Empty calories
The concentration of calories in sugar is only second to fats and oils. The cautionary advise against consuming too much sugar derives from ingesting too many calories and displacing nutritious food with "empty calories.". Refined sugars are devoid of vitamins, minerals, and other nutritients that are important in a healthy diet.
Tooth decay
Certain kinds of Streptococcus colonize the mouth. The bacteria convert sugars into "plaque" carbohydrates, which anchor them to the teeth and form a protective layer. In addition, they also produce defensive acids that damage tooth enamel and lead to tooth decay.
(Interestingly, phenolic compounds such as are found in chocolate and tea interfere with the adhesion of bacteria to the teeth.)
Blood glucose
The body uses glucose as its primary source of energy. However, glucose is a highly reactive molecule. In excessive quantities, it can damage the eyes, kidneys, and both nervous and circulatory systems. The body controls glucose by removing it promptly from the blood via insulin, which helps distribute it to tissues for energy or storage. Intake of sugar overload stresses the insulin system. Diabetes may result from such strain.
Glycemic Index
Food varies in its content of sugars. The glycemic index measures how much a given food raises glucose levels. The foods that raise blood glucose level the most are ones rich in glucose such as rice, potatoes, and other starchy foods. Table sugar has a slightly lower glycemic index as it is a combination of glucose and fructose. Foods containing fructose have much lower glycemic indeces because fructose has to metabolize through the liver before it becomes available as a source of energy.
Showing posts with label sugar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sugar. Show all posts
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Sugar substitutes
Sugar alcohols, or polyols, provide bulk without being digested like sugars. Examples are sorbitol, mannitol, other sugars ending in -itol. They are derived from an altered sugar molecule which makes them hard to absorb and use. They only cause a slow rise in insulin levels. In addition, sugar alcohols lack the aldehyde group that initiates browning reactions, making them resistant to discoloration and flavor changes.
Intensive sweeteners can have a sweetness of 50 to 8000 times greater than table sugar. Examples include stevia, saccharin, and aspartame. Their advantage is that only small amounts are needed to attain sweetness, therefore the caloric content is negligible. The disadvantages are flavor differences with lingering after-tastes and heat instability.
Sweetness inhibitors, such as Lactisole, block the taste receptors for sweetness. They are used in roasted coffee, confectionery, and snacks. A tiny amount can reduce the apparent sweetness of sugar by two-thirds.
Intensive sweeteners can have a sweetness of 50 to 8000 times greater than table sugar. Examples include stevia, saccharin, and aspartame. Their advantage is that only small amounts are needed to attain sweetness, therefore the caloric content is negligible. The disadvantages are flavor differences with lingering after-tastes and heat instability.
Sweetness inhibitors, such as Lactisole, block the taste receptors for sweetness. They are used in roasted coffee, confectionery, and snacks. A tiny amount can reduce the apparent sweetness of sugar by two-thirds.
Kinds of sugar
White sugar is purified sucrose. It is obtained from sugar cane or beets that have been made into a juice, clarified, and converted into a dark syrup. The sucrose is later crystallized and centrifuged to remove impurities (molasses). Table sugar is around 99.85% pure sucrose. The differences in white sugars are attributed mostly to size and purity. Standard granulated table sugar has an approximate length of 0.3 to 0.5 mm.
Large grain sugars, such as coarse and sanding, measure 1 - 2 mm. These sugars are exceptionally pure batches of sucrose. They have been further washed with alcohol to remove impurities and sucrose dust to give them their characteristic sparkle and crystalline appearance.
Extra fine sugars like English caster sugars and baker's special are smaller than table sugar, measuring 0.1 to 0.3 mm. These sugars provide crystalline surfaces that can be used to introduce air into fat during the creaming stage of cake-making.
Powdered sugars offer no roughness to the tongue and measure 0.01 to 0.1 mm. These sugars contain 3% starch to absorb moisture and prevent caking.
