Sugar and Other Sweeteners

8 Sugar and Other Sweeteners

EXERCISES AND EXPERIMENTS

EXERCISE 1: Decreasing Browning in Baked Goods and Confections In the spaces that follow, list all the ways you know that will decrease browning in baked goods and in confections. For the purposes of this exercise, focus entirely on decreasing the browning, and don’t be concerned about other changes that might make your product less desirable in other ways. Be specific and be practical; that is, think of changes you could tell an assistant to execute. Be sure to start each line with an action word such as the following: add, increase, decrease, change, omit, include, use. While each item might not apply to all types of products, each should work in at least one. Follow the format used in the first, which is done for you, and see if you can add at least five more ways. 1 Use water instead of milk in an egg wash, or omit the wash altogether. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

EXERCISE 2: How Sugar Concentration Affects the Boiling Point of Water The boiling point of pure water at sea level is 212°F. When sugar—or any substance—is dissolved in water, the boiling point increases above 212°F. This is because sugar molecules take up space, including space near the top of a pot, and gets in the way of water molecules escaping from a pot into the atmosphere. As the concentration of sugar increases (as it does when water evaporates from a sugar syrup), the boiling point also increases. When sugar syrup is boiled, as when preparing boiled confections, water evaporates off but the sugar remains behind. The boiling point increases as this occurs because the sugar concentration also increases, making it more difficult for water to evaporate. That is why thermometers are used to determine if confections (and jams and jellies) have been boiled long enough to set properly. The thermometer is being used to determine if the correct sugar concentration has been reached. Instructions: Enter the data from the following table onto the graph, and draw the best curve through the points. Your graph shows the relationship between the amount of sugar in a syrup and the syrup’s boiling point. Next, answer the questions that follow.

% Sugar Concentration Boiling Point, °F 0 212 20 212.5 40 214 50 215 60 217 70 221 80 229 85 236 90 247 95 265 98 280

1 Compare the change to the boiling point when going from 40 to 50 percent sugar to the change when going from 80 to 90 percent. Which 10 percent increase in concentration has the larger change in boiling point? Answer: 2 Do you think this makes it easier or harder to accurately use a thermometer for judging sugar concentration when the value is low (as when making a simple syrup made with 50 percent sugar)? Explain why. Answer: 3 Estimate from the graph the boiling point of a sugar syrup that contains 65 percent sugar (about the amount in jams and jellies). Answer: 4 Estimate from the graph the sugar concentration of a syrup that has a boiling point of 240°F, the approximate boiling point of fondant. Answer: 5 Why might the actual concentration of sugar in fondant be different from your estimate? Answer:

EXERCISE 3: Sensory Characteristics of Sugars and Other Sweeteners Using the Results Table, first fill in the Description column with the brand name of each sweetener. Include additional information that further describes and differentiates the sweetener from others of the same kind (granulated sugar, for example, could be identified as cane or beet sugar, fine or extrafine). Next, compare and describe the sweeteners in appearance and flavor (besides sweetness, consider sourness, bitterness, astringency, and aroma). Use this opportunity to identify different sweeteners from their sensory characteristics alone. Add any additional comments or observations that you might have to the last column in the table, such as an ingredient listing and how quickly the dry sweeteners dissolve in your mouth. Results Table SUGARS AND OTHER SWEETENERS Type of Description Appearance Sweetness/Flavor Additional Sweetener Comments Regular granulated Dried cane syrup Coarse Powdered Doughnut Crystalline fructose Isomalt Splenda Invert syrup Glucose syrup, medium DE Glucose syrup, low DE Light brown Dark brown Molasses Dark corn syrup Honey

Use information from the Results Table and from your textbook to answer the following questions. Select one from the choices in bold or fill in the blanks. 1 Coarse sugar dissolved in the mouth faster more slowly than regular granulated sugar, primarily because the crystals are larger smaller than regular granulated sugar. 2 What ingredient is sometimes added to coarse sugars for sheen, and to keep the crystals from dissolving during baking? Was this ingredient added to your coarse sugar? 3 The main sensory differences between powdered sugar and doughnut sugar are 4 Fructose dissolved in the mouth faster more slowly than granulated sugar, primarily because it is very not very hygroscopic. Fructose was also sweeter less sweet than granulated sugar. 5 Isomalt dissolved in the mouth faster more slowly than granulated sugar, primarily because it is very/not very hygroscopic. Isomalt was also sweeter/less sweet than granulated sugar. 6 Splenda tasted sweeter than less sweet than the same in sweetness as regular granulated sugar. Other differences between Splenda and sugar are 7 How would you describe the flavor of invert syrup? Answer: 8 The low DE glucose syrup was derived from corn wheat other starch. The medium DE glucose syrup was derived from corn wheat other starch. 9 The glucose syrup that was sweeter was low medium DE because it was lower higher in sugars. It was also thicker thinner because it was lower higher in higher saccharides. 10 The low DE glucose syrup had better clarity than worse clarity than the same clarity as the medium DE glucose syrup. This means that it was refined more less about the same and will darken and brown faster slower about the same as the medium DE syrup. This makes it better worse about the same for use in white sugar confections and showpieces. 11 The dark brown sugar had stronger weaker the same flavor as the light brown sugar. How do you explain these results? Answer: 12 How would you describe the flavor of molasses? Answer: 13 How would you describe the difference in flavor between dark corn syrup and molasses? Answer: 14 Honey has a pH that is typically lower higher than most other syrups, indicating the presence of acids. The flavor of honey was was not particularly sour. Explain. Answer:

EXPERIMENT 4: How the Amount of Sugar Affects the Quality of Pound Cake

Objectives Demonstrate how the amount of sugar affects • The size and shape of pound cake • The amount of browning on the crust of pound cake • The flavor and texture of pound cake • The overall acceptability of pound cake

Products Prepared Pound cake made with • Full amount of sugar (control product) • No sugar • Half the amount of sugar • One and a half times the amount of sugar • Double the amount of sugar • Other, if desired (three-quarters the amount of sugar, one and one-quarter the amount of sugar, etc.)

Materials and Equipment • Scale • Sieve • Parchment paper • Mixer with 5-quart mixing bowl • Flat beater attachment • Bowl scraper • Whisk • Pound cake batter (see Formula), enough to make 24 or more cakes of each variation • Muffin pans (2 1/2" or 3 1/2" /65 or 90 mm size) • Paper liners, pan spray, or pan coating • Size #16 (2 fl. oz./60 ml) portion-control scoop or equivalent • Half sheet pans (optional) • Oven thermometer • Wooden pick (for testing) • Serrated knife • Ruler

Formula HIGH-RATIO POUND CAKE Yield: 24 cakes for control product, full amount of sugar; yield will vary with other amounts of sugar Ingredient Pounds Ounces Grams Baker’s Percentage Flour, cake 12 350 100 Dried milk solids 1.4 40 11 Salt 0.2 7 2 Baking powder 0.4 10 3 Sugar, regular 14 400 115 granulated Shortening, high- 8 230 66 ratio plastic Water 6 175 50 Eggs, whole 8 230 66 Total 3 2 1,442 413

Method of Preparation (for control product, full amount of sugar)

1 Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). 2 Allow all ingredients to come to room temperature (temperature of ingredients is important for consistent results). 3 Blend flour, dried milk solids, salt, and baking powder thoroughly by sifting together three times onto parchment paper. 4 Place sifted dry ingredients and granulated sugar in bowl; add shortening and half the water (3 ounces or 87 grams). 5 Mix on low for 30 seconds using flat beater. Stop and scrape bowl and beater. 6 Continue mixing on low for an additional 4 minutes, stopping once a minute to scrape the bowl and beater. Batter should be smooth. 7 Combine the remaining water (3 ounces or 88 grams) and lightly beaten eggs with a whisk. 8 Add half the water-egg mixture to batter and mix on low for 4 minutes. Stop and scrape bowl. 9 Add the remaining water-egg mixture and mix on low for 5 minutes. 10 Scrape bowl and set aside batter until ready to use.

Method of Preparation (for cakes with varying amounts of sugar) Follow the Method of Preparation for the control product (full amount of sugar), except use the following amounts of sugar in step 4:

1 For no sugar, omit sugar entirely. 2 For half the amount, use 7 ounces (200 grams) sugar. 3 For one and a half times the amount, use 1 pound, 5 ounces (600 grams) sugar. 4 For double the amount, use 1 pound, 12 ounces (800 grams) sugar.

Procedure 1 Prepare cake batter using the high-ratio pound cake formula above, or using any basic high-ratio pound cake formula. Prepare one batch of batter for each variation. 2 Line muffin pans with paper liners, lightly spray with pan spray, or grease with pan coating. Label with amount of sweetener to be added to cake batter. 3 Scoop batter into prepared muffin pans using #16 scoop (or equivalent). 4 If desired, place muffin pans onto half sheet pans. 5 Use an oven thermometer placed in center of oven for an initial reading of oven temperature. Record results here: 6 When oven is properly preheated, place filled muffin pans into oven and set timer for 32–35 minutes, or according to formula. 7 Bake cakes until control product pulls away slightly from sides of pan, cake springs back when center top is lightly pressed, and wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Control product should be lightly browned. Remove all cakes from oven after same length of time, even though some will be paler in color or have not risen properly. If necessary, however, adjust bake times for oven variances. 8 Record bake times in Results Table 1, which follows. 9 Check final oven temperature. Record results here: 10 Remove cakes from hot pans and cool to room temperature.

Results 1 When completely cooled, evaluate average weight of cakes from each batch, as follows: • Measure weight of each of three typical cakes. Record results for each cake in Results Table 1. • Calculate the average cake weight by adding the weights and dividing by 3. Record results in Results Table 1. 2 Evaluate average height as follows: • Slice three cakes from each batch in half, being careful not to compress. • Measure height of each of three typical cakes by placing a ruler along the flat edge at the cake’s center point. Record results in 1⁄16" (1 mm) increments in Results Table 1. • Calculate the average cake height by adding the heights and dividing by 3. Record results in Results Table 1. 3 Evaluate the shape of cakes (even rounded top, peaked top, dips in center, etc.) and draw shape or describe shape in words in Results Table 1.

Results Table 1 SIZE AND SHAPE OF HIGH-RATIO POUND CAKES MADE WITH DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF SUGAR Amount Bake Weights Average Heights Average Cake Additional of Sugar Time (in of Each Weight of Each Height of Shape Comments minutes) of Three of Cake of Three Cake Cakes Cakes Full amount (control product) None Half the amount One and a half times the amount Double the amount

4 Evaluate the sensory characteristics of completely cooled products and record evaluations in Results Table 2. If possible, allow cakes to age for one or more days before evaluating, to accentuate differences. Be sure to compare each in turn to the control product and consider the following: • Crust color, from very light to very dark, on a scale of 1 to 5 • Crumb appearance (small/large air cells, uniform/irregular air cells, tunnels, etc.; also, evaluate color) • Sweetness, from not sweet at all to extremely sweet, on a scale of 1 to 5 • Flavor (egg flavor, floury taste, saltiness, etc.) • Crumb texture (tough/tender, moist/dry, gummy, spongy, crumbly, etc.) • Overall acceptability, from highly unacceptable to highly acceptable, on a scale of 1 to 5 • Add any additional comments, as necessary Results Table 2 SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS OF POUND CAKES MADE WITH DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF SUGAR Amoun Crust Crumb Sweetnes Flavor Texture Overall Additional t of Color Appearance s Acceptability Comments Sugar Full amount (control product) None Half the amount One and a half times the amount Double the amount

Sources of Error List any sources of error that might make it difficult to draw the proper conclusions from your experiment. In particular, consider difficulties in mixing and handling batters, and any problems with the ovens. Answer: State what you could do differently next time to minimize or eliminate each source of error. Answer:

Conclusions Select one from the choices in bold or fill in the blanks. 1 As the amount of sugar increased in the pound cakes, the sweetness tended to increase decrease stay the same. This is because sugar is the major source of sweetness in pound cake. 2 As the amount of sugar increased in the pound cakes, the color lightened darkened stayed the same. This is because the reaction between sugars and proteins, called , increases as the amount of sugar increases. This was noticeable, for example, when comparing the control product (1× sugar) to the pound cake made with no sugar. The control product was lighter darker. 3 As the amount of sugar increased in the pound cakes, the moistness tended to increase decrease stay the same. This is because sugars are , meaning that they attract and bond to water, essentially forming a sugar syrup in the cake. By bonding with water, the sugar, for example, prevents the in flour from gelatinizing and acting as a drier. The driest of all the pound cakes was the one made with no sugar 1× sugar 1 1⁄2× sugar 2× sugar. 4 As the amount of sugar increased in the pound cakes, the texture tends to become tougher more tender neither tougher nor more tender. This is partly because sugar speeds up delays the formation of structure from the coagulation of and the gelatinization of 5 As the amount of sugar increased from none to the amount in the control product, the density of the batter and therefore the weight per cake increased decreased stayed the same. This is probably because 6 As the amount of sugar increased from the amount in the control product to 2×, the height of the cake increased decreased stayed the same. This is probably because 7 As the amount of sugar increased from none to the amount in the control product, the flavor (besides sweetness) of the cake changed in the following ways: 8 Did you notice any other differences in the cakes or their batters? Answer:

