The functional properties of These days, sugar comes in many varieties and can therefore be used in many different products. Sugar has a range of unique Sweetness

properties that, either individually or in combination, make it an sweet products are rarely poisonous, in sweetener, we therefore calculate the important ingredient in modern food production. Sugar is also one of contrast to many bitter substances. substance’s “relative sweetness”. the simplest structures in nature and, of all the staple products in our The only definition of a sweet taste is that Relative sweetness is a measure of how it “tastes like sugar”. Sugar has a uniquely sweet a specific substance is in relation to diet, has the broadest area of use. clean sweetness that is entirely free from sugar. We compare different concentrations off-taste or aftertaste. of a sweetener with a reference solution we can only measure sweetness by consisting of saccharose (usually 5-10%). tasting. In other words, it is a subjective Ordinary sugar has a comparison figure of 1. sensation that is transferred via the gusta­ All natural varieties of sugar have a low tory nerves in the taste buds on the tongue relative sweetness compared with high- and passed on to the brain. inten­sity sweeteners, which are often several Several factors affect the sensation of hundred times sweeter than ordinary sugar. sweetness. The concentration of sweetener, The primary functions of sugar in food temperature, pH value, other ingredients, Relative sweetness of products are to provide sweetness and and the sensitivity of the individual. energy. Our sense of taste can identify four Subjective factors such as appearance and Sugar Sweetness basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. colour can also affect the sensation of taste. Sucrose 1 The first taste that we encounter (breast In order for a substance to taste sweet, it Glucose 0.6 - 0.7 ) is sweet, which may be why a sweet must be water-soluble and its concentration Fructose 0.8 - 1.4 taste is appreciated and in­terpreted must exceed the taste threshold. In the Invert Sugar 1 positively. context of food, sweeteners are often Glucose Syrup, DE = 60 0.3 - 0.6 Our inherent affinity for sweetness may present in concentrations well above the also be ­explained by the fact that, in nature, threshold value. To specify the intensity of a Glucose Syrup, DE = 40 0.3 - 0.4

Taste and aroma

An important property of sugar is that it can In other words, we can use sugar as a enhance tastes and aromas both above and flavouring in such low concentrations that below the sweetness threshold value. For it falls below the sweet taste threshold example, a small amount of added sugar value, i.e. below approx. 1% sugar. can enhance the taste of nutritious, but sour Traditionally, people have added small or bitter . amounts of sugar to certain cooked meat Sugar’s aroma enhancing properties are products such as ham or liver pâté. used in a wide range of foods, such as bread and fruit products. A small amount of added sugar can enhance the taste of cooked vegetables and meat without making them sweet.

Volume

Sugar can affect the weight and volume of In sponge cakes and cup cakes sugar creates food. The volume of liquid is only affected bulk – in other words volume. The sugar still At Nordic Sugar, we are happy to place our compre- These resources are updated and expanded on an slightly by sugar. has a physical presence. If we were to stop hensive knowledge of the role played by sugar in food ongoing basis in order to provide you with valuable The volumes of bakery products can be using sugar in these products the amount of affected in various ways. energy obtained from fat would increase. at the disposal of our customers, either in the course information, whether you work in product develop- Sugar increases the volume of bread of our daily business or when developing new ­products ment, sales, marketing, PR or purchasing. because the yeast breaks down all or part in partnership with others. The information is set out in a multi-level format to of the sugar/syrup and transforms it into And this is not all that we are doing to provide enable you to quickly and easily find whatever you are various components, including carbon information about the functional properties of sugar! interested in. dioxide. This carbon dioxide increases the We also offer a comprehensive set of resources, which volume of the bread and makes it more are described in this brochure. porous. texture Reducing the freezing point

