Sweetener Glossary

Brown (soft) sugar is the commingling of fine grain white sugar and a film of molasses (sometimes called cane sugar syrup). As more and/or darker molasses is present relative to sugar, the grade of brown sugar darkens from light, to medium, to dark, with an accompanying deepening of the caramel and butterscotch flavors so highly prized in the product. Cane brown sugars are produced directly from the dark syrups obtained during the refining process, whereas beet brown sugar is produced by coating white granulated sugar with cane molasses. Light (golden) and dark brown sugars are the two major types commercially available, as well as in-between grades.

Golden C® (Light) Brown Sugar

Yellow D® (Dark) Brown Sugar

®Trademarks of California and Hawaiian Sugar Co.

Brownulated or Free Flowing brown sugar is a lower moisture version of ordinary brown. Free flowing brown sugar handles with less clumping and caking — ideal for automated weighing and scaling operations. ®Trademark of Domino Sugar Co.

Molasses is the concentrated, clarified extract of sugar cane. It is the end product of sugar refining. Forty to sixty percent of molasses is sucrose and invert sugars, and the remainder inorganic nonsugars. Open Kettle Molasses is made by boiling cane juice until a large part of the water is evaporated. It is sometimes called unsulfured molasses. Centrifugal molasses results when part or all of the commercially crystallizable sugar is recovered from the concentrated cane juice, often in a series of steps where successive crystallization “strikes” result in molasses with deepening color and stronger flavor. The resulting types are known as first (light and sweet), second (dark, less sweet) and final (very dark, thick and bitter) molasses. The best grades, first and second, are used for table syrups, gingerbread and so forth. Final, or blackstrap molasses is considered inedible by some, but is used in yeast breads and baked beans by others. Molasses from sugar beets is not intended for human consumption.

A free-flowing brown sugar. ® Savannah Sugars

Invert Sugar is the result of inversion (hydrolysis) of sucrose, that is, the splitting of sucrose molecules into their dextrose and fructose components. The degree of inversion can range from slight to great, depending upon the amount of heat, acid or enzyme applied. “Medium Invert” means half of the sucrose molecules present have been split into their fructose/dextrose components, and the remaining half are undisturbed sucrose molecules. “Total Invert” means all of the sucrose molecules have been split into their fructose and dextrose components, with consequently no sucrose remaining. Both medium and total invert syrups are commercially available.

Refers to a solution made by dissolving sugar in warm-to-hot water — but not so hot as to cause any inversion. It is sold to dairies and food processors in bulk at 67.5 percent sugar solids, a concentration approximately equal to dissolving 1.8 lb. sugar in one pound of water. However, liquid sugar solutions of higher concentrations are routinely made in batch amounts by confectioners. For example, when one pound of water is heated to 200° F (93.3° C), about 4 2/3 lb. of sugar will dissolve in it, resulting in a solution that is 82 percent sugar and 18 percent water. When such a solution is cooled to, say, 69° F, an unstable but highly useful situation called a supersaturated solution is created, and is the basis for fondants, fudge and similar creamy confections. The precise manner in which a supersaturated solution is cooled and agitated or beaten by the candy maker is the hallmark of his or her art.

The same batch production as our regular liquid sugar except we clarify this product further with our new ultra-filtration liquid system. This eliminates nearly all the color that comes from the sugar source and produces a super clean and crystal clear liquid sugar product. This product is used primarily in the beverage industry for super clear beverage products and specific pharmaceutical applications.

Intense sweeteners possess these characteristics (and differ from Sugar Replacers):

Are nonnutritive (noncaloric)

Provide virtually no bulk, only sweetness

Are 150 to 500 times as sweet as sugar

Are mostly artificial/synthetic

Golden C® (Light) Brown Sugar

Yellow D® (Dark) Brown Sugar

®Trademarks of California and Hawaiian Sugar Co.

An artificial, calorie-free sweetener made by joining two naturally-occurring amino acids (aspartic acid and phenylalanine). Aspartame is about 200 times as sweet as sucrose and is marketed under various trade names – the best known of which is NutraSweet.

® Trademark of Nutrasweet Co.

See Aspartame.

® Trademark of The NutraSweet Co.

An artificial, calorie-free sweetener, about 150 times as sweet as sugar, marketed under the “Sunette,” “Swiss Sweet” and “Sweet One” brands.

A consumer version of NutraSweet-brand aspartame. Equal consists of aspartame, with a small amount of dextrose added to make it usable as a table sweetener.

® Trademark of the Nutrasweet Co.

An artificial sweetener, 30 times as sweet as sugar, long banned in the US, but allowed in Canada and some other countries.

A white, crystalline artificial sweetener about 300 to 500 times as sweet as sugar: as the oldest of nonnutritive sweeteners, its use is allowed in the US but banned in some countries.

See Sucralose.

® Trademark of Johnson & Johnson McNeil Specialty Products and Tate & Lyle PLC.