EXPERIMENT 5: How Different Sweeteners Affect the Quality of Pound Cake

Objectives Demonstrate how different sweeteners affect • The size and shape of pound cake • The amount of browning on the crust of pound cake • The flavor of pound cake • The texture of pound cake • The overall acceptability of pound cake

Products Prepared Pound cake made with • Regular granulated sugar (control product) • Dark (or light) brown sugar • Honey (formula adjusted for amount of water in honey) • Invert syrup (formula adjusted for amount of water in syrup) • Splenda (formula adjusted so that Splenda is substituted for sugar 1:1 by volume) • Other, if desired (half sugar/half honey, glucose corn syrup, malt syrup, molasses, maltitol, agave, etc.)

Materials and Equipment • Scale • Sieve • Parchment paper • Mixer with 5-quart mixing bowl • Flat beater attachment • Bowl scraper • Whisk • Pound cake batter (see Formula in previous experiment), enough to make 24 or more cakes of each variation • Muffin pans (2 1/2" or 3 1/2" /65 or 90 mm size) • Paper liners, pan spray, or pan coating • Size #16 (2 fl. oz./60 ml) portion-control scoop or equivalent • Half sheet pans (optional) • Oven thermometer • Wooden pick (for testing) • Serrated knife • Ruler

Procedure 1 Prepare cake batter using the high-ratio pound cake formula given in the previous experiment, or using any basic high-ratio pound cake formula. Prepare one batch of batter for each variation. 2 Line muffin pans with paper liners, lightly spray with pan spray, or grease with pan coating. Label with type of sweetener to be added to cake batter. 3 Scoop batter into prepared muffin pans using #16 scoop (or equivalent). 4 If desired, place muffin pans onto half sheet pans. 5 Use an oven thermometer placed in center of oven for an initial reading of oven temperature. Record results here: 6 When oven is properly preheated, place filled muffin pans into oven and set timer for 32–35 minutes, or according to formula. 7 Bake cakes until control product (made with regular granulated sugar) pulls away slightly from sides of pan, cake springs back when center top is lightly pressed, and wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Control product should be lightly browned. Remove all cakes from oven after same length of time, even though some will be paler or darker in color or have not risen as high. If necessary, however, adjust bake times for oven variances. 8 Record bake times in Results Table 1, which follows. 9 Check final oven temperature. Record results here: 10 Remove cakes from hot pans and cool to room temperature.

Method of Preparation (for cakes made with different sweeteners) Follow the Method of Preparation for the control product (regular granulated sugar, see page 202), except make the following adjustments when using these sweeteners:

1 For cake made with brown sugar, substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar in step 4. 2 For cake made with honey (80° Brix), measure 17.5 ounces (500 grams) honey and add it in step 4 along with the dry ingredients and shortening; omit sugar and water in this step and reduce water in step 7 to 2.5 ounces (75 grams). 3 For cake made with invert syrup (75° Brix), measure 18.7 ounces (533 grams) invert syrup and add it in step 4 along with the dry ingredients and shortening; omit sugar and water in this step and reduce water in step 7 to 3.3 ounces (42 grams). 4 For cake made with Splenda, measure 1.75 ounces (50 grams) Splenda and add it in step 4 along with the other dry ingredients, shortening, and water; omit sugar in this step.

Results 1 When completely cooled, evaluate average weight of cakes from each batch, as follows: • Measure weight of each of three typical cakes. Record results for each cake in Results Table 1. • Calculate the average cake weight by adding the weights and dividing by 3. Record results in Results Table 1. 2 Evaluate average height as follows: • Slice three cakes from each batch in half, being careful not to compress. • Measure height of each cake by placing a ruler along the flat edge at the cake’s center point. Record results for each of three cakes in 1⁄16" (1 mm) increments in Results Table 1. • Calculate the average cake height by adding the heights of the cakes and dividing this by 3. Record results in Results Table 1. • Evaluate the shape of cakes (even rounded top, peaked top, dips in center, etc.) and draw shape or describe in words in Results Table 1.

