Jaggery also known as "Gur" is basically unrefined sugar which is obtained from raw, concentrated sugarcane juice by boiling. The word jaggery comes from the Portuguese jágara, and from the Sanskrit sarkara (gritty substance, sugar)
Jaggery is the sugarcane based traditional Indian sweetener. At present, 24.5% of the cane produced in India is being utilized for producing jaggery. Jaggery is nutritious and easily available to the rural people. Compared to white sugar, it requires low capital in production and is manufactured at the farmer’s individual units itself. Of the total world production, more than 70% of the jaggery is produced in India. To meet the future sweetener requirement, the scope of jaggery seems to be promising
Jaggery is a wholesome diet. It contains 0.6%-1.0% minerals; important among them are iron (11mg %), calcium (0.4%), magnesium and phosphorous (0.045%). Jaggery also contains reducing sugars including glucose and fructose (10-15%), protein (0.25%), and fat (0.05%). Daily use of jaggery may increase human life span. Incidence of less diabetes is reported in jaggery consuming areas compared to sugar consuming areas. The nutritive value of jaggery as compared to sugar is presented
Sugar needs extra heat for digestion. It takes calcium and potassium from the body without which it just cannot be digested. Gur is often called the medicinal sugar and possesses nutritive properties of high order. Ancient medical scripture, Sushrata Samhita state how it purifies the blood, prevents rheumatic afflictions and bile disorders. The preventive action of jaggery on smoke-induced lung lesions suggests the potential of jaggery as protective agent for workers in industry in smoky environments. . Magnesium found in jaggery strengthens the nervous system and potassium conserve the acid balance in the cells and combats acids and acetones. Jaggery is very rich in iron and prevents anemia. Jaggery supplements the requirement of iron and calcium in women and children and also increases vitality in men and help in digestion. . The micronutrients present in jaggery have antitoxic and anti-carcinogenic properties. Its dietary intake can prevent the atmospheric pollution related toxicity and the incidence of lung cancer
Common benefits of jaggery include:
