Sugarcane juice rich with antioxidants

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) juice is widely consumed by people of the tropics and subtropics.

The objective of sugarcane harvest is to produce sugarcane stalks with the highest possible sucrose content, ranging from 10 to 15% of the weight of stalks. Most sucrose is stored in the inner portion of the stalks while majority of valuable sugarcane extracts, including antioxidants, concentrate in the outer component (rind fraction) of the stalks.

Sugarcane juice also contains high levels of antioxidants like flavonoids and polyphenolic compounds, which can help reduce oxidative stress and improve human overall health.

Pigments in sugarcane juice are mainly phenolic compounds. The main compounds phenolic composition in sugarcane and its products were phenylpropanoids and flavonoids.

Study on sugarcane extract has displayed a wide range of biological effects including immunostimulation, anti-thrombosis activity, anti-inflammatory activity, vaccine adjuvant, modulation of acetylcholine release and anti-stress effects. Sugarcane juice has broad biological effects in raising innate immunity to infections.

There are thirteen antioxidant compounds have been identified, including several glycosylated phenolic compounds in kokuto (brown sugar of sugar cane in Japan). Some identified compounds exhibited higher antioxidant activity than αtocopherol.

Study indicate that the sugarcane juice of different varieties was effective in giving antioxidant protection at various levels, inhibition of radical formation (by reducing iron complexes), radical scavenging at both primary and secondary stages, and in membrane protection (as assayed by lipid peroxidation). The mechanism involved in many human diseases such as hepatotoxicoties, hepatocarcinogenesis, diabetes, malaria, acute myocardial infarcation, skin cancer includes lipid peroxidation as a main source of membrane damage.
Sugarcane juice rich with antioxidants 

Nutrient rich sugarcane

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum Linn.), pertaining to the Poaceae family, has been harvested worldwide for its economical and medicinal valued products.

Sugarcane contains fructose and glucose and remains the cheapest energy giving crop. The presence of the flavonoids, phenolic acids, and several other phenolic compounds in sugarcane, allows for an antioxidant activity of its syrup and juices.

The traditional growing cycle of sugar cane for production of sugar is from 12 to 18 months during which the following changes take place: an increase in stem relative to leaf; increase in concentration of total sugars in the juice; conversion of reducing sugars to sucrose; increasing lignification of the structural cell wall carbohydrates.

The fresh sugarcane culms are ground to obtain the refreshing sugarcane juice. It is highly nutritious, containing natural sugars, several minerals, vitamins, amino acids, organic acids, starch, phosphatides, and gums. Consuming 100 mL sugarcane releases, 40 kcal energy, 10 mg calcium, 1.1 mg iron, and 6 μg carotene in the body.

Potassium (K+) and chloride (Cl−) were the most abundant cation and anion in the sugarcane juice.

Sugarcane juice is obtained by grinding the sugarcane culms. Basically, it comprises of 70 - 75% water, 13 - 15% sucrose, and 10 - 15% fibre. Approximately 9.8% of sugars were present in juice, and most sugar was sucrose (9.6%). The fibre consists of 43.3% cellulose, 23.8% hemicellulose, and 21.7% lignin.

All the coloured components from sugarcane juice were classified into four major classes: Plant pigments, polyphenolic compounds, caramels, and degradation products of sugars condensed with amino derivatives.
Nutrient rich sugarcane