Description
Michelle Schwenk, PhD, Bellis Food Solutions. Presented at the 2019 conference
Sugar — specifically sucrose — is an amazing molecule and its unique characteristics have helped define the confections industry. No other sweetener possesses the properties of sucrose, nor can any other sweetener create the diversity of products we see in the marketplace. Sucrose is a disaccharide, a sugar that has two monosaccharides bonded in a glyosidic ether linkage . These two individual monosaccharides, glucose and fructose, are reducing sugars. But when linked together as sucrose, are not, making sucrose much less reactive. Since it is not a reducing sugar, sucrose will not brown easily unless it is broken into its monosaccharide components. The fivemember ring of fructose contributes to the relatively non-hydroscopic and non-reducing properties of sucrose. This unique structure is responsible for the solubility, sweetness and flavor of sucrose, and plays a dominant role in crystallization.
