Sugar cane is like a grass which grows to a height of about 2-4 meters when mature. Like all grasses it consists of green leaves, a fibrous stalk and foot. When the sun shines on the leaves, it is the chlorophyll which is a material that gives plants their green color, absorbs this heat energy and combines it with water (drawn through the roots) and carbon dioxide from the air to manufacture sucrose. This process is called photosynthesis. The sun's energy absorbed by the sugar cane during photosynthesis is trapped by the sucrose which is stored in the cane's stem and is released only when digested. That is why sugar is called an "energy food".

Sugar is an energy food; it comes into the carbohydrates category of nutrients which are often termed energy or fuel roots. It supplies about 10% of our daily energy requirements. When sugar is swallowed (as a drink sweetener, or food ingredient) the trapped energy from the sun is finally released as an enzyme. The stomach and intestines convert the sugar into glucose and fructose. Easily absorbed into the blood, this 'energy' is transported throughout the body as fuel for muscles and various organs. Excess glucose and fructose is stored as glycogen, which can be used when the body is undergoing sustained muscular 'activity', such as playing sports. Sugar is also used for the manufacturing of many other food products.