Difference Between Palm Sugar and Cane Sugar

Palm Sugar Vs Cane Sugar

There is a very clear difference between palm sugar and cane sugar. The only difficulty in distinguishing such is because these sugars are sometimes traded or marketed under their alternative names which, unfortunately does not really tell anything about the exact sugar product. Like in the case of palm sugar which is sometimes being marketed as ‘coconut sugar’ when, as a matter of fact, it is not at all always extracted from the coconut palm.

Take note, coconut is just one of the many types of palm. Also because of its popularity throughout Southeast Asia, palm sugar came to be known in some of its more popular native names like gur, gud and jaggery.
But firstly, the clear difference between the two is dependent on what plant the sugar was derived from. For palm sugar, it is obviously derived from the palm tree. For cane sugar it comes from sugarcane, a certain field plant popular for its commercial value which is also considered as a kind of grass.
For the latter, the sugar is technically known as sucrose. Cane sugar used to monopolize the sugar market in the past. But because it has become a more expensive type of sucrose, its popularity began to dwindle.
Most cane sugar are traded in its most popular trade forms namely as sugar cubes or as raw powdery sugar. For palm sugar, it is mostly traded in the form of cones, blocks and even in its paste form. Nevertheless, it is equally important to know that both types of sugar undergo almost the same process of sugar making. For cane sugar, pressing entire shoots of sugarcane results in the extraction of the juice which is later left to stand and purified for it to evaporate. Afterwards, it is brought to boil for it to crystallize. The end result is sugar in its raw form.
Upon first look, both cane and palm sugars seem to have no significant physical disparity. However, using these two sugars in cooking produces an interesting set of varying tastes and sweetness. Nevertheless, some consumers conclude that cane sugar carries a more superior taste.
With regard to nutritional value, some say that palm sugar is the healthier type of sugar because it contains ascorbic acid and certain B vitamins among other micro and macro nutrients unlike cane sugars.
1. Palm sugar is extracted from the palm tree while cane sugar is derived from sugarcanes (a type of grass).
2. Palm sugar is marketed in the form of paste, cones or blocks while cane sugar is usually traded in its cube or powdery crystalline form.
3. Palm sugar is said to be the healthier type of sugar than cane sugar.

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