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| Our Sugars |
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| Sugar Facts |
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| What is Sugar? |
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Common, refined, white granulated sugar is a nearly pure (at least 99%) carbohydrate** that occurs naturally in every fruit and vegetable in the plant kingdom. It is a major product of photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert solar energy and atmospheric carbon dioxide into stored food energy, and oxygen. Sugar occurs in greatest quantities in sugar cane and sugar beets.
Chemically, sugar is the disaccharide "sucrose" that results from the biochemical bonding of the naturally-occurring monosaccharide molecules "fructose" (also called "levulose" or "fruit sugar") and dextrose (also called "glucose" or "grape sugar"). This bond is relatively strong, but it is commonly broken by heat, acids, and the enzyme "invertase", present in human saliva and digestive tracts. The process of splitting sucrose into its two components (fructose and dextrose) is alternatively called "inversion" and "hydrolysis."
White sugar contains trace amounts of sodium, potassium and iron. Brown sugars contain higher amounts of these minerals, as well as calcium and phosphorus.
Like all carbohydrates, sugar contains about 4 calories of food energy per gram. A teaspoon of granulated or brown sugar contains 15 calories; a typical restaurant packet about 10 calories. Powdered sugar contains about 110 calories per quarter-cup. |
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**Sugar is a carbohydrate, a substance composed of only carbon ("-carb-"), oxygen ("-o-"), and hydrogen ("-hydrate."). Sucrose, fructose, dextrose, lactose (milk sugar) and other " -oses" are members of this chemical class. When tens or hundreds of thousands of dextrose monosaccharides are chemically linked (polymerized), the resulting compounds are starch and cellulose.
All carbohydrates (sucrose, fructose, glucose, starch, and so-called "complex carbohydrates") contain the same caloric content: about 4 calories per gram. Neither nature, nor human biochemical pathways, distinguish calorically between refined table sugar and the sucrose found in fruits and vegetables. The sucrose present in a bowl of table sugar is identical - chemically and metabolically - to the sucrose found in fruits and vegetables. |
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© Copyright 2001-2008 Z.Z. SUGARS, LTD.
a subsidary of Z.Z. IMPORT / EXPORT, Ltd.
All Rights Reserved. |
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