20241014 Sugar (Glucose vs. Starch, Water activity)

 

4.1: Sugar Chemistry 


Chemically, sugar consists of carbon (C), oxygen (O), and hydrogen (H) atoms, and is classified as a carbohydrate. There are three main groups of sugars, classified according to the way the atoms are arranged together in the molecular structure. These groups are the following:

  • Monosaccharides or simple sugars. Dextrose (glucose) is the major monosaccharide. Others are levulose or fructose (found in honey and many fruits), and galactose, which is a milk sugar. Such sugars do not readily crystallize. (Mono means one, indicating that the sugar consists of only one molecule.)
  • Disaccharides or complex sugars. Sucrose (common sugar) is the primary example of a disaccharide. Maltose, found in cereals, and lactose, found in milk, are others.
  • Polysaccharides. Examples are starches, dextrins, and cellulose.

Additional information mentioned during the course, 

  • Glycogen is the primary storage form of glucose in animals, including humans, and is mainly found in the liver and muscles. 

  • Starch is the main energy storage molecule in plants and is found in various plant organs, such as seeds, tubers, and grains.


Sugar Names

It is helpful to understand some of the conventions of the names of different sugars. Note that sugar names often end in “ose”: sucrose, dextrose, maltose, lactose, etc. Sucrose is the chemical name for sugar that comes from the cane and beet sugar plants.

The Canadian Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) govern the following definitions:

  • Sugars: All monosaccharides and disaccharides. Used for nutrition labelling purposes.
  • Sweetening agent: Any food for which a standard is provided in Division 18 of the Food and Drug Regulation, or any combination of these. Includes sugar (sucrose), sugar syrups, and molasses derived from sugar cane or sugar beet, dextrose, glucose and syrups, honey and lactose. Excludes sweeteners considered to be food additives.
  • Sweetening ingredient: Any sugar, invert sugar, honey, dextrose, glucose, or glucose solids, or any combination of these in dry or liquid form. Designed for sweetening fruits, vegetables, and their products and substitutes.
  • Maple syrup: The syrup obtained by the concentration of maple sap or by the dilution or solution of a maple product, other than maple sap, in potable water.
  • Sweetener: Any food additive listed as a sweetener. Includes both sugar alcohols and high intensity- sweeteners such as acesulfame-potassium, aspartame, and sucralose.
  • Sugar alcohols: Food additives that may be used as sweeteners. Includes isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, maltitol syrup, mannitol, sorbitol, sorbitol syrup, xylitol, and erythritol.


4.3: The Application of Sugar

Sugar is the third most used ingredient in the bakeshop. Sugar has several functions in baking. The most recognized purpose is, of course, to sweeten food, but there are many other reasons sugar is used in cooking and baking:

  • It can be used for browning effect, both caramelization and the Maillard reaction, on everything from breads to cookies to cakes. Browning gives a pleasant colour and flavour to the finished product. Caramelization results from the action of heat on sugars. At high temperatures, the chemical changes associated with melting sugars result in a deep brown colour and new flavours. The Maillard reaction results from chemical interactions between sugars and proteins at high heat. An amino group from a protein combines with a reducing sugar to produce a brown colour in a variety of foods (e.g., brewed coffee, fried foods, and breads).
  • It acts as the most important tenderizing agent in all baked goods, and one of the factors responsible for the spread in cookies. It helps delay the formation of gluten, which is essential for maintaining a soft or tender product.
  • It makes an important contribution to the way we perceive the texture of food. For example, adding sugar to ice cream provides body and texture, which is perceived as smoothness. This addition helps prevent lactose crystallization and thus reduces sugar crystal formation that otherwise causes a grainy texture sometimes associated with frozen dairy products.
  • It preserves food when used in sufficient quantity.

WHY? HOW SUGAR PRESERVES FOOD?
How to lower water activity in foods?


Solutes: Water activity is decreased by adding solutes such as sugar or salt.
Adding sugar to lower water activity in food 


Insights:

Overall, sugar is really important in our everyday lives. Aside from making it creative toppings and an accessory to our food, and using it as a flavoring to our bland dishes, it also provides efficient nutrients for our daily living. Beyond its culinary applications, sugar plays a key role in food preservation and preparation techniques, helping food last longer and making it taste and feel better.

Moreover, sugar is not just about sweetness, it also helps in cooking and baking by improving textures, supporting fermentation, and causing important changes like caramelization and browning, which make food more flavorful. Its many uses show how essential it is in both professional kitchens and home cooking.


References:

https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Biological_Chemistry/Chemistry_of_Cooking_(Rodriguez-Velazquez)/04%3A_Sugar/4.01%3A_Sugar_Chemistry_(ADD_US)
https://thisvsthat.io/glycogen-vs-starch

https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Biological_Chemistry/Chemistry_of_Cooking_(Rodriguez-Velazquez)/04%3A_Sugar/4.03%3A_The_Application_of_Sugar

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_activity


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