Sucrose has long been used in the kitchen, but hardly anyone knows its properties. Sucrose, or white sugar, is present in most foods and is harmful to he alth when consumed in excess. Check the properties of sucrose, in which products it is found and what to replace with sucrose.

Sucroseis a disaccharide obtained from sugar beet and sugar cane. Sucrose is commonly used as a sweetener, but few know itsproperties . Sucrose, or white sugar, is commonly found in sweets, cakes and drinks.

Sucrose - properties and occurrence

Sucroseis a chemical compound found naturally in plants. Sucrose is a disaccharide made up of 1 glucose and 1 fructose molecule attached to each other. It has a white color, crystalline form, sweet taste and dissolves well in water. The industrially used sources of sucrose are sugar cane (12-13% sucrose) and sugar beet (16% sucrose). In the daily diet, sucrose naturally contained in food can be found in small amounts in fruits, vegetables and grain products. Its richest sources are:

  • dried fruit,
  • mandarins
  • mango
  • apricots
  • pineapple
  • corn
  • beetroot
  • green peas
  • beans

Sucroseis found in products manufactured by the food industry in much greater amounts than in unprocessed food. As a sweetener, sucrose is added to various types of cookies, chocolates, pralines, candies, baked goods, cereals, etc. It is found in fruit yoghurts and other flavored dairy products and beverages. Sucrose in sweets and confectionery products not only serves as a sweetener, but also affects the structure and properties of the dough as a result of the sugar recrystallization process. Sucrose is added to wet breakfast cereals, which are then dried, and a sugar coating is formed on the surface of the cereal as a result of recrystallization. Sucrose is not used in products where recrystallization is undesirable, e.g. creams, ice cream and pomades. There, mainly glucose-fructose syrup is used.

Sucrose is he althy or harmful? Effect of sucrose onhe alth

Sucroseis very often added to processed products, mainly in sweets. It is recommended that the amount of sugar in the diet should not exceed 6 teaspoons per day. In contrast, the average Western diet contains up to 20 teaspoons of pure sugar. Excess sucrose is very harmful to he alth.

  • Sugar activates the same centers in the brain that are activated when taking drugs. It is addictive and is responsible for the feeling of pleasure that appears after eating something sweet. Sugar causes a very strong release of dopamine called the happiness hormone. With time, he needs more and more dopamine to achieve a state of pleasure, so the need to eat sweets is also increasing.
  • The consumption of sucrose causes a rapid increase in blood glucose levels, which results in an "energy boost". The energy, however, drops quickly, and this in turn is associated with the deterioration of thought processes and concentration.
  • Research shows a link between high sugar consumption and a higher risk of depression.
  • Sucrose increases the risk of tooth decay.
  • Consumption of sucrose increases the risk of arthritis. It also worsens joint pain, as sugar supports inflammation in the body.
  • Sucrose accelerates skin aging and overall aging of the body. Excessive consumption of sugar causes the attachment of sugar residues to proteins, which damages their structure and prevents them from fulfilling their role properly. Collagen and elastin are damaged in the skin, which makes it slack and prone to wrinkles.
  • Excessive sucrose in the diet leads to insulin resistance - a condition in which cells become less and less sensitive to the effects of insulin. As a consequence, it may result in diabetes as a result of exhaustion and damage to the pancreas, and also translates into problems with body weight and fatty degeneration of internal organs.
  • Eating large amounts of sugar damages blood vessels. They become thicker to counteract the effects of this damage. This can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases.
  • Excess sucrose in the diet is a direct cause of overweight and obesity. The excess sugar is converted into triglycerides and stored as adipose tissue.
  • Eating too much sucrose can cause erection problems in men.

Sucrose - what to replace?

Source: x-news.pl/ TVN Agency

Sucrose - production

The sucrose content varies depending on the species, variety and degree of maturity. Its best known sources are sugar beet and sugar cane andthey are used in the industrial production of sugar. Sucrose is produced in over 120 countries around the world, and the main raw material for its production is sugar cane Saccharum officinarum (75% of world production). In Poland, it is much more common to obtain sucrose from Beta vulgaris sugar beet, which is the source of 24% of world sugar production. The largest producers of table sugar are Brazil, India, China, Thailand and Pakistan, which together produce 1.31030 tons of sucrose. Russia is the leader among sugar beet producers, and Poland ranks 7th, producing 11.6 million tonnes annually.

PRODUCTION OF SUCROSE

SUGAR CANESUGAR BEETS
WASHWASH
↓↓
GRINDING AND GRINDINGSLICING AND SHREDDING

↓

RAW JUICE
↓
SULFURATION
↓

SUGAR EXTRACTION (clarification, evaporation, crystallization, centrifugation, drying)
↓

RAW SUGAR
↓

CLEANSING
↓

EVAPORATION
↓

CRYSTALIZATION
↓

FORMING
↓
WHITE SUGAR - 96-99% SUCROSE
Worth knowing

History of sucrose

Sucrose was eaten as an ingredient in fruit and honey thousands of years ago. It was not widely available and was only a small part of all meals, despite the fact that sugar cane (the main industrial source of sucrose) was cultivated as early as 10,000 years ago, and sugar beet - 4,000 years ago. Its properties were appreciated later. Even the ruler of the Persians, Darius I, called the sugar cane "the reed that gives honey without bees." Later, the Teutonic Knights spread "sweet s alt" during their expeditions. In the 14th century, sucrose is sold in the most prosperous of England. Its price per kilogram, in terms of today's conditions, is about 600 PLN / kg. It was only in the years 1800 - 1850 that sucrose became a common ingredient in food - beverages, preserves and desserts. Technological development, the use of vacuum devices, catalysts and centrifuges allows for more and more effective production of sugar. In Europe, sugar beet sucrose becomesprimary sweetener. In recent centuries, the availability of table sugar has increased. It is currently the most popular sweetener, used 10 times more often than glucose-fructose syrup.

Sources: 1. White J.S., Sucrose, HFCS, and Fructose: History, Manufacture, Composition, Applications, and Production, http://www.springer.com/978-1-4899-8076-22. www.livestrong.com/article/465107-what-happens-when-i-eat-too-much-carbohydrate-in-foods/3. https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/how-sugar-affects-your-body4. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/1115section=Top5. http://www.tuscany-diet.net/carbohydrates/sucrose/

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