Foodgrade Silver & Gold

[Guest guest]

> > everyone is

> > eating tons of sugar filtered through cow bones charcoal!

>

> Is that process still current?

 

Relevant points from the Vegetarian Journal:

 

Many cane refineries use bone char. Domino, the largest sugar manufacturer,

uses bone char in the filtration process. The cane refineries of Savannah

Foods, the second largest sugar manufacturer, also use bone char. California

and Hawaiian Sugar employs bone char filters in addition to granular carbon

and ion exchange filters. All these companies use the bone char in the

refining process of brown sugar, powdered sugar (sugar mixed with corn

starch) and white sugar.

 

Some cane refineries do not use bone char. Refined Sugar, producers of Jack

Frost Sugar, claim to use a granular carbon instead of bone char for

economic reasons. Florida Crystal sugar is a cane sugar which has not passed

through the bone. Although Florida Crystals sugar has a straw color, the

impurities still have been removed.

 

Some labels on sugar packages seem to indicate that the product is raw

sugar, but all commercial sugar has undergone some refining. Genuine raw

sugar cannot be bought and sold to the general consumer in the United States

according to FDA regulations, as it is considered unfit for human

consumption.

 

Turbinado sugar is a product which is made by separating raw cane sugar

crystals in a centrifuge and washing them with steam. According to Domino

Sugar, turbinado sugar does not pass through a bone char filter because its

brown color is desirable.

 

Refining sugar involves a series of steps, including clarification and an

initial step where sugar syrup is added. The clarifying agents are calcium

hydroxide, phosphoric acid, and polyacrylomite. The sugar used in the

initial syrup is an intermediate, raw sugar which has not yet gone through

the bone char filter.

 

If your sole reason for not consuming refined sugar is because of the use of

bone char, then you should consider buying sugar which has not passed

through the char. Refined beet sugar, which never involves bone char, is

often labeled fine granular sugar. C & H produces one sugar which has not

gone through the bone char. It is labeled Washed Raw Sugar. Cane sugar,

which sometimes uses bone char, is distinguished as cane sugar on the

package.