Inverted sugar syrup
Encyclopedia
Inverted or invert sugar syrup is a mixture of glucose
Glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...

 and fructose
Fructose
Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a simple monosaccharide found in many plants. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galactose, that are absorbed directly into the bloodstream during digestion. Fructose was discovered by French chemist Augustin-Pierre Dubrunfaut in 1847...

; it is obtained by splitting sucrose
Sucrose
Sucrose is the organic compound commonly known as table sugar and sometimes called saccharose. A white, odorless, crystalline powder with a sweet taste, it is best known for its role in human nutrition. The molecule is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose with the molecular formula...

 into these two components. Compared with its precursor, sucrose, inverted sugar is sweeter and its products tend to remain more moist and are less prone to crystallisation. Inverted sugar is therefore valued by bakers
Bakers
Baker's is a supermarket chain operating primarily in the metro area of Omaha, Nebraska. It is owned by Kroger.-History:Abraham Baker opened his first grocery store in Walnut, Iowa in 1927. His first Omaha-area store opened in Bellevue, Nebraska in 1947, and his first in Omaha itself opened in 1957...

, who refer to the syrup as trimoline or invert syrup.

In technical terms, sucrose is a disaccharide
Disaccharide
A disaccharide or biose is the carbohydrate formed when two monosaccharides undergo a condensation reaction which involves the elimination of a small molecule, such as water, from the functional groups only. Like monosaccharides, disaccharides form an aqueous solution when dissolved in water...

, which means that it is a molecule
Molecule
A molecule is an electrically neutral group of at least two atoms held together by covalent chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from ions by their electrical charge...

 derived from two simple sugars (monosaccharides). In the case of sucrose, these monosaccharide building blocks are fructose and glucose. The splitting of sucrose is a hydrolysis reaction
Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction during which molecules of water are split into hydrogen cations and hydroxide anions in the process of a chemical mechanism. It is the type of reaction that is used to break down certain polymers, especially those made by condensation polymerization...

. The hydrolysis
Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction during which molecules of water are split into hydrogen cations and hydroxide anions in the process of a chemical mechanism. It is the type of reaction that is used to break down certain polymers, especially those made by condensation polymerization...

 can be induced simply by heating an aqueous solution of sucrose, but more commonly, catalysts are added to accelerate the conversion. The biological catalysts that are added are called sucrase
Sucrase
Sucrase is the name given to a number of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of sucrose to fructose and glucose. The enzyme invertase, which occurs more commonly in plants, also hydrolyzes sucrose but by a different mechanism.-Physiology:...

s (in animals) and invertase
Invertase
Invertase is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of sucrose . The resulting mixture of fructose and glucose is called inverted sugar syrup. Related to invertases are sucrases. Invertases and sucrases hydrolyze sucrose to give the same mixture of glucose and fructose...

s (in plants). Sucrases and invertases are types of glycoside hydrolase
Glycoside hydrolase
Glycoside hydrolases catalyze the hydrolysis of the glycosidic linkage to release smaller sugars...

 enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...

s. Acid
Acid
An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...

, such as occurs in lemon juice
Lemon juice
The lemon fruit, from a citrus plant, provides a useful liquid when squeezed. Lemon juice, either in natural strength or concentrated, is sold as a bottled product, usually with the addition of preservatives and a small amount of lemon oil.-Uses:...

 or cream of tartar, also accelerates the conversion of sucrose to invert.

Chemical reaction of the inversion

The term 'inverted' is derived from the method of measuring the concentration of sugar syrup using a polarimeter
Polarimeter
A polarimeter is a scientific instrument used to measure the angle of rotation caused by passing polarized light through an optically active substance....

. Plane polarized light, when passed through a sample of pure sucrose solution, is rotated to the right (optical rotation). As the solution is converted to a mixture of sucrose, fructose and glucose, the amount of rotation is reduced until (in a fully converted solution) the direction of rotation has changed (inverted) from right to left.
C12H22O11 (sucrose, Specific rotation
Specific rotation
In stereochemistry, the specific rotation of a chemical compound [α] is defined as the observed angle of optical rotation α when plane-polarized light is passed through a sample with a path length of 1 decimeter and a sample concentration of 1 gram per 1 millilitre. It is the main property used to...

 = +66.5°) + H2O (water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...