A natural, noncaloric plant extract 200 to 300 times as sweet as sugar, possessing a licorice-like flavor. In the US, FDA prohibits the use of stevia as a sweetener or food additive but allows it to be sold as a dietary supplement.

See Acesulfame-K.

® Trademark of Hoechst Celanese.

A white, crystalline powder made from sugar, and about 600 times sweeter than sugar. Marketed under the name “Splenda ®; Presently available in several countries, sucralose received FDA approval in 1998.

See Acesulfame-K.

® Trademark of Stadt Corp.

See Acesulfame-K.

® Trademark of Estee Corp.

See Dextrose® Trademark of Corn Products Co.

is not a sucrose product at all, but rather a purified, concentrated solution obtained from the hydrolysis of corn starch. There are many corn syrups, of varying viscosity and sweetness, although none is as sweet as a sugar solution of equal solids. Corn syrups perform many roles in foods and beverages: imparting thickness and mouthfeel, controlling ice crystallization in frozen desserts, acting as a bulking agent, and so forth.

Corn syrups are classified according to their dextrose equivalents (D.E.), a rough measure of sweetness; and Baume’, a measure of thickness or solids. The most common corn syrup in commercial use is 42 DE, 43 Baume’, and called “regular” confectioners corn syrup.

See Dextrose® Trademark of Archer Daniels Midland Co.

Dried corn syrup, used by food processors who need the functional characteristics of liquid corn syrup in a dry form. Available in a variety of forms.

A nonsucrose “sugar” which occurs naturally in most plants and fruits, and in honey. It is produced commercially from corn, and is available in crystal and powdered forms. It is a close relative of the liquid sweetener, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Fructose is the sweetest of all natural sugars, up to 1.7 times as sweet as sucrose. Also called “levulose” and “fruit sugar.” It is used as a sweetener, especially in dietetic foods, because gram-for-gram, it imparts more sweetness than any other natural sweetener. Fructose also has valuable humectant properties.

A nonsucrose “sugar” which occurs naturally in many plants, fruits and in honey. In animals, dextrose (also called “glucose” and “grape sugar”) is a vital constituent of the blood, and is directly metabolized for immediate energy needs. Dextrose is used in food and beverages as a sweetener (it’s about 3/4 as sweet as sucrose), a browning agent, a humectant, and a fermentation substrate. It is available in liquid (bulk only) and dry forms.

An enzymatically modified, crystal clear corn syrup with sweetness (and calories) approximately equal to that of a sugar solution. Although HFCS is not a sucrose product, it performs many of the same functions as sugar, chiefly the “clean” sweetening of beverages, pickles, ketchup, dairy products, baked goods, and a host of food and liquid products. (Nearly every full-calorie soft drink produced in the U.S. is sweetened with HFCS). HFCS is usually sold at a price considerably below sugar, hence its popularity.

Similar to, but generally less sweet than, corn syrup solids, commonly used as a bulking agent.

See Dextrose ®Trademark of A.E. Staley Manufacturing Co.

A sweet, thick, supersaturated sugar solution manufactured by bees from floral nectar to feed their larvae and for subsistence in winter. Honey is composed of fructose, glucose, and water, in varying proportions; it also contains several enzymes and oils. The color and flavor depend on the age of the honey and on the source of the nectar.

“Milk sugar” that occurs naturally in all mammalian milk, including human. Lactose is about 1/6 as sweet as sucrose.

Naturally-occurring non- sucrose sugar found in many plants, principally sprouting cereal grains like barley. Maltose is a disaccharide consisting of two glucose (dextrose) molecules chemically linked. In the human digestive tract, natural enzymes split starches into, among other things, maltose. Maltose has a sweetness about 1/3 that of sucrose.

Composed mostly of sucrose, glucose, fructose and small amounts of vitamins and minerals, is simply the concentrated sap of 40+-year-old maple trees. This sap, which is only 2-3% sugars, is collected and concentrated, usually through boiling, until the sugar content reaches a critical 66%. It takes 40 gallons of sap — the annual output of four trees — to produce one gallon of syrup.

In bulk and volume, providing sweeteners usually less sweet than, and different-tasting from sugar, commonly used on a one-for-one replacement basis for sugar in recipes. Sugar replacers have various names:

“Polyols”, “nutritive sweeteners”, “sugar alcohols” and “bulk sweeteners”.

Sugar replacers are carbohydrates, but they are not sugars. Sugar replacers currently approved for use in the US are:

Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH)

Lactitol

MaltitoI

Isomalt

Sorbitol

Xylitol

Mannitol

Sugar Replacers exhibit these characteristics:

Generally, do not promote tooth decay (dental caries)

Energy values range from 1.6 to 3.0 calories per gram, compared to 3.8 to 4.0 calories per gram for most carbohydrates, including sugar.

Commonly have a cooling effect on the tongue.

Are slowly and incompletely absorbed from the intestine into the blood.

