Jaggery

Introduction *Jaggery is a wholesome natural sweetener produced from the sugarcanes, most common in Southeast Asia. *Also called pilloncillo and panela. *It is sweet, light to dark brown in color, and is usually available in pressed cakes, chips or powder. *It is a healthy alternative to refined white sugar. *It can be used as a table sweetener or in baking to replace refined sugar one cup for one cup. *It is also used to make candies, granola bars, etc. *It is prepared by extracting the juice from mature sugarcanes and boiling it to thicken. Then this thickened liquid is poured into moulds and allowed to dry. These dried moulds are either sold or chipped or powdered. *Buying and storage: Buy good quality jaggery and store in an airtight container or jar in a cool, dry, dark place in the cup board at room temperature. It is hygroscopic, so it has to be stored in an airtight container. It is stable, has a good shelf life and keeps well for up to a year at room temperature. Is it raw? No, but pure jaggery is unprocessed. Make sure you read the label. Health Benefits 1. Jaggery has sucrose and glucose, but along with that it also has good amounts minerals and vitamins. 2. It may cause sudden spike of blood sugar levels, so diabetics have to be cautious and use this in moderation. 3. Good source of magnesium. It helps in relieving fatigue, relaxing the muscles, nerves and blood vessels, thus relieving the symptoms of asthma, migraine headaches, tension and soreness in muscles etc. 4. Good source of potassium; this along with low amounts of sodium helps to maintain blood pressure and reduces water retention. 5. Good source of iron that in respiration at the cellular level by synthesizing hemoglobin that helps to carry oxygen to cells. 6. Very good source of manganese, which is an essential cofactor in many enzymatic reactions in the body, especially in the production of energy and antioxidants defenses. 7. Good source of selenium. It acts as an antioxidant and scavenges free radicals from the body. 8. Moderate sources of other minerals like calcium, phosphorus and zinc which are essential to maintain the metabolic activities of the body. 9. Good source of vitamins Niacin and Vitamin B6, which are essential cofactors in enzymatic reactions of the body.

Nutritional Information per Serving:   Serving Size 100 g of Jaggery   % Daily Requirements   Total Calories 383 13% Calories from carbohydrates 383     Total fat 0 g 0% Trans fat 0 g 0% Cholesterol 0 g 0%   Total carbohydrate 95g 30% Dietary fiber 0 g 0% Sugars 46.5 g   Sucrose Glucose Fructose   Protein 0 g 0%   Minerals   Calcium 80 mg 10% Iron 3 mg 21% Magnesium 112 mg 30% Phosphorus 40 mg 3% Potassium 453 mg 15% Sodium 27 mg 1% Zinc 0.3 mg 2% Copper 0.5 mg 24% Manganese 1.5 mg 77% Selenium 17.8 mcg 25%     Vitamins   Niacin 0.9 mg 5% Vitamin B6 0.7 mg 34%

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Agave Syrup: *Agave syrup, also called Agave nectar, is a natural sweetener produced from several species of the genus Agave, native to South America and Mexico.

Barley Malt Syrup: *Barley malt syrup is a natural sweetener produced from the sprouted barley.

Brown Rice Syrup: *Brown rice syrup is a natural sweetener produced from fermented cooked rice by treating it naturally with enzymes from sprouted barley.

High Fructose Corn Syrup: *Corn syrup is a syrupy sweetener made using cornstarch as a feedstock.

Light Corn Syrup: *Corn syrup is a syrupy sweetener made using cornstarch as a feedstock.

Date Sugar: *Date sugar is a natural sweetener produced by powdering or grinding the chopped and dried dates. It is not processed.

Dried Cane Juice: *Dried cane juice is a natural sweetener produced by sugar cane juice. It is unprocessed or very minimally processed.

Grenadine Syrup: *Grenadine syrup is a strong red syrup traditionally prepared from pomegranate seeds and honey (or sugar). The word ‘Grenadine' is derived from the French word ‘grenade' meaning pomegranate.

Honey: *Honey is a sweet, viscous, amber colored, natural liquid sweetener produced by the honey bees from the nectar of the flowers.

Jaggery: *Jaggery is a wholesome natural sweetener produced from the sugarcanes, most common in Southeast Asia.

Maple Sugar: *Maple sugar is a natural sweetener made from the sap of maple trees, mainly Acer saccharum (sugar maple) and Acer nigrum (black maple), mostly produced in northeastern North America and Canada.

Maple Syrup: *Maple syrup is amber colored, and is available in different grades – Extra light (AA), Light (A), Medium (B), Amber (C), and Dark (D).

Molasses: *There are three grades of molasses –

(1) Mild – Also called first molasses. It is light amber colored, very sweet, as not much sugar is removed.

(2) Dark – Also called second molasses. It is dark amber colored, sweet with a slightly bitter streak to it.

(3) Black strap – This is the left over liquid after most of the sugar has been extracted. It is dark colored, has a bittersweet taste, and a good amount minerals in it.