There are many kinds of sugar, although most people may think of basic sugar first, that is, white crystals used in most families and cooking. This sugar is called sucrose and comes from beet or sugarcane. Sucrose also appears in other plants along with glucose and fructose. It actually exists in every plant, because sugar and oxygen are the products of photosynthesis. But unlike sugar beet and sugarcane, other plants can't produce enough sucrose to harvest.

Other types of sugar include:

Fructose: found in fruits and honey.

Galactose: found in milk and dairy products.

Glucose: found in honey, fruits and vegetables.

Lactose: It exists in milk and consists of glucose and galactose.

Maltose: found in barley.

Sucrose: It is composed of glucose and fructose and exists in plants.

Xylose: found in wood or straw.

Besides beets and sugarcane, sugar can also be extracted from honey, many fruits (such as dates and coconuts) and tree sap. Molasses is not strictly sugar. It is actually an effective black syrup, which is a by-product when sugar is extracted from beet or sugarcane. White sugar contains almost no molasses, but brown sugar or raw sugar contains some. Molasses can also make brown sugar more sticky and, of course, darker brown.

Sugar crystals, especially white sugar, may have different particles. Some common types are:

Ice: Very small crystals that can be quickly dissolved in liquid or used to decorate desserts, such as candy.

Caster: A crystal bigger than ice.

Granular: basic sugar, the crystal is larger than granulated sugar or frosting.

Candied: Very coarse sugar, used as preserves in jams and similar desserts.