Invert sugar is a sweetener made from sucrose (table sugar) derived from sugar beet or sugar cane. It is not used in households, and as a syrup is often used in the food industry - baking, confectionery, and alcohol production. Invert sugar is sweeter than sucrose, it dissolves better in water and extends the shelf life of the products to which it is added. It has the same negative effect on he alth as table sugar.

Invert sugaris a mixture with equal content of glucose and fructose - monosaccharides, which are included in sucrose (table sugar). It is produced in the form of a transparent, thick syrup. Compared to sucrose, invert sugar has finer crystals, is sweeter in taste, has the ability to retain moisture in products, it is more difficult to crystallize, and its small addition to sugar-containing masses, creams and toppings prevents the precipitation of sucrose crystals in them, thus improving smoothness and the consistency of the finished products. Thanks to its very high hygroscopicity, it dissolves easily.

Invert sugar is often used in confectionery and baking.

A tablespoon of invert sugar contains 14.6 g of simple carbohydrates and 58 kcal. It is not a source of any vitamins or minerals. When consumed, invert sugar causes a very fast and high increase in blood glucose levels, as well as a large insulin surge, which has a negative effect on he alth.

How is invert sugar made?

The first step in the production of invert sugar is hydrolysis, i.e. the breakdown of sucrose into its building molecules. Hydrolysis can take place under the influence of heating the aqueous solution of table sugar, but usually the reaction is accelerated with the addition of a catalyst - sucrase and invertase. The same effect is achieved by adding an acid such as hydrochloric, citric or tartaric acid. The enzyme necessary for sugar inversion is produced by yeast and bees, and invert sugar is the main component of honey. As the name suggests, invert sugar is sugar in which the direction of rotation of the plane of light polarization changes (inversion).

Technological processes enabling productioninvert sugar are as follows:

  • Acid hydrolysis:The water is heated and mixed with table sugar in a weight ratio of about 1: 3. Sugar is added to the water slowly - until a solution with 70-72% sucrose is obtained. The mixture is heated to dissolve the sugar to 71 ° C or to speed up the process to 88 ° C and then cooled to 71 ° C. Hydrochloric acid is added to the solution in an amount of 0.1% by weight. The process is most effective at pH=2.15. Heating is carried out for about 4 hours until the sucrose content of the solution is below 4%. To neutralize the acidity of the syrup, add sodium bicarbonate.
  • Enzymatic hydrolysis:The sucrose-water mixture is brought to a temperature of 60 ° C and pH=5. Then, invertase is added in an amount of 0.15% of the weight of the syrup and left for about 8 hours. After this time, the temperature of the solution is increased to inhibit the action of the invertase. Invert sugar syrup is evaporated under vacuum conditions to thicken it and keep the desired color.
  • Acid hydrolysis at home:Sucrose is mixed with water in a 2: 1 weight ratio and added 1 g of citric acid or 20 g of lemon juice for each kilogram of table sugar used . The mixture is heated to 114 ° C, then removed from heat and cooled slowly at room temperature.

The end product of sucrose inversion is invert sugar syrup with the following composition:

  • fructose - 37.5%
  • glucose - 37.5%
  • sucrose - 2.5%
  • water - 22.4%
  • ash - 0.1%

As a result of the technological process, small amounts of oligosaccharides composed of several sugar molecules are produced as a by-product. Acid hydrolysis also produces oxymethylfurfurol from fructose, which is always present in artificial honey produced from invert sugar.

Worth knowing

Invert sugar and glucose-fructose syrup

The end products in the form of invert sugar syrup and glucose-fructose syrup are very similar to each other, they only differ in the proportion of glucose to fructose. The production process itself and the output product are completely different. Glucose-fructose syrup is made by the enzymatic conversion of the constituents of corn syrup almost entirely to glucose and the subsequent addition of other enzymes that convert some of the glucose molecules into fructose. Depending on the process conditions, a syrup containing 42%, 55% or 90% fructose is obtained. Invert sugar syrup contains glucose and fructose in a 1: 1 ratio and is producedsucrose obtained from sugar beet or sugar cane. It is more expensive than glucose-fructose syrup.

Invert sugar use

Due to its very easy solubility and slightly crystallization, invert sugar syrup is readily used in the food industry, especially in baking and confectionery, as well as for the production of fruit preserves. Combined in small amounts with sugar, it prevents its crystallization in finished products. It also extends their shelf life and prevents drying out. Invert sugar is an ingredient:

Invert sugar is not used as a sweetener in households and cannot be purchased at retail.

  • toppings and pomade;
  • syrups;
  • jellies;
  • jams, preserves, plum jam;
  • candies with a soft filling;
  • stuffed chocolates;
  • marzipan;
  • honey;
  • maple syrup;
  • liqueurs;
  • ginu;
  • Belgian beer;
  • sparkling wines;
  • breads.

Confectioners eagerly use it to produce ganache - a cream-chocolate coating with a very smooth consistency. In ice cream, sorbets and cookies, it is not the primary sweetener, but is a 5-10% addition. The sugar found in honey is mostly invert sugar, produced thanks to the presence of bee invertase. Artificial honey is also produced from invert sugar, which, by definition, must contain small amounts of hydroxymethylfurfural. However, it does not have any positive he alth properties of natural honey, it does not become saccharified and remains liquid even during long storage.

Harmfulness of invert sugar

Invert sugar has the same he alth effects as regular table sugar.

Invert sugar should be limited in the daily diet just like refined sugar. Due to the fact that glucose and fructose are present separately, it can have a negative effect on the body in a similar way to glucose-fructose syrup. The he alth risks of excessive sugar consumption in various forms, including invert sugar, include:

  • non-alcoholic fatty liver - especially free fructose contributes to it;
  • insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes - high concentration of simple sugars and rapid changes in glucose levels contribute to the reduction of carbohydrate tolerance;
  • obesity - invert sugar has the same calorific value as table sugar;
  • caries;
  • heart disease- according to research from 2014, people who provide 8% of energy derived from sugar daily have a 38% lower risk of dying from heart disease than those whose sugar accounts for 17-21% of calories in the daily diet;
  • cancers of the esophagus, small intestine, large intestine and breast;
  • imbalance of the intestinal microflora and leaky gut syndrome - simple sugar is a very good breeding ground for yeast and pathogenic bacteria undesirable in the intestinal microbiota;
  • chronic inflammation.

Sources:

1. W. Minifie, Bernard, Chocolate, Cocoa and Confectionery: Science and Technology, 1989, via Google Books, https://books.google.pl/books?id=qdjh_W4uYS0C&pg=PA246&redir_esc=yv=onepage&q&f=false

2. Jordan S., Chesley A.L., Sources and Composition of Some Commercial Invert Sugar Syrups with Notes on Sorghum Syrup, The Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 1917, 9 (8), 756-758

3. http://www.chefeddy.com/2009/11/invert-sugar/

4. http://www.sugar-and-sweetener-guide.com/inverted-sugar.html

5. http://www.scienceofcooking.com/what_are_inverted_sugars.htm

6. https://draxe.com/is-sugar-bad-for-you/

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