Sweeteners Guide
There are many sugars each with different properties, varying in sweetness, melting point and solubility in water. Sugars are carbohydrates – their molecules consist of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
The simplest sugars are called monosaccharides (single sugars) e.g. glucose (also called dextrose) which occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables and in the blood of animals, and fructose, present in plants and in honey.
Dissacharides are double sugars in that each molecule consists of two single sugar molecules joined together. Examples are sucrose (one glucose molecule and one fructose molecule), the major component of cane sugars; and maltose (two molecules of glucose), a sugar produced in malting when the enzyme diastase acts on starch.
Cane Sugars
Cane sugar is produced from the juice of sugar cane. Unrefined and partially refined sugars are made by simply pressing out, cleaning and crystallising the cane juice so the nutrients found in the sugar cane are retained (cf. non-organic refined sugars undergo chemical processing as well). Molasses is a byproduct of this process. The colour and intensity of flavour depends on the degree of processing and the amount of molasses left. Cane sugars sold here include Raw Sugar, Granulated Sugar, Golden Sugar, Molasses Sugar, Muscovado, Sucanat and Shakkar.
Sucanat is a brand name for fresh cane juice that has been pressed from the cane stalk, concentrated into a syrup then dried and milled in combination with organic blackstrap molasses. It contains 80-85% sucrose (cf. refined cane sugar contains 99% sucrose) while vitamins, minerals and other nutrients present in sugar cane remain.
Shakkar is also made completely from evaporated sugar cane juice with the brown colour coming from sugar cane molasses. Both Sucanat and Shakkar can be used in baked goods for a rich caramel taste, in tea and coffee, sprinkled over cooked cereals or used in brown breads and traditional baked beans.
Dark Muscovado is the darkest of the cane sugars, commonly used in baking for a rich dark flavour and colour e.g. Christmas cakes, chutneys. It is also available in a slightly lighter version, Light Muscovado. Demerara is a lighter brown sugar with relatively hard crystals. Icing Sugar is the finest of all sugars made by mechanically crushing crystals.
Organic White Beet Sugar
Made from sugar beets, from the same family as the familiar crimson beet. As sugar beet molasses is completely unpalatable only fully refined white sugar can be made from sugar beet.
Date Sugar
Earth's Best teething biscuits, Only Organic baby foods - apple, apple and apricot muesli, beef dinner, fruit muesli, garden vegetables, lamb and pasta dinner, lamb casserole, lentil hotpot, mixed vegetables, pasta and chicken, vegetables and chicken, vegetables and rice, wholemeal pasta and vegetables; Organic Baby baby foods - apples and blueberries, apples and mangoes, green beans and rice, peaches, rice and bananas, rice and lentils, pears and strawberries, spinach and carrots
Beans, Peas and Lentils
Made solely from pitted, dried and pulverised dates. Sweet and mildly date flavoured it has the same sweetening power as cane sugar.
Fructose
Fruit sugar derived mainly from berry fruits and other fruits and vegetables. It is substantially sweeter than sucrose.
Blackstrap Molasses
The thick dark syrup that is left over after sugar crystals are removed during refining process. Molasses is a good source of iron and also has potassium, calcium, magnesium and vitamin B6. The main component is sucrose – 65% sucrose compared with refined white sugar at 99% sucrose. Best used in strongly flavoured goods such as gingerbread, molasses cookies, rye breads and traditional home made baked beans.
Maple Syrup and Maple Sugar
Made in parts of the U.S. and Canada from sugar maple trees. Sap is collected in late winter and early spring then boiled to evaporate the water. Maple sugar is made from the syrup which is boiled down until it crystallises and sets solid into sugar cubes. These are light tan in colour and have a concentrated maple flavour. Both the syrup and the sugar can be used in baking to which they add a warm rich flavour, and of course maple syrup is indispensable over pancakes.
Barley Malt Syrup
A naturally processed sweetener made from fermented sprouted barley. It contains a lot of the nutrients found in the whole grain and is made up of approximately 50% maltose and a little glucose. Being less concentrated and higher in complex carbohydrates than other sweeteners it is less likely to upset blood sugar levels. Barley malt powder is made by evaporating the water out of the malt syrup.
Brown Rice Malt/Brown Rice Syrup
An easy to digest balanced sweetener made by adding dried sprouted barley or barley enzymes to cooked brown rice and fermenting this mixture until the malt enzymes convert some of the rice starch into glucose (about 3%) and maltose (about 45%). The liquid is then cooked to a syrup consistency. Brown rice malt adds a mild flavour to baked goods and has about 2/3 the sweetness of white sugar. As it is high in complex carbohydrates it enters the blood stream slowly and will not upset blood sugar levels.
Honeys
one of the oldest sweeteners known to humans, its use predated the raising of cereal grains or dairy animals. Honey is a product of nectar gathered by only 5 species of bees and converted into a sweet sticky liquid. Organic honeys are not heated above a certain temperature so vitamins and minerals remain. It is sweeter than cane sugar so use less in baking and adjust the liquid quantity in recipes if substituting for sugar. Baked goods made with honey tend to keep longer as the honey retains moisture.
Honey is antiseptic and mildly laxative. Apply to wounds to keep them sterile and to speed up healing. Some manuka honeys have additional antibiotic properties which are measured with the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) – look for manuka honeys with a UMF greater than 10.
Lighter honeys e.g. clover are milder in flavour than the more strongly flavoured dark honeys. Honeydew is unique among honeys in that the bees source the excreta of an insect found on South Island black beech trees.
Agave Nectar
Sweetener made from the agave plant grown in Mexico. It consists of approximately 70% natural fruit sugar and 25% dextrose. These are absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream than sucrose causing less disruption to blood sugar levels. Dark agave contains the plant’s natural flavour and minerals – iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium. Baked goods made with this sweetener brown more quickly so should be cooked at slightly lower temperatures.
Stevia
Stevia leaf is an excellent alternative to sugars and other sweeteners. Stevia sweeteners have no calories, are non-toxic and apparently do not affect blood sugar levels. It is available as the powdered herb, herb extract or as a concentration of the active ingredient, stevioside.
Xylitol
Natural sweetener found in small quantities in many plants including rice, corn, lettuce, hardwoods and fruits such as raspberries. It is even produced in the human body and is found in breast milk. Xylitol is a carbohydrate but not a sugar, giving a slow steady release of energy with minimal effects on blood sugars and insulin levels. Unlike sugar it is good for your teeth and suitable for all ages. Xylitol is available at CSO as Annies Dentasweet and in CSO packaging.