Though there are many different jaggery products available in different colours, it becomes confusing as to which colour jaggery is good to buy and best for use. From golden brown to dark brown, jaggery is available in different colours. Dark brown jaggery is best to buy as it indicates healthy and unadulterated jaggery.
Introduction
Jaggery is a super detoxifier that cleanses your body from unwanted toxins. Jaggery is loaded with super nutrients like Calcium, Zinc, Iron, Potassium, Phosphorus, and Vitamin B, making it one of the ideal replacements for refined sugar.
But the sad fact is, today the jaggery business has come to its peak of adulteration due to increased demand, which makes it difficult to select the right jaggery that is clean, pure, and free of adulteration. This article is all about knowing different colours of jaggery and choosing the right colour jaggery.
Which colour jaggery is best to buy?
The colour of the jaggery plays a vital role in identifying whether it’s pure or not. Dark brown jaggery is the best colour jaggery to buy, as yellow colour or light brown jaggery might be adulterated using chemicals and artificials. It is due to the impurities in the sugarcane juice and the chemical reactions caused by boiling that the colour of jaggery turns dark red or brown. Then, the impurities are removed by putting some natural things in it.
Fake jaggery comes in white, light yellow, or some shiny red colour in the market. If you put this in water, adulterated substances will sit under the pot, while pure jaggery will completely dissolve in water.
Reasons to have different colours in jaggery
- The jaggery that we get today in the markets is adulterated with so many chemicals. Two common adulterants used are Calcium Carbonate and Sodium Bicarbonate.
- Calcium carbonate is added to its processing to increase the weight of jaggery.
- While Sodium Bicarbonate is used to give a polished look that makes it appear Metanil yellow in colour.
Final words
When asked which colour jaggery is best to buy, it is always ideal to buy jaggery which is light brown to dark brown in colour. That being said, it is recommended to buy 100% organic jaggery which is safe and free from adulterants. You can even try testing them to ensure their purity.