Sugar beet belongs to the foxtail family (Amaranthaceae) and was bred as a special form from the common turnip (beet). After the discovery of sugar in the beet in the mid-18th century, the sugar content was only 2 to 6 percent. It has since been increased to 18 to 22 percent through systematic breeding.
This is what you should know about the sugar beet
The sugar beet belongs to the foxtail family and was bred as a special form from the common turnip (beet). The modern sugar beet, with a sugar content of 18 to 22 percent, was systematically bred from the common turnip (Beta vulgaris), also called beet, with an initial sugar content of 2 to 6 percent, since the end of the 18th century. The common turnip also gave rise to other forms, such as the fodder turnip and the beet. Turnips are biennial plants that accumulate the greatest concentration of storage substances in a root thickening, the turnip proper, in the first year, which is used to form flowers and seeds in the second year. However, because almost exclusively the constituents of the beet are of interest for commercial use, the beets are harvested in the first fall. Sugar beet is the most important sugar supplier in temperate latitudes, with Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Poland and France as the largest European producers. In the U.S., about 470,000 hectares are used to grow sugar beet, including genetically modified varieties. Sugar production from sugar beet also acquired a political-strategic dimension almost from the very beginning due to the Continental Blockade imposed by Napoleon in 1807 and effective until his defeat in 1813. Sugar production from sugar beet made sugar producers largely independent of cane sugar imports. In both cases, the sugar obtained from the beet or from sugar cane consists of the chemically identical sucrose. It is a disaccharide with two aromatic six-carbon rings. The sugar can be broken down by the body into its energetically usable simple sugars (monosaccharides). Sugar production generates large quantities of beet waste, much of which is used as animal feed in the form of beet pulp and molasses. Since the viscous brown molasses still contains about 50 to 60 percent sugar, it is not only used as an additive for animal feed, but also as a raw material in the fermentation industry and for the production of biofuel and alcohol. In the pharmaceutical industry, molasses serves as a nutrient medium for microorganisms. Even as a foodstuff, molasses is valued because, in addition to sugar, it contains minerals and fiber and has a flavor reminiscent of licorice. Boiled and steamed beet pulp is also used to make sugar beet syrup as a spread and to refine many sauces and dishes. The sugar beet harvesting season extends from mid-September to mid-December.
Importance for health
Since sugar beets are not consumed whole, their importance to human health depends on the various products obtained from sugar beets. The main product, sucrose (beet sugar), is a pure carbohydrate that the body can metabolize very quickly. The sugar is deprived of all accompanying substances such as enzymes, vitamins, minerals, proteins and other secondary plant substances, so that the metabolism does not receive any assistance for a “healthy” metabolism of the sugar. On the positive side, if glucose levels plummet, eating a little sugar can reverse the process and lead to a noticeable new burst of energy. The problem is that glucose levels can rise very quickly and lead to an immediate boost in insulin production, creating a kind of seesaw movement between insulin production and the fluctuation in glucose levels. Beyond just providing energy, increased sugar intake can lead to a gradual overload of insulin production and promote insulin resistance with chronically elevated glucose levels, which includes the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The situation is markedly different for health if sugar is partially replaced by sugar beet syrup for sweetening food or pastries, or even to a limited extent by molasses.Both products contain important minerals – some in significant quantities – and also proteins and, above all, vitamins of the B complex. Sugar beet syrup and molasses are absolutely free of lactose and gluten.
Ingredients and nutritional values
Sugar extracted from sugar beets consists exclusively of sucrose without any accompanying substances. There are no minerals, vitamins, enzymes, proteins or fats in beet sugar. The nutritional or calorific value of beet sugar is 399 kilocalories per 100 grams of sugar. The ingredients of sugar beet syrup and molasses are significantly different. Sugar beet syrup contains particularly high levels of potassium (490 mg/100 g), magnesium (96 mg/100 g) and iron (23 mg/100 g). The calorific value of sugar beet syrup is 30 percent lower than that of pure sugar. Sugar beet molasses has similar concentrations of ingredients and is also still a supplier of some essential amino acids and important B vitamins.
Intolerances and allergies
Intolerances or food intolerances after consumption of pure beet sugar may relate only to the sucrose that makes up the sugar. So-called sucrose intolerances are known to be associated with insufficient activity of the enzyme sucrase isomaltase in the small intestine. This is an enzyme capable of catalytic breakdown of polysaccharides, including sucrose. If the lack of sucrase isomaltase is due to a genetic defect, it is primary or congenital sucrose intolerance. However, the condition may also be acquired through celiac disease or similar intestinal disorders.
Shopping and kitchen tips
All products related to sugar beets are industrially processed and offered in suitable containers. Regardless of the harvest campaign in the fall and late fall, sugar in various grain sizes and also sugar beet syrup and molasses, which is not widely used for human consumption, can be found in grocery stores throughout the year. Molasses is sometimes available only in health food stores or delicatessens. There are no special rules for the storage of the products. Only sugar should be stored as dry as possible, because the sugar crystals are slightly hygroscopic and tend to form lumps, but this does not affect the quality. Since the realization seems to be gradually gaining ground that sugars without any minerals, enzymes, vitamins and amino acids are a kind of amputated carbohydrates, brown raw sugars or sugars colored brown with a small admixture of molasses have come into fashion. It is usually assumed that the brown sugars still contain a residue of micronutrients and are therefore healthier. Unfortunately, this assumption cannot be confirmed, because brown sugars also contain minerals or other physiologically important substances only in traces.
Preparation tips
Sugar is easily soluble in water and does not require any special preparation or cooking tips, except that baking sugar should be as fine as possible to promote and accelerate its dissolution in the cake batter. If value is placed on a special flavor note, some of the sugar in cooking and baking can be replaced by the much healthier sugar beet syrup or by molasses with a spicy licorice note. The refinement of salad dressings or meat sauces – especially for dark meat – with sugar beet syrup is particularly popular. Likewise, it is used in cakes and even in baking bread.