Texture is an expression of the sensation in fail. If the pH value is too high, the gelling Sugar affects the freezing point of foods. This means that glucose, fructose and invert the mouth. Sugar affects this by providing process will be incomplete, whereas if the The higher the concentration of sugar, the sugar are more effective than ordinary sugar volume and consistency in many products pH value is too low, the jelly will be unstable lower the freezing point. in reducing the freezing point of foods. such as bread, jam and beverages. and runny. A low freezing point is important in ice In bread, sugar affects the volume of when combined with the fruit pectin and cream and frozen desserts. It reduces the dough by speeding up the fermentation acids in the correct proportions, sugar risk of large crystals of ice forming. process. This gives the bread a more porous brings the jelly, marmalade or jam to the Small ice crystals have a positive effect on structure and softer crumb. correct consistency. However, certain fruits the sensation in the mouth, and hence on In the manufacture of jam, marmalade with very low pectin levels may require the taste. and jelly, it is important to strike the correct added pectin in order to achieve the correct The freezing point depression is due to balance between sugar, pectin and acid. consistency. the number of molecules per unit of weight. Sugar’s ability to gel when combined with Sugar is important in defining the body pectin is vital to the consistency of the of beverages, i.e. how filling they are. product. This affects the sensation in the mouth, Too much sugar may crystallise, while too and hence the sense of taste. little sugar will cause the gelling process to

Shelf life Colour

The preservative properties of sugar are By creating the most unfavourable combina- Sugar can give many food products an the temperature rises and is dependent on exploited in products such as jams, juices tion of e.g. pH, water activity and tempera- appetising colour. This may be through cara- the pH value. Sugar molecules are initially and pickling solutions. Foods are preserved ture for , it is possible to melisation, the Maillard reaction, or because broken down, after which the decomposi- to avoid or inhibit the growth of microor- reduce the proportion of preservatives. sugar is able to preserve colour. tion substances react with one another, with ganisms that destroy the product and to Sugar can play an important role in this. The Maillard reaction (a reaction between water and with sugar that has not yet been avoid pathogenic microorganisms that cause Since sugar binds water, adding sugar sugar and amino acids) gives rise to brown- broken down and transform into a mass of diseases reduces water activity. The less water activity ing and flavouring in products such as delicate brown, sweet-tasting molecules. microorganisms need water in order to there is, the longer the product will last. bread, coffee, heated desserts and cakes. Products such as caramel sauce and caramel grow. They absorb water via the outer layer Microorganisms can only live in “free” water. The Maillard reaction is an extremely com- browning are based on caramelisation. of the cell. If the concentration of sugar in If the water activity level is low enough, plex reaction and its end products include caramel browning is a food colorant that food is raised to a certain level, all water is microorganisms cannot destroy the food. pigmentation, which causes coloration and is usually manufactured by heating up alka- bound by the sugar. This inhibits the growth A sugar level of 500 g per kg of berries or aroma. line sugar solutions to create caramelisation. of microorganisms, because the availability pulp is equivalent to a water activity of 0.97, caramelisation refers to the thermail It is used in soft drinks, beer, confectionery of water is reduced and water activity drops. while a sugar level of 1 kg per kg of berries decomposition of sugar and occurs when products, soups and sauces. Adding sugar to the solution increases the or pulp reduces the water activity to 0.92. a sugar solution is heated to above 100°C. A certain content of sugar ensures that osmotic pressure, thereby reducing the When the mixture is boiled, this proportion The degree of caramelisation increases as jams and marmalades retain their colour. opportunities for microorganisms to grow. of sugar inhibits moulds.

Fermentation Moisture retention

The fermentation process has been used for the end product. A little sugar (or syrup) In products such as biscuits and boiled binds water, reactions that need water are centuries to produce or preserve foods. The makes the yeast ferment faster and more sweets, which contain small amounts of delayed if sugar is present. The of fermentation process often involves the use effectively than when no sugar is added. water and large amounts of sugar, the bread is extended because sugar causes of yeast and some kind of carbohydrate, e.g. The carbon dioxide makes the dough raise relative moisture level is lower than the water to be retained for longer in the bread. sugar, as an energy source. and the bread porous ambient . Without protective Bread and cakes baked with syrup will be In breadmaking, it is common to add a packaging, these products will absorb more moist and have a longer shelf life than small quantity of sugar to the dough to moisture from the air. products made with sugar. This is due to kick-start the yeast as it begins creating Sugar’s ability to bind water in foods is the fructose content of the syrup, because carbon dioxide. In baking, sugar feeds the based on the ratio between crystallised and fructose binds more water than sugar. yeast; the yeast’s enzymes transform the dissolved. Any change in this ratio during sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. For production or storage affects the amount of this reason, sugar is not always present in water that the food can bind. Because sugar >click...click< www.nordicsugar.com

