Both sugar and jaggery (gur) are made from the same sources, generally sugarcane. But there is a lot of difference in their properties and benefits.
- Color : Sugar is bright white color, whereas the color of jaggery can range from golden-yellow to golden brown, brown, dark brown like dark chocolate.
- Texture : While sugar crystals are solid and hard, jaggery is semi solid, softer than sugar and also amorphous.
- Processing : To make sugar, the syrup is treated to remove the unwanted particles, so that after condensation and crystallization, the product is white color. On the other hand, in case of jaggery, there is no treatment given to the juice and it also does not undergo the crystallization process. The sugarcane juice is boiled continuously, until thick paste is formed, after which the paste is poured into molds and blocks of desired size.
- Composition : While sugar is made only of sucrose, jaggery is made up of predominantly sucrose, mineral salts, iron and some fiber. Hence, consumption of jaggery is recommended in case of iron deficiency anemia.
- Sugar is instantly absorbed in the blood while jaggery is digested slowly. Jaggerry is also rich source of iron. It acts as a cleansing agent and cleans the lungs, stomach, intestines, esophagus and respiratory tracts.