Brown sugar is soft and clingy due to hygroscopic glucose and fructose molecules found in its molasses film. It contains a significant amount of water so keep in airtight container. At the same time, it traps air between groups of adhering crystals, so it is important to pack it down before its volume is measured. When exposed to air, brown sugar dries and becomes hard. To resoften, place a moistened cloth or an apple inside its container. The sugar absorbs the moisture from the cloth or fruit.
Brown sugars are divided into two subgroups:
Factory brown sugars are produced during the initial processing of the cane juice into unrefined sugar. These include demerara, turbinado and muscovado. These sugars retain a coating of the syrup from which they were crystalized.
Refinery brown sugars are produced at the refinery using raw sugar as the starting material, not the cane juice. Ordinary brown sugar is made this way. Some are dissolved and recrystalized, while others are made into white sugar and coated with a thin film of syrup or molasses.
Whole sugars are crystalline sugars still enveloped in the cooked cane juice. These sugars are usually found in international markets. Examples are jaggery (Indian) or piloncillo (Mexican/Latin America).
Molasses, also known as treacle (UK), is the syrup left over after the sugar cane sucrose has been removed. Most molasses today are blends of molasses and syrups obtained at various stages of sugar-making. The darker the molasses, the more its sugars have been caramelized by browning reactions. Therefore, the darker the molasses, the more bitter and less sweet. Their pH is unpredictable, usually between 5 and 7. It can sometimes react with baking soda and produce a leavening effect in baked goods. Molasses also help retain moisture and have antioxidant capacities. Unsulfured molasses refer to molasses that are dark in color and have not been treated with sulfur dioxide.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup is produced by adding enzymes to plain corn or potato syrups to convert some of the glucose sugars into fructose. The ratio then becomes 53% glucose and 42% fructose, with the same sweetness of table sugar. Its acidic pH (3.5 to 5.5) allows it to react with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide and act as a leavening tool. High-fructose corn syrup has long carbohydrate molecules that become tangled and result in a thicker consistency than any other sucrose syrup. This prevents crystallization and moisture loss. It also prolongs storage life.
Large grain sugars, such as coarse and sanding, measure 1 - 2 mm. These sugars are exceptionally pure batches of sucrose. They have been further washed with alcohol to remove impurities and sucrose dust to give them their characteristic sparkle and crystalline appearance.
Extra fine sugars like English caster sugars and baker's special are smaller than table sugar, measuring 0.1 to 0.3 mm. These sugars provide crystalline surfaces that can be used to introduce air into fat during the creaming stage of cake-making.
Powdered sugars offer no roughness to the tongue and measure 0.01 to 0.1 mm. These sugars contain 3% starch to absorb moisture and prevent caking.
Brown sugar is soft and clingy due to hygroscopic glucose and fructose molecules found in its molasses film. It contains a significant amount of water so keep in airtight container. At the same time, it traps air between groups of adhering crystals, so it is important to pack it down before its volume is measured. When exposed to air, brown sugar dries and becomes hard. To resoften, place a moistened cloth or an apple inside its container. The sugar absorbs the moisture from the cloth or fruit.
Brown sugars are divided into two subgroups:
Factory brown sugars are produced during the initial processing of the cane juice into unrefined sugar. These include demerara, turbinado and muscovado. These sugars retain a coating of the syrup from which they were crystalized.
Refinery brown sugars are produced at the refinery using raw sugar as the starting material, not the cane juice. Ordinary brown sugar is made this way. Some are dissolved and recrystalized, while others are made into white sugar and coated with a thin film of syrup or molasses.
Whole sugars are crystalline sugars still enveloped in the cooked cane juice. These sugars are usually found in international markets. Examples are jaggery (Indian) or piloncillo (Mexican/Latin America).
