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CONSUMERS |
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| Cooking with Sugar Sugar performs a variety of functions in food products, in addition to providing a sweet taste and flavour. Some of its other important properties include its solubility, its ability to absorb water, and its fermentability. These diverse attributes make it an invaluable ingredient to both manufacturers and to those at home.
Sugars vary in their level of sweetness. Sucrose (or table sugar) is the reference standard for which the sweetness of all foods is compared, and is set arbitrarily at 100. Fructose, one of the sugars found in fruit, is the sweetest. Sucrose or table sugar is less sweet than fructose but sweeter than lactose, a sugar found in milk. Below is a chart listing the relative sweetness of common sugars. Keep in mind that sweetness can also vary depending on the form of the sugar (solid, solution), concentration, temperature, presence of other ingredients, and the taste differences between individuals.
Sugar is commonly used as a preservative in jams and jellies, and enhances the colour and flavour of various fruits. Sugars attract water, which acts to inhibit the growth of micro organisms that can cause food to spoil. The addition of sugars to jams and jellies is also essential to the gelling process, to obtain the desired consistency and firmness. 
Sugar is used in baked goods, like cakes for example, to hold moisture and prevent staleness. It also helps tenderize bakery products and provide a source of nourishment for the growth of yeast, which helps the leavening process (e.g. breads to rise). The browning reaction that sugar undergos when exposed to heat adds flavour, and contributes to the appearance of colour that can be seen on bakery foods such as the crusts of bread and the browning of cookies.
Sugars are added to canned fruits and vegetables to improve flavour, enhance texture and preserve natural colours. Sugars are also used to slow the freezing process, and prevent large ice crystals from forming in frozen sweet mixtures, such as ice cream. Large ice crystals can create a gritty texture, while the formation of smaller ice crystals results in a smoother product, providing a more desirable texture. Sugars also increase the thickness of frozen desserts, imparting a thick, creamy texture in the mouth. Sugar (sucrose) is the primary ingredient in a wide variety of candies, largely due to its solubility. In its simplest form, candy is made by dissolving sugar in water, and heating the solution. As the temperature rises, more sugar can dissolve. The solution is boiled until no more sugar will dissolve (a supersaturated solution). As the solution continues to boil, the water evaporates, making the solution more concentrated. When the solution cools, the sugar’s solubility decreases and the sugar crystallizes out of solution. The type of candy that is being made (and its desired consistency) determines the degree of sugar concentration, and the extent to which sugar particles are recrystallized.
Sugars are added to beverages to provide both sweetness and body (otherwise known as “mouthfeel”). Sugars are also important in the brewing and wine-making industry. Sugars or other carbohydrates (except lactose) can be used to produce alcohols by fermentation. During fermentation, yeast feeds on sugars and produces bubbles of carbon dioxide, water and alcohol. Sugar is a key ingredient in the preparation of custards, puddings, and sauces. These food products depend on sugar to perform a number of functions, in addition to its role as a sweetener. In custards, sugars help to breakdown proteins in egg (whites) so that they are more evenly dispersed in the liquid mixture. This permits the egg mixture to thicken slowly, mixing with the other ingredients, resulting in a smoother consistency. Sugar helps to prevent lumping and thicken sauces and puddings by separating the starch molecules of the flour (or other thickening ingredient such as cornstarch). This allows for a more desirable consistency. In non sweet foods such as salad dressings, condiments and sauces, sugars enhance flavours and balance the natural acidity of tomato and vinegar based products. This is because sugars are easily broken down by weak acids.
In these roles and others, sugar is an important and versatile food ingredient. For more information on The Functional Properties of Sugar, click here Granulated sugars have an excellent shelf life and can be stored in a cool, dry place in their original package for many years. When exposed to moisture, white granulated sugar tends to harden as it dries. Stirring or sifting will usually help to restore its granular state. To soften brown sugar, place a piece of bread or apple in the jar for a few hours and the sugar will regain its original consistency. Hardened brown sugar can also be placed in the microwave for 20 seconds just before using it in a recipe. Once opened, all liquid sugars like maple, corn and table syrups, honey, jams and jellies, must be refrigerated in airtight jars. If syrups begin to crystallize, place container in hot water to heat and then stir vigorously to restore liquid consistency. CSI offers a series of fact sheets offering delicious recipes accompanied by sugar and health information.
Additional Recipes You can find additional recipes in the following CSI resources:
Also, visit the Sugar Association
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Canadian Sugar Institute
10 Bay Street, Suite 620 - Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2R8
Tel: 416-368-8091 - Fax: 416-368-6426 | info@sugar.ca
| www.sugar.ca |