Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) is in the Poaceae family, together with the cereals, grasses, bamboo and reeds. It was first harvested by island peoples of the Pacific, spreading from there to Asia and the rest of the world.
Sugarcane is the world's largest crop, and supplies 80% of the world sugar market. Equipped with C₄ photosynthetic apparatus (see Leaf 71, https://lnkd.in/dZieh8Ud), it has a tremendous capacity to harvest CO₂.
A considerable quantity of cane sugar gets fermented to alcohol to fuel combustion engines (“gasohol”), which releases the CO₂ back to the atmosphere. Using ethanol this way can be #carbonneutral. Sugarcane-derived alcoholic beverages have a longer history! World Rum Day is this weekend (Sunday 12-July-2024).
The yeasts that ferment sugar to ethanol do it to get ethanol. On the one hand, this simple biochemical process (called anaerobic respiration) is extremely rapid and provides rapid energy without reuiring oxygen. On the other hand, “aerobic” respiration to yield only water and CO₂ provides many times more energy.
Besides alcohol and calories(often unwanted), sugarcane offers other interesting components. The cuticle of the stems and leaves is protected with wax that is recovered as a byproduct. Sugarcane wax consists of very long carbon chains, giving a high melting point. It can be used for candles and as a protective wax coating for extending shelf-life of fresh fruits and vegetables. Another byproduct is the residual fibre (bagasse),often burned on-site to fuel the processing
Sugarcane also contains phenolic acids, flavonoids, phytosterols and other terpenoids, providing bioactivities for pain relief and to help treatdiabetes, thrombosis and neurological conditions. In traditional India #Ayuveda sugarcane juice is used to treat jaundice, haemorrhage, and urinary disorders.
As cosmetic ingredients, sugarcane wax and extracts are recognised as safe. But a word of warning: heated sugar can caramelise and react with other molecules via #Maillard reactions. The products provide for desirable food flavours, but toxic in excess.
Happy Rum Day!
Further reading
蔗Emery I et al(2022). Pathways to Net-Zero Ethanol. Renewable Fuels Association. http://t.ly/tTBAw
蔗 Singh A et al (2015). Phytochemical profile of sugarcane and its potential health aspects. Pharmacognosy reviews, 9(17),45–54. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-7847.156340
蔗 Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety(2021) Safety Assessment of Saccharum officinarum (Sugarcane)-DerivedIngredients as Used in Cosmetics. Cosmetic Ingredient Review https://www.cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/sugarc092021TR.pdf
