Sugar sources and functions

28 February 2023
Sugar sources and functions | Bakery Academy

Sugars sources and funtions

If we take sugar in the broader sense of meaning sugar can come from different plant based materials and some animal based products:


  •           Honey
  •           Maple
  •           Cane
  •           Grapes/ Raisins
  •           Beet
  •           Palm
  •           Date
  •           Acacia
  •           Wheat
  •           Potato
  •           Corn/ Mais


What they all have in common is that they fulfill different function in our day to day bakery products:


  •           Sweetening
  •           Tenderizing
  •           Moisture retention
  •           Improving Shelf life
  •           Leavening
  •           Energy
  •           Stabilising Egg Foams
  •           Structure builder (or ‘Bulk’)
  •           Flavour and release or lingering effect of flavour and sweetness perception
  •           Lowering the pH
  •           Spread in Cookies
  •           Crispiness
  •           Colouration by Caramelisation and Maillard Reactions
  •           Food for yeast based fermentations


From a chemical perspective we are looking at carbohydrates:  literally a family of molecules having Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen atoms. In the molecular combinations we see that with sugar we normally imply mono- and disaccharides, 1 or 2 molecules combined:


  •           Fructose (1)
  •           Glucose (1)
  •           Galactose (1)
  •           Sucrose (2; Fructose with Glucose)
  •           Maltose (2; Glucose with Glucose)
  •           Lactose (2; Glucose with Galactose)


When there are 3 or more units we would consider them to be higher sugars, so called degree of polymerisation (DP) of 3 and more. In the same it can occur that we would classify longer chains  as starch or fibers; this has dominantly to do with the functional changes that happen when the comination of molecules become longer.

Need to know more? Feel free to contact us!

Recent posts

Calorie reduction in biscuits

Cookies & BiscuitsReformulation

Calorie reduction in bisc...

For calorie reduction in biscuits you first need to know about the basics. Regular biscuits are containing approximately per 100, gram 460 Kcal. Where...

Reduction of sugar in cake

CakeReformulation

Reduction of sugar in cak...

With the reduction of sugar in cake you need to know. That sugar in most cakes sugar is somewhere between 23-30% of the total formulation. What is a l...

Challenge of the biscuits.

Cookies & Biscuits

Challenge of the biscuits...

Taking baking to the next level. Baking it always looks so easy. But then you realize you have hundreds of raw materials to choose from just to bake a...

Improving shelf life

Product challengesShelf life

Improving shelf life

Improving shelf life and it’s hurdles. When projecting the spores, bacteria, moulds and yeast to be the runners in an estafette final. It will b...

 
Button