Jaggery (Gur): The Ancient Indian Open-pan Non-centrifugal Sugar

Abstract

Jaggery also known as gur in India, panela in Colombia or rapadura in Brazil, a non-centrifugal sugar (NCS), is an ancient nutritive sweetener used in food worldwide, and its importance is increasing with time. This is obtained by boiling, concentrating and clarifying sugarcane juice (or the juice obtained by tapping stem or inflorescence of various palms) for a certain time at a certain temperature (striking point). It starts setting at striking point and its shape is obtained by putting in certain moulds, or by following a variant process, etc. Structurally, it contains irregular shaped anhedral microcrystals of sugar, enclosed by residues of molasses and other vitamins and mineral constituents of sugarcane juice. Jaggery has a unique flavour and aroma. By and large factors affecting sugarcane quality affect the quality of jaggery. Chemically, having a pH of around 5.8–6.4, jaggery contains 65–80 g sucrose, 9–12 g reducing sugar, 0.705 g fats, 0.35–0.40 g proteins and 0.5–1.0 g ash/100 g of jaggery. It also contains ample nutrients, phenolics and vitamins. Japanese scientists at Okinawa have isolated some 14 antioxidants from a Japanese NCS, kokuto. Being an important commodity for human consumption and international trade, gur grading has been done and standards worked out in many countries for ensuring quality product to consumers and a fair trade practice. In India, there are many locations from where unique quality jaggery is produced; jaggery from three such places have been awarded with geographic indication (GI). Being used as a nutritive sweetener, it finds use in a large number of delicious cuisines, management of undernutrition, perfumery and innumerable Ayurvedic medicinal preparations so much so that Bhavprakasha Nighantu, an acclaimed Ayurvedic compendium, addresses it as ‘Namo Gudaya’. Some of the issues concerning jaggery like as to why old gur is more important medicinally, structural composition of various types of jaggery, its making from problem canes and improving recovery still needs to be addressed.