Results Table 1 SIZE AND SHAPE OF HIGH-RATIO POUND CAKES MADE WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF SWEETENER Type of Bake Weights Average Heights Average Cake Additional Sweetener Time (in of Each Weight of Each Height of Shape Comments minutes) of Three of Cakes of Three Cakes Cakes Cakes Granulated sugar (control product) Brown sugar Honey Invert syrup Splenda

3 Evaluate the sensory characteristics of completely cooled products and record evaluations in Results Table 2. If possible, allow cakes to age for one or more days before evaluating, to accentuate differences. Be sure to compare each in turn to the control product and consider the following: • Crust color, from very light to very dark, on a scale of 1 to 5 • Crumb appearance (small/large air cells, uniform/irregular air cells, tunnels, etc.; also, evaluate color) • Sweetness, from not sweet at all to extremely sweet, on a scale of 1 to 5 • Flavor (egg flavor, floury taste, saltiness, molasses, caramelized, etc.) • Crumb texture (tough/tender, moist/dry, gummy, spongy, crumbly, etc.) • Overall acceptability, from highly unacceptable to highly acceptable, on a scale of 1 to 5 • Add any additional comments, as necessary Results Table 2 SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS OF POUND CAKES MADE WITH DIFFERENT SWEETENERS Type of Crust Crumb Sweetness Overall Overall Additional Sweetener Color Appearance Flavor Acceptability Comments and and Texture Texture Granulated sugar (control product) Brown sugar Honey Invert syrup Splenda

Sources of Error List any sources of error that might make it difficult to draw the proper conclusions from your experiment. In particular, consider difficulties in mixing and handling batters, and any problems with the ovens. Answer: State what you could do differently next time to minimize or eliminate each source of error. Answer:

Conclusions Select one from the choices in bold or fill in the blanks. 1 Overall, pound cakes made with honey or invert syrup weighed more than less than the same as those made with granulated sugar. This is probably because syrups do do not assist with the creaming process and do do not help increase the amount of air incorporated into batters and doughs. 2 Overall, pound cakes made with honey or invert syrup exhibited more less the same leavening as those made with granulated sugar. This is probably because more less the same amount of air was incorporated into batter made with syrup compared with batter made with granulated sugar. 3 Overall, pound cakes made with honey or invert syrup browned more than less than the same as those made with granulated sugar. This is probably because honey and invert syrup both contain substantial amounts of the monosaccharides and , two sweeteners that brown more than/less than/the same as sucrose. 4 The adjustments made to the pound cake formula made with invert syrup were as follows: Answer: 5 This means that any differences in moistness and tenderness in the pound cakes made with invert syrup compared with those made with granulated sugar are are not due to the water in invert syrup. 6 The main differences between the pound cakes made with honey and those made with invert syrup were in color and flavor moistness and tenderness height and crumb structure. This suggests that honey can cannot be successfully used in place of invert syrup in baked goods without making additional adjustments (except for minor adjustments for differences in water content). 7 The main differences between the pound cakes made with brown sugar and those made with regular granulated sugar were in color and flavor moistness and tenderness height and crumb structure. This suggests that brown sugar can cannot be successfully used in place of regular granulated sugar in baked goods without making additional adjustments. 8 Compared with pound cakes made with granulated sugar, the pound cakes made with Splenda were more sweet less sweet the same in sweetness. Based on sweetness alone, I would increase decrease not change the amount of Splenda in this formula, if I were to make it again. 9 Compared with pound cakes made with granulated sugar, the pound cakes made with Splenda were more moist less moist the same in moistness, more tender less tender the same in tenderness, and had more less the same open crumb and leavening. This suggests that Splenda can cannot be successfully used in place of regular granulated sugar in baked goods without making additional adjustments. 10 Go to www.splendafoodservice.com, a Web site by the manufacturer of Splenda, and read tips for using Splenda in cooking and baking. Which of their suggestions might be worthwhile trying, to improve the quality of the pound cake made with Splenda? Explain your answer. Answer: 11 Select one sweetener from those tested (besides Splenda) that did not produce the “perfect” pound cake. If you could change anything in the formula or the method of preparation, what would you change to make the product more acceptable? Answer: 12 Did you notice any other differences in the pound cakes or their batters? Answer: