intricate process that may involve hundreds of inorganic, organic, and electrolytic materials. Chemical companies in India produce these compounds to refine sugar from their natural sources.

Brief Process Description of Sugar Cane Industry

The sugar cane is initially cut, washed in hot water, and then presses to produce the juice. Further, it's mixed with lime. Many a time, they're also burned, mixed with soda ash, and exposed to a myriad of chemicals to refine the sugar.

We are sometimes curious to know about how an edible product we consume gets produced. Thus, let us understand the underlying reasons of why certain chemicals are used in the sugar industry and their effects on our health (if and when consumed in excess):

List of chemicals used in the sugar industry

Sulfur Dioxide

The presence of molasses makes cane sugar naturally brown. During the process, raw sugar cane juice is mixed with lime and evaporated. Sulfur dioxide is added to milled white glucose before evaporation. The sulfur dioxide bleaches cane sugar. That's the reason why table sugar is white-colored. Also, Sulfur dioxide, when discharged by factories, combines with the atmosphere to produce acid rain. Thus, when inhaled, it can have adverse effects on us.

Phosphoric Acid

Phosphoric acid is another compound used in producing table sugar. To get rid of any impurities, it is initially added to liquid sugar before evaporation. Also, an ingredient in carbonated sodas, Phosphoric acid, is often linked to tooth decay. Several studies indicate that this additive can be as damaging to your teeth as battery acid. Phosphoric acid can also be respiratory and skin irritant.

Calcium Hydroxide

Calcium hydroxide is a compound added to raw sugar for purification purposes. Calcium hydroxide is a toxic white powder that could cause adverse effects when ingested in significant quantities. These include breathing problems, severe throat pain, critical eye and skin irritation, bloody stool, vomiting, low blood pressure, organ damage, vision loss, and tissue necrosis. Raw cane sugar does not contain calcium hydroxide and is less chemically treated than table sugar.

Polyacrylamides

A comparatively modern method for clarifying cane sugar into white sugar entails utilizing anionic inorganic colloids. These chemicals are a product of acrylamide. Studies have shown that these compounds can harm male reproductive organs and sweat glands. Some of the ill effects associated with them may include severe skin and eye irritations that can also lead to urinary incontinence, myalgia, speech disorders, nausea, sweating, numbness, along with symptoms, such as"pins and needles" feeling throughout the body.

Such harmful chemicals can make you wary of using table sugar in your daily diet. However, you must know, chemical companies in India are accredited to ISO standards to ensure the production of only the standardized specialized sugar chemicals. Further, sugar manufacturing companies are also forced to follow specific rules and regulations to produce high-quality sugar.

Conclusively, if you consume modest amounts of sugar that fit in your daily diet requirement of, nutrient-dense wholesome diet, it'll be a treat for you. But, the time you start consuming it in excess, you will be prone to its harmful effects.