Jill Batman, age 11, of Lahoma, Okla., for her question:

HOW IS BROWN SUGAR MADE?

Brown sugar is one of the end results that come out of the refining of cane sugar. Yellowish brown raw sugar goes through a number of procedures. First the molasses film, which gives the raw sugar its color, must be rinsed off. The sugar crystals are then dissolved in water and this solution is poured through filters. Clear, colorless fluid is obtained and is put through an evaporating process which produces crystals again.

A centrifuge spins the syrup from the crystals. But not all of the syrup forms into crystals during this procedure. The remaining syrup is put back through the evaporation and spinning process again, and another batch of white sugar crystals is formed. The remaining syrup is processed for the third and last time. From this, brown sugar is made.