How Sugar is Used

In addition to providing a sweet taste and flavour, sugar performs a variety of functions in food products. Sugar is used as a preservative, where sugar inhibits the growth of microorganisms. Sugar is used in baked goods, like cakes, to hold moisture and prevent staleness that is noticed when these foods dry out. In canned fruit and vegetables, sugar enhances texture and colours. Sugar is also used to prevent large ice crystals from forming in frozen sweet mixtures, like ice cream, and to support fermentation in products containing yeast, such as bread. In these roles and others, sugar is an important and versatile food ingredient.

Uses of Sugar in Foods are mentioned below:

Jams and Jellies

Sugar is commonly used as a preservative in jams and jellies, and enhances the colour and flavour of various fruits. The addition of sugars to jams and jellies is also essential to the gelling process, to obtain the desired consistency and firmness.

Baking

Sugar helps tenderize bakery products and provides a source of nourishment for the growth of yeast. The sugar undergoes when exposed to heat adds flavour, and contributes to the appearance of colour that can be seen on baked goods such as the crusts of bread and the browning of cookies.

Candy

Sugar is primary ingredient in a wide variety of candies, largely due to its solubility. In its simplest form, candy made by dissolving sugar in water, and heating the solution. As the temperature rises, more sugar dissolve. The solution is boiled until no more sugar will dissolve.

General Cooking

Sugar is a key ingredient in the preparation of custards, puddings, and sauces. These food products depend on sugar to perform a number of functions, in addition to its role as a sweetener. In custards, sugars help to breakdown proteins in egg whites.

Beverages

Sugars are added to beverages to provide both sweetness and body (otherwise known as “mouth-feel”). Sugars are also important in the brewing and wine-making industry. Sugars or other carbohydrates (except lactose) can be used to produce alcohols by fermentation.