Cause only a small rise in blood glucose and insulin levels compared with sugars and other carbohydrates.

Are generally metabolized by biochemical mechanisms that do not depend on insulin.

Do not help restore blood glucose levels due to hypoglycemia.

Excess consumption may have a laxative effect on some people.

According to its manufacturer, “Sugaree” brand of D-tagatose is a natural, nonfattening sweetener, derived from whey, that looks, feels, tastes and performs like table sugar. It is not approved for use in the US.

A white, crystalline substance made from and resembling sucrose in appearance. Isomalt does not have the cooling effect of some other sugar replacers.

See Sugar Replacers. 

See Sugar Replacers. 

See Sugar Replacers. 

A widely used sugar replacer, sorbitol is technically a polyhydroxy alcohol (polyol or sugar alcohol) derived from dextrose. It is used as a sweetener in sugarless chewing gums, confections, medicines and other products, plus it possesses humectant and other functional properties. It is about 60% to 70% as sweet as table sugar.

See Sugar Replacers. 

See Sugar Replacers. 

See D-tagatose.

Trademark of Biospherics, Inc.

Similar to, but sweeter than, sorbitol.

See Sugar Replacers. 

Very pure, clear, large-grained sugar:

Adds “sparkle” when sprinkled on candies (gum/jelly goods), cookies, pies, turnovers.

In boiled syrups and boiled-type icings, it dissolves uniformly, with minimal foaming or discoloring.

See Bakers Special 

See Granulated 

A directly compressible, granulated sugar or agglomerated powder, used to make tablets and flakes. It consists of mostly sucrose, with a small amount of maltodextrin or invert sugar. Tableting sugar is used by pharmaceutical makers as an excipient, and by confectioners.

A semi-refined, off-color sugar containing a higher percentage of sucrose than raw sugar, but less than refined sugar.

Pure, uniform, larger-grained sugar containing few “fines.” Primarily for use in hot drink dispensing machines. ®Trademark of California and Hawaiian Sugar Co.

Sugar that meets the quality and purity standards and specifications of the United States Pharmacopoeia (an authoritative book containing a list and description of drugs and medicinal products together with the standards established under law for their production, dispensation and use.) NF refers to National Formulary, a similar book.

An extremely fine-grained sugar with several uses:

Imparts a delicate texture and high volume in cake products, by developing a uniform cell structure.

Retains moisture and improves the shelf life of cakes.

In dry mixes, disperses more evenly and with less stratification, than larger-grained white sugars.

Dissolves faster than EFG, especially in cold beverages like iced tea and bar drinks.

Similar to EFG, and meets all standards of the National Soft Drink Association, with respect to:

Clarity, color, odor and taste

Ash and sediment content

Comparative absence of floc-forming substances

Microbiological activity

Intermediate grain size sugar designed for easy handling and storage in bulk conveying operations.

Extremely pure, extra-large grain sugars with the following attributes:

Exceptionally white, clear and brilliant

Very low ash, color, turbidity and metallic ion contents

Nearly 100% sucrose in purity (99.9+%)

Uses for Con AA & A include:

Boiled syrups, boiled-type icings

“Sparkle” topping similar to sanding sugar, but larger crystal size

Candies (especially mints) and fondants where clarity, whiteness, and brilliance are desirable

Crystallized syrups

Cordials and liqueurs where absolute water whiteness is desired.

Cotton candy

Similar to Turbinado 

See Tableting

See Con AA

See Granulated

The finest-grain of all powdered sugars used to produce fondants, icings, and frostings with no trace of grain or grittiness. ® C& H Sugar Co.

See Granulated

Very fine-grain grain sugar (particles 1/100th the size of regular powdered sugar) that easily mixes with water and produces smooth, creamy icings and frostings with high gloss and little or no grittiness. May contain small amounts of invert or maltodextrin.

Similar to EFG, and meets all specifications of the National Canners Association for sugar.

See Gel Grain

Sugar of smaller, exceptionally uniform grain size (60 to 80 mesh), with few “fines.” Used in gelatins, cookie doughs, cake mixes, quick-dissolving hot and cold beverage mixes, and other dry mixes.

See Con AA 

Table sugar, commonly called “Fine Granulated” (FG) and “Extra Fine Granulated” (EFG), depending on the refiner’s designation.

See Con AA

Intermediate-grain, agglomerate sugar; resists packing and clumping when dissolved. Usually available in bulk only, used by bakers, preservers, freezers, canners and syrup manufacturers.

Finely-ground granulated sugar to which a small amount (3%) cornstarch has been added to prevent caking. The fineness to which the granulated sugar is ground determines the familiar “X” factor: 14X is finer than 12X, and so on down through 10X, 8X, 6X (the most commonly used) and 4X, the coarsest powdered sugar.

The semi-refined product of plantation mills processing sugar cane; sugar extracted from cane juice without any further refining in which each crystal is coated with a heavy film of low purity molasses.