Molasses, also known as treacle (UK), is the syrup left over after the sugar cane sucrose has been removed. Most molasses today are blends of molasses and syrups obtained at various stages of sugar-making. The darker the molasses, the more its sugars have been caramelized by browning reactions. Therefore, the darker the molasses, the more bitter and less sweet. Their pH is unpredictable, usually between 5 and 7. It can sometimes react with baking soda and produce a leavening effect in baked goods. Molasses also help retain moisture and have antioxidant capacities. Unsulfured molasses refer to molasses that are dark in color and have not been treated with sulfur dioxide.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup is produced by adding enzymes to plain corn or potato syrups to convert some of the glucose sugars into fructose. The ratio then becomes 53% glucose and 42% fructose, with the same sweetness of table sugar. Its acidic pH (3.5 to 5.5) allows it to react with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide and act as a leavening tool. High-fructose corn syrup has long carbohydrate molecules that become tangled and result in a thicker consistency than any other sucrose syrup. This prevents crystallization and moisture loss. It also prolongs storage life.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
The molecules of sugar
Glucose, also known as dextrose, is the simplest sugar molecule. Starch is formed from chains of glucose molecules. It is most often encountered in the form of corn syrup, which is made by breaking starch down. Two glucose molecules form maltose. In comparison to sucrose, glucose is less sweet, less water-soluble, and thinner in solution. It caramelizes around 300 degrees F.
Fructose, also known as levulose, is an isomer of glucose. They have the same chemical formula but vary in their structure. Fructose is the sweetest of the common sugars and the most water-soluble. The human body metabolizes fructose more slowly than glucose and sucrose, making it a preferable sugar for diabetics. It caramelizes at 220 degrees F. Fructose molecules exist in various isomers that have different effects on our sweet receptors. The six-corner ring shape is the sweetest. It predominates in cold, acid solutions. This means that manufacturers can use half of the sugar content (and thus half of calories) by using fructose versus sucrose to reach the same sweetness in a cold drink. In warm conditions, the structure changes to a five-corner ring, which drops its sweetness to that of sucrose.
Sucrose, also known as table sugar. It is a compound made from one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose. Plants produce sucrose during photosynthesis. It is the form extracted from sugar cane and beets. It benefits from properties of glucose and fructose. It is the second sweetest, second most water-soluble, and most pleasant tasting even at high concentrations. It caramelizes at 340 degrees F. When heated in the presence of acid, sucrose breaks into its single molecules at a ratio of 75% glucose and fructose, and 25% sucrose. This process is referred to as inversion. Invert sugar exists only as a syrup since fructose cannot fully crystalize in the presence of glucose and sucrose. Invert sugars are useful in candy making.
Lactose is a composite of glucose and galactose. It is the sugar found in milk. It is much less sweet than sucrose. It is mostly used to add bulk than sweetness.
Fructose, also known as levulose, is an isomer of glucose. They have the same chemical formula but vary in their structure. Fructose is the sweetest of the common sugars and the most water-soluble. The human body metabolizes fructose more slowly than glucose and sucrose, making it a preferable sugar for diabetics. It caramelizes at 220 degrees F. Fructose molecules exist in various isomers that have different effects on our sweet receptors. The six-corner ring shape is the sweetest. It predominates in cold, acid solutions. This means that manufacturers can use half of the sugar content (and thus half of calories) by using fructose versus sucrose to reach the same sweetness in a cold drink. In warm conditions, the structure changes to a five-corner ring, which drops its sweetness to that of sucrose.
Sucrose, also known as table sugar. It is a compound made from one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose. Plants produce sucrose during photosynthesis. It is the form extracted from sugar cane and beets. It benefits from properties of glucose and fructose. It is the second sweetest, second most water-soluble, and most pleasant tasting even at high concentrations. It caramelizes at 340 degrees F. When heated in the presence of acid, sucrose breaks into its single molecules at a ratio of 75% glucose and fructose, and 25% sucrose. This process is referred to as inversion. Invert sugar exists only as a syrup since fructose cannot fully crystalize in the presence of glucose and sucrose. Invert sugars are useful in candy making.
Lactose is a composite of glucose and galactose. It is the sugar found in milk. It is much less sweet than sucrose. It is mostly used to add bulk than sweetness.
History of Sugar
Modern day, refined white sugar is a relative novelty. The sweet qualities of fruits and honey have been praised for nearly 4000 years, but refined sugar only became known to Europeans after 1100 BC. Even so, it remained a luxury until well into the 1700s.
