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What is the difference in efficacy between rock sugar and white granulated sugar?

Aug 06, 2025 Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Sun Lianqing
Introduction
Although rock sugar and white granulated sugar are both sucrose products, they differ slightly in efficacy due to differences in composition purity and physical properties. These differences are mainly reflected in their effects on moistening the lungs, applicable scenarios, nutrient retention, taste impact, and influence on blood glucose levels. Both rock sugar and white granulated sugar are high-sugar foods; excessive consumption may easily lead to obesity, dental caries, and blood glucose fluctuations. Patients with diabetes need to strictly control their intake.

Rock sugar and white granulated sugar are both sucrose products, but they differ slightly in efficacy due to differences in purity and physical properties. These differences are mainly reflected in their lung-moistening effects, suitable applications, nutrient retention, taste characteristics, and impact on blood glucose levels. A detailed analysis is as follows:

1. Lung-Moistening Effect

Rock sugar has a slightly cooling nature. According to traditional Chinese medicine, it possesses certain lung-moistening and fluid-generating properties. For symptoms such as dry throat and cough with little phlegm, rock sugar can be used to stew pears, tremella fungus, and other ingredients to relieve discomfort while replenishing fluids. In comparison, white granulated sugar has a weaker lung-moistening effect and is primarily used for flavoring, offering less noticeable benefits in this regard.

2. Suitable Applications

Rock sugar has a mild sweetness and does not easily mask the natural flavors of ingredients, making it commonly used in soups, desserts, and braised dishes to enhance freshness without overpowering other tastes. White granulated sugar, with its high sweetness and fine granules, is ideal for baking, making sauces, or marinating meats, as it dissolves quickly and imparts sweetness rapidly.

3. Nutrient Retention

Rock sugar is produced by further refining and crystallizing white granulated sugar, and during processing, it retains slightly more nutrients. However, the overall difference is minimal. White granulated sugar, being more refined through multiple purification steps, contains relatively fewer nutrients, with sucrose as its primary component.

4. Taste Characteristics

Rock sugar releases sweetness gradually upon consumption, with a mild aftertaste, providing a clean and gentle sweetness. White granulated sugar delivers a rapid and intense sweetness, resulting in a richer flavor, making it suitable for foods where a pronounced sweetness is desired.

5. Impact on Blood Glucose

Both types of sugar are primarily composed of sucrose, and their rates of digestion and absorption in the body are similar, resulting in nearly equivalent effects on blood glucose levels. However, due to its higher purity, white granulated sugar contains more concentrated sugar content by weight, leading to a slightly higher glycemic load when consumed in excessive amounts.

Both rock sugar and white granulated sugar are high-sugar foods. Excessive consumption can easily lead to obesity, dental caries, and blood glucose fluctuations. Diabetic patients must strictly control their intake. In daily diets, it is advisable to use them in a balanced manner, avoid relying on sweetness to enhance flavor, and prioritize the natural taste of unprocessed ingredients.

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