Everything that is white in our current world is white because it contains bone ash. So bones, the structure of bones — the crystalline structure of bones — when it’s all when it’s cleaned and heated and ashed and taken to its refined form — it basically removes all color and gives you the idea of white. So we’ve always said that white is not a color and black is not a color. Well, it’s actually true. White is the absence of color. Black is the absence of color. And um and the only way you can get that get white is using bone ash. The refined version of bone which becomes what they call bone ash is what makes things white. So, if you look in your kitchen … and you pull out: White sugar, white flour, white flour, boneach. Um, toothpaste, bone ash. China, bone aash. Lime rendering, bone aash paper, bone ash. We’ve been sold this idea that white is the color of purity: That white symbolizes goodness and and pur puress and innocence. But in reality, being that we live in the Empire of the Dead, white is only possible through bone because it’s what removes all color. So back in the day with sugar, the poor people would have to use unrefined sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, right? The elite would use white sugar. And the difference between um raw sugar and white sugar is bone ash. Mhm.
The primary difference between “raw” sugar and white refined sugar is not the addition of bone ash.
The main differences are:
- degree of refining
- removal of molasses
- crystal purity
- color and flavor
What raw sugar is
Raw sugar is partially refined cane sugar. It still contains:
- some molasses
- minerals
- darker color
- larger crystals
Examples:
- turbinado sugar
- demerara sugar
What white sugar is
White sugar is more heavily refined to remove:
- molasses
- color compounds
- trace impurities
The result is nearly pure sucrose.
Where bone char enters the process
Bone char (sometimes called “bone ash,” though technically different) has historically been used by some cane sugar refineries as a filter medium to decolorize sugar syrup during refining.
Important distinctions:
- It is not added into the sugar as an ingredient
- It functions more like a filtration carbon
- Much of it never remains in the final product
Bone char is typically made from charred cattle bones.
Not all white sugar uses bone char
Many refineries do not use bone char:
- beet sugar usually does not
- organic certified sugar generally does not
- many modern cane refineries use activated carbon or ion-exchange systems instead
Is raw sugar “bone-char free”?
Not necessarily.
Some raw sugars bypass bone-char filtration entirely, but others may still encounter filtering stages depending on the refinery.
Vegan concerns
This is why some vegans avoid certain cane sugars. Organizations like PETA and vegan certification groups sometimes maintain lists of brands/refineries that avoid bone-char processing.
Chemically
White sugar and raw sugar are both mostly sucrose:
C_{12}H_{22}O_{11}
The difference is mostly in:
- refinement level
- residual molasses
- processing method
- crystal appearance/flavor
—not the addition of bone material itself.