Sugar cane has an unusually high sucrose content of 15%. Native to the New Guinea in the South Pacific, it was carried by prehistoric people into Asia. The sugar cane and the technology to make sugar traveled from Asia into the Middle East around the 6th century CE. Europeans were first exposed to sugar during the Crusades in the 11th century. Sugar was treated as a flavoring and a medicine. Medieval Europe used it to preserve fruits and flowers and as medicinal morsels used to mask bitter-tasting drugs. By the 14th century, sugar had already acquired popularity in non-medical confections. By the 16th century, confectionery had become an art. Cooks were already proficient in making syrups, hard candies, and other confections that were pleasing to see as well as to eat.
By the 18th century, the use of sugar in Europe exploded. Its consumption was supported by the colonial rule in the West Indies and the use of slavery. Columbus had carried the sugar cane to Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) during his second voyage. By 1550, the Americas were producing sugar in significant quantities. By one estimate, two-thirds of the 20 million African slaves in America worked on sugar plantations. The intricate trade in sugar made major ports out of minor cities throughout Europe. The huge fortunes made by plantation owners funded much of the Industrial Revolution.
The 19th century brought a rapid decline to the sugar industry with the abolition of slavery and the development of an alternative to the sugar cane. In 1747, Andreas Marggraf, a Prussian chemist, discovered that using brandy to extract the juice of the white beet produced crystals identical to those from sugar cane. However, many years passed before the production of sugar from beets became appreciated. Emperor Napoleon awarded Benjamin Delessert for developing a working sugar-beet factory in 1812. Though a quick fad rose and faded, production of sugar from beets took a strong hold in the 1840s, and has been sustained ever since.
Today, 30% of sucrose production world wide comes from beets. Some sugar is still produced from sugar cane, but a majority of sugar comes from corn. Manufacturing sugar from corn has made sugar very inexpensive and abundant in the Western diet. Sugar production saw a 7-fold increase between 1900 and 1964; a growth unmatched by any other crop. Given the rising concerns of sugar in our diet today, there is an abundant market for products that mimic sugar without its adverse effects on body weight and health.
Sugar cane has an unusually high sucrose content of 15%. Native to the New Guinea in the South Pacific, it was carried by prehistoric people into Asia. The sugar cane and the technology to make sugar traveled from Asia into the Middle East around the 6th century CE. Europeans were first exposed to sugar during the Crusades in the 11th century. Sugar was treated as a flavoring and a medicine. Medieval Europe used it to preserve fruits and flowers and as medicinal morsels used to mask bitter-tasting drugs. By the 14th century, sugar had already acquired popularity in non-medical confections. By the 16th century, confectionery had become an art. Cooks were already proficient in making syrups, hard candies, and other confections that were pleasing to see as well as to eat.
By the 18th century, the use of sugar in Europe exploded. Its consumption was supported by the colonial rule in the West Indies and the use of slavery. Columbus had carried the sugar cane to Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) during his second voyage. By 1550, the Americas were producing sugar in significant quantities. By one estimate, two-thirds of the 20 million African slaves in America worked on sugar plantations. The intricate trade in sugar made major ports out of minor cities throughout Europe. The huge fortunes made by plantation owners funded much of the Industrial Revolution.
The 19th century brought a rapid decline to the sugar industry with the abolition of slavery and the development of an alternative to the sugar cane. In 1747, Andreas Marggraf, a Prussian chemist, discovered that using brandy to extract the juice of the white beet produced crystals identical to those from sugar cane. However, many years passed before the production of sugar from beets became appreciated. Emperor Napoleon awarded Benjamin Delessert for developing a working sugar-beet factory in 1812. Though a quick fad rose and faded, production of sugar from beets took a strong hold in the 1840s, and has been sustained ever since.
Today, 30% of sucrose production world wide comes from beets. Some sugar is still produced from sugar cane, but a majority of sugar comes from corn. Manufacturing sugar from corn has made sugar very inexpensive and abundant in the Western diet. Sugar production saw a 7-fold increase between 1900 and 1964; a growth unmatched by any other crop. Given the rising concerns of sugar in our diet today, there is an abundant market for products that mimic sugar without its adverse effects on body weight and health.
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