i came across these paragraphs in a recent *straight dope* discussion on
whether beet sugar contains hydrogen cyanide:

Now: what's the difference between cane sugar and beet sugar? A perfectly
accurate answer is "not much" ¡X table sugar is 99.95 percent or more pure
sucrose, which is chemically the same whether it comes from cane or beets.
However, since commercial advantage is at stake, you do get people arguing
about the significance of the .05 percent. The C & H Sugar Company claims
the trace minerals in cane sugar are different from those in beet sugar and
that cane sugar is superior. The Sugar Industry Biotech Council claims
there's no difference. C & H, no surprise, sells only cane sugar, while the
council represents producers of both.

The real question, and I realize this doesn't rate with metabolic
asphyxiation on the fright scale, is whether cooks see any difference
between beet and cane. Food staffers at the San Francisco Chronicle did
some head-to-head testing in 1999 and reported that cane made significantly
better cookies and subtly better pound cake. They also had real trouble
getting creme brulee to caramelize properly with beet sugar, ending up with
burnt topping instead. Always game for an experiment, particularly when it
involves food, my assistants Una and Fierra spent a night preparing creme
brulee: three batches with beet sugar, three with cane. Result: The beet
and cane versions were indistinguishable in appearance, but the cane
batches tasted sweeter, their caramelized topping especially. It was a
Pepsi vs. Coke difference, though: while Una preferred the ones made with
cane sugar, Fierra fancied the faintly bitter bite of the beet.

¡X Cecil Adams

....so in the interest of food arcana, i thought it would post it here. the
box of store-brand sugar i have is labeled cane sugar, but i suppose in
some areas of the country it would be beet sugar. or is that mostly used
by food processors?

anyhow, the cyanide discussion can be found he

<http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2861/does-beet-sugar-contain-a-wwii-poison>

your pal,
blake