Sugarcane

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/sugarcane

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is Sugarcane known for?Accounts for approximately 80% of the world's sugar production
2. What is the scientific name?Saccharum officinarum
3. What is the geographic origin?New Guinea, domesticated approximately 8,000-10,000 years ago
4. Where does sugarcane grow?It grows best in tropical and subtropical areas where there is plenty of sunshine, water, and good soil.
5. How do farmers grow sugarcane?Farmers plant stem cuttings so the new plants keep the same good traits, and they use special watering and fertilizer to make the stalks sweeter.

Sucrose: The primary sugar extracted from sugarcane, a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose.
Bagasse: The fibrous residue remaining after the extraction of juice from sugarcane stalks, utilized for energy and material production.
Molasses: A viscous syrup byproduct of sugar refining, containing residual sugars and used in various industrial and food applications.
Bioethanol: A biofuel produced from the fermentation of plant-derived sugars, such as those from sugarcane, used as a renewable fuel alternative.