How Is Invert Sugar Prepared?
Invert sugar is commonly used in global kitchens as a sweetener for most foods, just like table sugar or the popular alternative for sweetening is maple syrup, or high fructose corn syrups. It would be interesting to know that invert sugar is derived from table sugar only, scientifically known as sucrose sugar. Sucrose is a disaccharide sugar, made up of two molecules of sugar (glucose and fructose sugars) attached together.
Invert sugar is prepared when the chemical bonds between glucose and fructose sugars in sucrose are broken. The result would be rather half a solution of free glucose and half a solution of free fructose. These chemical molecular bonds are further broken through the reaction of hydrolysis. In hydrolysis of the chemical bonds, a reaction occurs between water and the heat, enzymes, or acids present in the substance.
The actual difference between sucrose sugar and invert sugar is that sucrose is a combination of glucose and fructose that are chemically bonded or attached in their full form. Invert sugar is only the free glucose and fructose molecules broken apart after hydrolysis. Furthermore, the name invert sugar is derived from the fact that polarized light tends to be easily reflected through this sugar. When polarized light shines on sucrose, for instance, the light is usually reflected at a certain angle. However, when polarized light shines on invert sugar, the light tends to be completely rotated in the opposite direction, because of which it derived its name of invert sugar.
What Is the Preparation and Availability of Invert Sugar?
Usually, except for fruit juices that are composed of natural sugars more like glucose and sucrose that do not use invert sugar, some infusions of fruit waters or flavored waters and fruit-oriented beverages would use invert sugar commonly for flavors. It is not uncommon to also find invert sugar as an ingredient in the granola bars one comes across in markets, ice creams, yogurts, or even in soft drinks or sweetened beverages. One can easily find out whether the baked or sweet product one is purchasing has invert sugar or not by checking the ingredient or the nutrition label at the back of the commercial product.
Some of the other colloquial names that vary for invert sugar across different countries are as follows:
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Artificial Honey: In some countries, this product invert sugar syrup is called artificial honey because of its honey-tinged flavors. Also, because honeybees produce the enzyme called invertase that allows the natural breakdown of sucrose molecules into the invert sugar form of glucose and fructose, it would indicate why it is known as artificial honey commonly in many parts of the world.
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Invert Maple Syrup: Most maple syrup products usually comprise smaller amounts of invert sugar. In sweet goods meant for younger kids and children, one would find a much higher level of invert sugar, such as in maple-flavored candies, lollipops, frostings, or maple confectionaries. Even though maple syrup and invert sugar are different, the name invert maple syrup is commonly used in many parts of the world because of this combination used in these commercial preparations.
What Are the Culinary Benefits of Invert Sugar Over Table Sugar?
At room temperature, invert sugar is much more soluble in water than the common table sugar. One would often have observed that when one adds more than a spoonful of table sugar to one’s iced tea or coffee, it accumulates at the base of one’s coffee or tea cup. This is mainly because table sugar does not integrate well or easily when dissolved into any cold mix or liquid preparations. However, the benefit of invert sugar is that it can easily be used for any cold preparations or mixed because it dissolves easily even at room temperature. In many commercial sweeteners and syrups for cold beverages that one may have consumed, such as iced coffee or tea, one would often have come across the use of invert sugar in these preparations. Also, in comparison to table sugar, because of its sweetness improved flavor, and resistance to any microbial invasion- the usage of invert sugar in a sweet recipe or a cold liquid preparation ensures a much-reduced viscosity as opposed to table sugar. The resulting texture whenever one uses invert sugar tends to be smoother, consistent, and if dissolvable soft texture.
Why Is Using Invert Sugar Regularly Bad for Health?
Now coming to the nutritional perspective of invert sugar, despite all the benefits of invert sugar over table sugar in the food industries, just like other sugars, in the long-term usage of any sugar product, an individual is likely to be prone to obesity, weight gain, risk of blood sugar spikes, and type 2 diabetes as a lifestyle disease upon regular and increased consumption of even invert sugar. This sugar is no different in terms of the long-term risks associated with all other sugars, be it the common table sugar, brown sugar, or commercially added sugars.
Nutrition experts always recommend that consuming unsweetened teas, caffeine that is unadulterated with added sugars, and beverages that incorporate fresh vegetables or fruit infusions, such as flavored waters are much more hydrating and healthy in comparison to any recipe that uses these sugars. Further, one would be aware that from a dental perspective, children are more easily prone to the regressive tooth alterations of erosion and enamel decay caused by the acidic environment in the oral cavity created by regular sugar consumption. Hence, any commercially sweet products, having either a table or invert sugar or brown sugar or added sugar incorporated should ideally be limited to the maximum extent.
Conclusion
Note that invert sugar scores higher points over table sugar when it comes to usage in the occasional sweet treats! However, as known currently, obesity and type 2 diabetes are the leading global causes of mortality in individuals worldwide; therefore, limiting sugar intake in any form is always advisable to sustain long-term health benefits. Instead, one can opt for natural sweet flavors or infusions of fresh or frozen fruits, vegetables, stevia, monk fruit, honey, or maple syrup.