Sugar helps to ensure the high quality of our food. Reducing Taste and Fermen- the freezing Moisture Without sugar, jam would soon go off, ice cream would Sweetness aroma Volume Texture Shelf life tation point Colour retention crystallise, and bread would lose its freshness and dry out. In addition, the taste of foods would be disappointing Beverages without the ability of sugar to round off and enhance natural taste components. Pickling mixtures

Sugar has one or more unique, quality-enhancing

­properties to offer almost all types of food production Jam/marmalade involving both solid and liquid foods.

Sauces/dressings

Confectionery >CLICK< Shelf life The quality of foodstuffs deteriorates over time for physical, chemical or microbial reasons. Foods are preserved to eliminate Dairy products or inhibit the growth of fooddamaging microorganisms and to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms. >CLICK< >CLICK< Bakery products Adding sugar to a solution increases the osmotic pressure, there- by reducing the opportunities for microorganisms to grow. By creating the most unfavourable combination of e.g. pH value, Pharmaceuticals/ water activity, and temperature for microorganisms, it is possible non-food to reduce the amount of preservatives. Sugar can play an impor- tant role in this process, which is called “”.

>CLICK< >CLICK< CLICK for information Bakery products Jam and marmalade

Whether you want to know about the specific properties of sugar Sugar and various qualities of syrup are used in baking (both Sugar extends the shelf life of jam and marmalade. Because sugar for the product group that you are working with, or about the home and industrial baking). binds water, adding sugar to jam reduces the water activity. The functional properties of sugar, you can find the information on The role of sugar is to: less the water activity is, the longer the shelf life. Microorganisms our website at www.nordicsugar.com • Give the bakery product the right level of natural sweetness. can only live in “free water”. If the water activity is low enough, • Nourish the yeast. microorganisms cannot destroy the food. Here are a couple of examples of what you will find when you • Provide volume. >CLICK< >CLICK< CLICK through the information. • Bind water and thereby extend the shelf life of the product. A sugar level of 500 g per kg of berries or pulp is equivalent to a • Form good quality crusts. water activity of 0.97, while a sugar level of 1 kg per kg of berries Clicking through level after level brings up increasingly specific • Provide aroma and colouring. or pulp reduces the water activity to 0.92. When the last mixture information. is boiled, this proportion of sugar prevents prevents growth of most microorganisms. Search! You will soon find what you need to know

This brochure forms part of Nordic Sugar’s set of resources for industrial customers.

Website – www.nordicsugar.com

This is updated and expanded on an ongoing basis and provides relevant information in a multi-level format. It caters for anyone who needs a quick overview of sugar, as well as for those requiring more specific information. A few relevant links are also listed.

Sugar and sweetener glossary

Brief information about sugar and sweeteners in Swedish, Danish and English. The text is available on our website at www.nordicsugar.com

Feel free to contact us!

At Nordic Sugar, we are keen to help in the creation of new, high-quality food products, and we hope that these resources will contribute to this process. We are always happy to receive feedback. Please contact us if you need further information.

Simple and informative!

Information about the functional properties of sugar is compiled on our website: www.nordicsugar.com

Nordic Sugar A/S | Langebrogade 1 | P O Box 2100, 1014 Copenhagen K, Denmark | Phone +45 3266 2500 | Fax +45 3266 2150 e-mail [email protected] | www.nordicsugar.com Maj-09