List of unrefined sweeteners
This list of unrefined sweeteners includes all natural, unrefined, or low-processed sweeteners.
Sweeteners are usually made from the fruit or sap of plants, but can also be made from any other part of the plant, or all of it. Some sweeteners are made from starch, with the use of enzymes. Sweeteners made by animals, especially insects, are put in their own section as they can come from more than one part of plants.
From sap
The sap of some species is concentrated to make sweeteners, usually through drying or boiling.- Cane juice, syrup, molasses, and raw sugar, which has many regional and commercial names including demerara, jaggery, muscovado, panela, piloncillo, turbinado sugar, and Sucanat, are all made from sugarcane.
- Sweet sorghum syrup is made from the sugary juice extracted from the stalks of Sorghum spp., especially S. bicolor.
- Mexican or maize sugar can be made by boiling down the juice of green maize stalks.
- Agave nectar is made from the sap of Agave spp., including tequila agave.
- Birch syrup is made from the sap of birch trees.
- Maple syrup, taffy and sugar are made from the sap of tapped maple trees.
- Palm sugar is made by tapping the flower stalk of various Palm trees to collect the sap. The most important species for this is the Indian date palm, but other species used include palmyra, coconut, toddy, gomuti, and nipa palms.
- The sweet resin of the sugar pine was considered by John Muir to be better than maple sugar.
- A sugary extract from manna ash that contains the sugar mannose and the sugar alcohol mannitol.
From roots
The juice extracted from the tuberous roots of certain plants is, much like sap, concentrated to make sweeteners, usually through drying or boiling.- Sugar beet syrup is made from the tuberous roots of the sugar beet. Sugar beet molasses, a by-product of the processing to make refined sugar, also exists but is mainly used for animal feed.
- Yacón syrup is made from the tuberous roots of yacón.
- Sweet Cicely root
- Licorice root
From nectar and flowers
- A "palatable" brown sugar can be made by boiling down the dew from flowers of the common milkweed.
- The nectar of mahua can be used to make a syrup.
From seeds
The starchy seeds of certain plants are transformed into sweeteners by using the enzymes formed during germination or from bacterian cultures. Some sweeteners made with starch are quite refined and made by degrading purified starch with enzymes, such as corn syrup.- Barley malt syrup is made from germinated barley grains.
- Brown rice malt syrup is made from rice grains cooked and then cultured with malt enzymes.
- Amazake is made from rice fermented with Koji.
From fruits
Many fresh fruits, dried fruits and fruit juices are used as sweeteners. Some examples are:- Watermelon sugar, made by boiling the juice of ripe watermelons.
- Pumpkin sugar, made by grating the pumpkins, in the same manner as to make beet sugar.
- Dates, date paste, spread, syrup, or powder are made from the fruit of the date palm.
- Jallab is made by combining dates, grape molasses and rose water.
- Pekmez is made of grapes, fig and mulberry juices, condensed by boiling with coagulant agents.
- Carob molasses is made from the pulp of the carob tree's fruit.
From leaves
In a few species of plants the leaves are sweet and can be used as sweeteners.- Stevia spp. can be used whole, or dried and powdered to sweeten food or drink. Uniquely, stevia contains no carbohydrates or calories.
- Jiaogulan, has sweet leaves, although not as sweet as Stevia.
- Hydrangea macrophylla Has sweet leaves that are used to make a sweet tea called amacha
By animals
- True honey, made by honey bees from gathered nectar.
- Sugarbag, the honey of stingless bees, which is more liquid than the honey from honey bees.