70 mg GAE polyphenols/1 00 g carbohydrates or about 39 mg GAE polyphenols/1 00 g carbohydrates to about 60 mg GAE polyphenols/1 00 g carbohydrates. Embodiments of the present invention provide food grade solid prebiotic crystalline sugars comprising at least about 95% w/w sucrose, about 37 mg GAE polyphenols/1 00 g carbohydrates to about 80 mg GAE polyphenols/1 00 g carbohydrates and 0 to 1.5 % w/w reducing sugars, wherein the sugar is not more than 0.5% w/w fructose and not more than 1% w/w glucose and wherein the sugar has a first proportion of the polyphenols are entrained within the sucrose crystals and a second proportion of the polyphenols is distributed on the surfaces of the sucrose crystals. Optionally, about 70% to 95% of the polyphenols are on the outside of the sugar particles and about 5% to 30% of the polyphenols are the sucrose crystals are within the sucrose crystals. Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for preparing a food grade solid prebiotic crystalline sugar comprising: (i) washing sugar cane massecuite or an unrefined sugar including sucrose crystals, polyphenols and reducing sugars to remove an amount of polyphenols and an amount of reducing sugars from the massecuite and produce a first sugar; and (ii) addition of an additive comprising polyphenols to the first sugar to prepare the second sugar; wherein the first sugar comprises about 0 to 5% w/w or 0 to 1%w/w reducing sugars and optionally about 0 to about 1 mg GAE polyphenols/1 00 g carbohydrate and the second sugar comprises about 37 mg GAE polyphenols/1 00 g carbohydrate to about 80 mg GAE polyphenols/1 00 g carbohydrate and 0 to 5% w/w or 0 to 1%w/w % w/w reducing sugar. Optionally, the second sugar is about 45 mg GAE polyphenols/100 g carbohydrate to about 55 mg GAE polyphenols/1 00 g carbohydrate and very low glycaemic. Optionally, the first sugar is white refined sugar cane or beet sugar. Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of increasing the quantity of probiotic bacteria in the colon of a mammal comprising consumption by the mammal of a prebiotic sugar composition of one of the above preferred embodiments. The method optionally promotes gut health and/or increases the quantity of one or more or all the following bacterial strains in the colon of the mammal: lactic acid bacteria, Bifidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Baciullus, Streptococcus, Escherichia, Enterococcus, Anaeropstipes, Bacillus, Odoribacter, Victivallis (phylum Lentisphaerae) and