, no rotation) → C6H12O6 (glucose, Specific rotation = +52.7°) + C6H12O6 (fructose, Specific rotation = -92°)
net: +66.5° converts to -39°


Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction in which a molecule breaks down by the addition of water. Hydrolysis of sucrose
Sucrose
Sucrose is the organic compound commonly known as table sugar and sometimes called saccharose. A white, odorless, crystalline powder with a sweet taste, it is best known for its role in human nutrition. The molecule is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose with the molecular formula...

 yields glucose
Glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...

 and fructose
Fructose
Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a simple monosaccharide found in many plants. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galactose, that are absorbed directly into the bloodstream during digestion. Fructose was discovered by French chemist Augustin-Pierre Dubrunfaut in 1847...

 about 85%, the reaction temperature can be maintained at 50-60 °C (122-140 °F).

Inverting sugar

Inverted sugar syrup can be easily made by adding roughly one gram of citric acid
Citric acid
Citric acid is a weak organic acid. It is a natural preservative/conservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks...

 or ascorbic acid
Ascorbic acid
Ascorbic acid is a naturally occurring organic compound with antioxidant properties. It is a white solid, but impure samples can appear yellowish. It dissolves well in water to give mildly acidic solutions. Ascorbic acid is one form of vitamin C. The name is derived from a- and scorbutus , the...

 per kilogram of sugar. Cream of tartar (one gram per kilogram) or fresh lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...

 juice (10 millilitres per kilogram) may also be used.

The mixture is boiled for 20 minutes, and will convert enough of the sucrose to effectively prevent crystallization, without giving a noticeably sour taste. Invert sugar syrup may also be produced without the use of acids or enzymes by thermal means alone: two parts granulated sucrose and one part water simmered for five to seven minutes will convert a modest portion to invert sugar.

All inverted sugar syrups are created from hydrolysing sucrose to glucose (dextrose) and fructose by heating a sucrose solution, then relying on time alone, with the catalytic properties of an acid or enzymes used to speed the reaction. Commercially prepared acid catalysed solutions are neutralised when the desired level of inversion is reached.

All constituent sugars (sucrose, glucose and fructose) support fermentation, so invert sugar solutions may be fermented as readily as sucrose solutions.

Shelf life

Invert sugar has a lower water activity
Water activity
Water activity or aw was developed to account for the intensity with which water associates with various non-aqueous constituents and solids. Simply stated, it is a measure of the energy status of the water in a system...

 than that of sucrose, so it provides more powerful preserving qualities (a longer shelf life) to products that use it.

The shelf life of partial inverts is approximately six months, depending on storage and climatic conditions. Crystallised invert sugar solutions may be restored to their liquid state by gently heating.

Examples

  • Toffee
    Toffee
    Toffee is a confection made by caramelizing sugar or molasses along with butter, and occasionally flour. The mixture is heated until its temperature reaches the hard crack stage of 300 to 310 °F...

  • Honey
    Honey
    Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...

     is a mixture (principally) of glucose and fructose, giving it similar properties to invert syrup. This gives it the ability to remain liquid for long periods of time.
  • Jam, when made, produces invert sugar during extensive heating under the action of the acid in the fruit.
  • Golden syrup
    Golden syrup
    Golden syrup is a pale treacle. It is a thick, amber-colored form of inverted sugar syrup, made in the process of refining sugar cane juice into sugar, or by treatment of a sugar solution with acid. It is used in a variety of baking recipes and desserts. It has an appearance similar to honey, and...

     is a syrup of approximately 56% invert syrup, 44% sucrose.
  • Fondant
    Fondant
    Fondant is one of several kinds of icing-like substance used to decorate or sculpt pastries. The word, in French, means "melting", coming from the same root as "foundry" in English....

     filling for chocolates is unique in that the conversion enzyme is added, but not activated before the filling is enrobed
    Enrober
    An enrober is a machine used in the confectionery industry to coat a food item with a coating medium, typically chocolate. Foods coated by enrobers include nuts, ice cream, toffee and other miscellaneous candy items, biscuits and cookies. Enrobing is essentially a mechanized form of hand-dipping...

     with chocolate. The very viscous (and thus formable) filling then becomes less viscous with time, giving the creamy consistency desired.
  • Quaker Granola Bars contain inverted sugar.
  • Parle Glucose biscuits
    Parle-G
    Parle-G or Parle Glucose is a brand of biscuits manufactured by Parle Products Pvt Ltd. in India. , it is the largest selling brand of biscuits in the world according to Nielsen....

