What is jaggery
Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar 1 consumed in Asia, Africa and some countries in the Americas. Jaggery is a concentrated product of date, cane juice, or palm sap (palm sugar) without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color. It contains up to 50% sucrose, up to 20% invert sugars, and up to 20% moisture, with the remainder made up of other insoluble matter, such as wood ash, proteins, and bagasse fibres. Jaggery is mixed with other ingredients, such as peanuts, condensed milk, coconut, and white sugar, to produce several locally marketed and consumed delicacies.
Unrefined, jaggery is known by various names, including panela, in other parts of the world 2.
Jaggery is made of the products of sugarcane and the date palm tree. The date palm is tapped for producing jaggery in West Bengal, South India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, syrup extracts from kithul (Caryota urens) trees are widely used for jaggery production also. This is considered the best jaggery available on the local market and is more highly valued than that from other sources.
All types of jaggery sugar come in blocks or pastes of solidified concentrated sugar syrup heated to 200 °C (392 °F). Traditionally, the jaggery syrup is made by boiling raw sugarcane juice or palm sap in large, shallow, round-bottom vessels.
In Myanmar, jaggery is harvested from toddy palm syrup. In central Myanmar and around Bagan (Pagan), toddy syrup is collected solely for making jaggery. The translucent white syrup is boiled until it becomes golden brown and then made into bite-sized pieces. It is considered a sweet and is eaten by children and adults alike, usually in the afternoon with a pot of green tea. It has been referred to locally as Burmese chocolate. Toddy palm jaggery is sometimes mixed with coconut shreds, jujube puree or sesame, depending on the area. This type of jaggery is also used in Burmese cooking, usually to add colour and enrich the food.
In Gujarat, laddus are made from wheat flour and jaggery. A well-known Maharashtrian recipe, puran poli, uses it as a sweetener apart from sugar. Jaggery is considered an easily available sweet which is shared on any good occasion.
Figure 1. Jaggery
Jaggery nutrition facts
Table 1. Jaggery nutrition facts
Nutrient | Unit | PIECE 35 g | Value per 100 g | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approximates | |||||||||||||||||||
| Energy | kcal | 133 | 380 | ||||||||||||||||
| Protein | g | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total lipid (fat) | g | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||||||||||||||||
| Carbohydrate, by difference | g | 33.30 | 95.14 | ||||||||||||||||
| Fiber, total dietary | g | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||||||||||||||
| Sugars, total | g | 15.80 | 45.14 | ||||||||||||||||
| Minerals | |||||||||||||||||||
| Calcium, Ca | mg | 10 | 29 | ||||||||||||||||
| Iron, Fe | mg | 1.28 | 3.67 | ||||||||||||||||
| Sodium, Na (added salt)* | mg | 14 | 41 | ||||||||||||||||
| Vitamins | |||||||||||||||||||
| Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid | mg | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||||||||||||||
| Vitamin A, IU | IU | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| Lipids | |||||||||||||||||||
| Fatty acids, total saturated | g | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||||||||||||||
| Fatty acids, total trans | g | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||||||||||||||
| Cholesterol | mg | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
Ingredients: DRIED SUGARCANE JUICE & SALT*
[Source: United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service 3]Table 2. Granulated sugar nutrition facts
Nutrient | Unit | Value per 100 g | serving packet 2.8 g | tsp 4.2 g | cup 200 g | serving 1 cube 2.3 g | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approximates | |||||||||||||||||||
| Water | g | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.00 | |||||||||||||
| Energy | kcal | 387 | 11 | 16 | 774 | 9 | |||||||||||||
| Protein | g | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||||||||
| Total lipid (fat) | g | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||||||||
| Carbohydrate, by difference | g | 99.98 | 2.80 | 4.20 | 199.96 | 2.30 | |||||||||||||
| Fiber, total dietary | g | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||||||||
| Sugars, total | g | 99.80 | 2.79 | 4.19 | 199.60 | 2.30 | |||||||||||||
| Minerals | |||||||||||||||||||
| Calcium, Ca | mg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Iron, Fe | mg | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.10 | 0.00 | |||||||||||||
| Magnesium, Mg | mg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Phosphorus, P | mg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Potassium, K | mg | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Sodium, Na | mg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Zinc, Zn | mg | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.00 | |||||||||||||
| Vitamins | |||||||||||||||||||
| Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid | mg | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||||||||
| Thiamin | mg | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | |||||||||||||
| Riboflavin | mg | 0.019 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.038 | 0.000 | |||||||||||||
| Niacin | mg | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | |||||||||||||
| Vitamin B-6 | mg | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | |||||||||||||
| Folate, DFE | µg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Vitamin B-12 | µg | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||||||||
| Vitamin A, RAE | µg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Vitamin A, IU | IU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | mg | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||||||||
| Vitamin D (D2 + D3) | µg | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||||||||
| Vitamin D | IU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | µg | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||||||||
| Lipids | |||||||||||||||||||
| Fatty acids, total saturated | g | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | |||||||||||||
| Fatty acids, total monounsaturated | g | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | |||||||||||||
| Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated | g | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | |||||||||||||
| Cholesterol | mg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||||||||||
| Caffeine | mg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||
Jaggery vs sugar
Sugar loosely refers to a number of carbohydrates, such as monosaccharides, disaccharides, or oligosaccharides. Monosaccharides are also called “simple sugars,” the most important being glucose.
Sugars are found in the tissues of most plants and are present in sugarcane and sugar beet in sufficient concentrations for efficient commercial extraction.
The normal table sugar is also called sucrose, which is made up of simple sugars glucose and fructose.
Jaggery is raw sugar, which is characterized by a larger crystal size and consists of 98% sucrose and 2% water and ash – made from concentrated product of date, sugar cane juice, or palm sap.
Jaggery benefits
Our literature search could not find any health benefits of jaggery. And since jaggery is a type of sugar, then it should be treated as having the same effects of sugar in your body. See The Truth About Sugar and Daily Sugar Requirement
- http://www.panelamonitor.org/documents/616/new-improvements-jaggery-manufacturing-process-and/[↩]
- Jaggery. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaggery[↩]
- United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. USDA Branded Food Products Database. https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list[↩][↩]
