# Non-Centrifugal Sugar (NCS) and Health: A Review on Functional Components and Health Benefits
## 1 Introduction  
Unrefined sugar is generally obtained from sugarcane (_Saccharum officinarum_), palm (_Borassus flabellifer_) and coconut (_Cocos nucifera plant._). The most common raw material used for unrefined sugar production is extracted juice from sugarcane stalks [1]. Non-centrifugal sugar (NCS) is the technical term used by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) [2] for a traditional minimally processed sweetener from sugar cane (_Saccharum officinarum_ L.). The World Customs Organization (WCO) [3] defines it as follows: \"The product contains only natural anhedral microcrystals, of irregular shape, not visible to the naked eye, which are surrounded by residues of molasses and other constituents of sugar cane\". Six steps are involved in manufacturing traditional NCS: (1) cutting sugarcane; (2) pressing the sugar cane stalk and obtaining the juice; (3) clarifying the juice; (4) heating the sugar cane juice to evaporate the water (more than 130 \({}^{\circ}\)C) and obtaining the sugar (5) further heating and concentrating the sugar syrup; at 140 \({}^{\circ}\)C and obtaining the semi-solid product; (6) pouring the semi-solid product, that contains a little water, into molds to enable cooling and natural formation [4]. The manufacturing process is either presented in solid form (blocks or bricks) or granulated form. NCS is available in many countries under different local names, including panels (Latin America), jaggery (India), Kokuto (Japan) and Gula Melaka (Malaysia) [5, 6]. India remains the top producer of NCS, followed by Colombia [7]. Sucrose is the essential component in NCS, followed by reducing sugar, water, and insoluble matter, such as fat, proteins, and minerals [6].  
Since NCS product does not require an intense refining process, NCS is full of vitamins and bioactive compounds found naturally in sugarcane, such as phenolic acids (caffeic,chlorogenic and coumaric acids), flavonoids (naringenin, tricin, apigenin and luteolin derivative) and long-chain alcohols known as policosanols (PCs). NCS products contain 20 essential amino acids and have a unique taste and aroma [5; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13]. In addition, Citrulline and \(\gamma\)-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are also found in NCS products [8]. NCS is known as'medicinal sugar', which is used for pharmaceutical formulations due to its richness in nutraceutical and functional compounds [14]. Many health-promoting properties of NCS have been reported, including immuno-protective effects, anti-tooxicity, anti-anaemia effect, antioxidant properties, cytoprotective effects, antiatherosclerotic function and anti-carcinogenic effects as well as protective effects against diabetes, inflammation, obesity, dyslipidemia, and neurodegeneration disease [13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18]. Nutritional components, bioactive and the sensory profile of NCS largely depends on the agronomic factors (genotypes of cane, soil types, fertilization, and harvest) and industrial processing conditions. Hence, the NCS quality depends on the traditional systems of harvest, transformation and final product in each producing area and nation [19]. The present review summarizes in vitro and in vivo studies on the benefits and efficacy of NCS.