     contain inverted sugar.
  • York Peppermint Pattie
    York Peppermint Pattie
    York Peppermint Pattie is a dark chocolate enrobed peppermint confection produced by The Hershey Company, under license from Cadbury plc ....

    s contain inverted sugar.
  • Junior Mints
    Junior Mints
    Junior Mints are a candy consisting of small rounds of mint filling inside a dark chocolate coating. Currently produced by Tootsie Roll Industries, the product is packaged in varying amounts from the fun-size box to the much larger 12.0 oz. box....

     contain inverted sugar.
  • Jones Soda
    Jones Soda
    Jones Soda Co. is a beverage company based in Pioneer Square, Seattle, Washington. It bottles and distributes soft drinks, non-carbonated beverages, energy drinks, and candy. Jones Soda is a carbonated soft drink that has many unusual flavors that are not offered by other soft drink makers.Founded...

     sweeten their soda with inverted cane sugar.
  • Jujubes contain inverted sugar.
  • Sour Patch Kids
    Sour Patch Kids
    Sour Patch Kids are a soft candy with a coating of sour sugar created by Paul Mihalick. When sour confectionery was first introduced it was not considered a serious product category, more of a children's fad. Success, however, rocketed it into the mainstream. One of the driving forces behind the...

     contain inverted sugar.
  • Caramello candy bars contain inverted sugar.
  • McVities Oat & Syrup Flapjacks contain partially inverted sugar.
  • Animal Crackers
    Animal crackers
    Animal crackers are a children's snackAnimal Crackers may also refer to:* Animal Crackers , the 1928 Broadway play by George S...

     sometimes contain invert sugar.
  • Swedish Fish
    Swedish Fish
    Swedish Fish is a type of chewy fish-shaped candy. It has been developed with special flavors specifically for the North American market by the Swedish candy producer Malaco, which exports products to North America.-History:...

     contain inverted sugar.
  • Mallomars contain invert sugar.
  • Sugar Babies
    Sugar Babies (candy)
    Sugar Babies are an American confection originally developed in 1935 by the James O. Welch Co. Sugar Babies were named after a song called "Let Me Be Your Sugar Baby."...

     contain inverted sugar.
  • Cadbury eggs contain inverted sugar.
  • Big Texas Cookies contain inverted sugar.
  • Wheat Thins
    Wheat Thins
    Wheat Thins are a popular baked snack cracker found in North America, distributed by Nabisco, a subsidiary of Kraft Foods Global Inc. in the US, Kraft Foods in Canada and in Australia through wholesaler USA Foods. Also Vegetable Thins, Pita Thins, and Rice Thins, which both are spun off from Wheat...

     contain inverted sugar.
  • Panera Bread Mini Scones contain inverted sugar.
  • Toblerone
    Toblerone
    Toblerone is a chocolate bar brand owned by Kraft Foods, who acquired the product from former owner Jacobs Suchard in 1990. It is well-known for its distinctive packaging, its prism shape and its ubiquity in duty-free shops.The triangular shape of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps is commonly...

     Chocolates contain inverted sugar.
  • Cigarettes use inverted sugar as a casing to add flavour.
  • Candi sugar
    Candi sugar
    Candi sugar is a Belgian sugar commonly used in brewing, especially in stronger, Belgian beers such as dubbel and tripel. Chemically, it is an invert sugar: one that has been converted from sucrose to a mixture of fructose and glucose by heating with water and some acid...

     is a type of invert sugar used in the brewing of Belgian-style beers
    Belgian beer
    Beer in Belgium varies from pale lager to lambic beer and Flemish red. There are approximately 178 breweries in the country, ranging from international giants to microbreweries..-History:...

     to boost alcohol content without drastically increasing the body of the beer; it always found in the styles of beer known as dubbel
    Dubbel
    The dubbel is a Belgian Trappist beer naming convention. The origin of the dubbel was a beer brewed in the Trappist Abbey of Westmalle in 1856. The abbey had, since 10 December 1836, brewed a witbier that was quite sweet and light in alcohol for consumption by the paters. The new beer, however,...

     and tripel
    Tripel
    Tripel is a term used by brewers mainly in the Low Countries, some other European countries, and the USA to describe a strong pale ale, loosely in the style of Westmalle Tripel. The origin of the term is unknown, though the main theory is that it indicates strength in some way...

    .

External links

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