Frequently Asked Questions:
 Sugar

Select your question:

What is a sugar? Are all sugars alike?
What are the differences between the different sugar substitutes?
Which sugar substitute should I use in place of sugar in recipes?
How can I use artificial sweeteners in my cooking?

- What is a sugar? Are all sugars alike?

A sugar is a type of carbohydrate. A carbohydrate is a nutrient that your body uses as its main energy source. Carbohydrates can be classified into two groups: complex carbohydrates, which are found in starchy foods such as grains; and simple carbohydrates, which are the sugars. Like all carbohydrates, sugar provides four calories per gram.

Sugars are found in many food products. Some foods naturally contain sugar, such as the lactose in milk and the fructose in fruits. Other foods have added sugar, such as baked goods and desserts.

There are many types of sugars and many different names for sugar. Sucrose, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and honey are all different names for sugar. Sugar affects the flavor, texture, and color of foods, and different sugars will produce different results in food products. However, all sugars, no matter what form, are broken down by the body into simple sugars to be used for energy. From a nutritional standpoint, all sugars are equal - one sugar isn't "healthier" than another. For example, the body doesn't see any difference between granulated sugar and honey - both will ultimately be broken down to the same simple sugars.

Sugars vary in consistency, color, and intensity of sweetness. The type of sugar added to a food product depends on the desired result. Some are better suited for baking (granulated sugar, brown sugar), while others are especially useful in commercial food product applications (high fructose corn syrup in soft drinks). Here are some commonly added sugars that one may see on an ingredient list of a food product:

Sucrose
Refined sugar
High fructose corn syrup
Fructose
Dextrose
Honey
Maltose
Concentrated fruit juice
Invert sugar
Turbinado sugar
Confectioner's (powdered) sugar

International Food Information Council: Questions and Answers about Sugars

- What are the differences between the different sugar substitutes?

There are a variety of sugar substitutes available for those who would like to reduce their sugar intake. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved four sugar substitutes. They tend to be much sweeter than sugar, do not cause cavities, and provide little or no calories. Each sweetener has its advantages and disadvantages.

Saccharin (Sweet and Low). Saccharin is one of the most commonly used sugar substitutes. It is about 200-700 times sweeter than sugar, and its sweetening power is not reduced with heating. However, saccharin has been reported to cause cancer in laboratory animals, and a warning describing its associated cancer risk must be on the label of all products containing this sweetener. Studies are still being conducted to determine how much of a cancer risk saccharin poses.

Aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal). Aspartame is another widely-used sugar substitute. It is about 160 to 200 times sweeter than sugar. It provides some calories - about 4 calories per gram - but because of its intense sweetness, the amount of calories it provides is negligible. Aspartame is considered safe; although adverse effects, such as skin and breathing problems, have been reported, a link between the sweetener and these conditions has not yet been found. Aspartame does have a tendency to break down when heated, but newer forms of the sweetener have made it more heat-stable and suitable for cooking and baking. Aspartame contains phenylalanine, an amino acid, which some people with a condition called phenylketonuria (PKU) are unable to metabolize. Individuals with PKU must control food sources of phenylalanine; so all food products containing aspartame carry a warning about its phenylalanine content.

Falsification and Facts About Aspartame

Acesulfame-K (Sunett). Acesulfame-K is one of the more recently approved sugar substitutes. It is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. Because it is such an intense sweetener, only small amounts are usually needed; it is often combined with other sweeteners to intensify the sweet taste and reduce any bitterness. Humans cannot digest acesulfame-K and it is excreted unchanged. It is considered safe for human consumption. This sweetener can withstand high temperatures and thus can be used in cooking and baking.

Sucralose (Splenda). Sucralose is about 600 times sweeter than sugar. It has also been recently approved for use as a sweetener. It is not absorbed by humans, and it is considered safe. Sucralose is heat-stable and can be used for cooking and baking.

American Dietetic Association: Use of nutritive and nonnutritive sweeteners

- Which sugar substitute should I use in place of sugar in recipes?

There are many sugar substitutes, or artificial sweeteners, available now-some are better, depending on your recipe. Here are some things you should know from Dining With Diabetes, a cooking school curriculum from the West Virginia University Extension Service:

· Sugar does more than just make a recipe sweet. Sugar helps a recipe to be tender and moist. It also helps make the familiar golden brown color of baked desserts and breads. Sometimes sugar makes up a lot of the volume of a recipe, as it does in cakes and cookies. When it does, replacing sugar entirely with artificial sweeteners may produce a cake that is tough, flat and dry, as well as gray in color. Remember, artificial sweeteners only make a recipe sweet.

· Recipes which usually do well with sugar substitutes include beverages, frozen desserts, pie fillings, sauces, gelatins, and puddings. Cakes, cookies, and meringues depend on large amounts of sugar for more of their finished properties. You should not replace more than 1/2 cup of sugar with an artificial sweetener in these products.

· The best way to begin using artificial sweeteners in home cooking is to read label directions carefully. Sending for recipe booklets from manufacturers or looking for recipes that manufacturers place on Internet web sites are also good ways to begin.

· Aspartame, sometimes marketed as Nutrasweet™, Equal™, Natrataste™, and other names, has very little aftertaste but it tends to denature, or lost its sweet taste, when it is heated.

· Saccharin, sold as Sweet n' Low™ and Sweet Twin™, and as a brown sugar substitute, is very stable for baking, but it has a noticeable aftertaste when used in large quantities.

· Acesulfame potassium, sold as Sweet One™ or Swiss Sweet™, has less aftertaste than saccharin and it is more stable when heated than aspartame.

· Sucralose, with the trade name of Splenda™, is a new artificial sweetener that is made from sugar. It has the same volume and taste as sugar and it is stable to heat.

· Most artificial sweeteners are 100 or more times sweeter than sugar. They need to be used in small amounts at first and increased only gradually to avoid an overly sweet taste or unpleasant aftertaste.

· It is possible to use less to get more. When two different classes of artificial sweeteners are combined (such as saccharin with aspartame or acesulfame potassium with aspartame), the result is a much sweeter taste than it is when one kind is used alone in cooking. If a recipe calls for 6 packets of saccharin sweetener, for instance, try using a total of only 3 packets of sweetener-use two different kinds, such as one packet of saccharin and two packets of aspartame.

· Since one teaspoon of sugar has only 4 grams of carbohydrate, using a small amount of sugar in a recipe can help reduce the need for artificial sweeteners when increasing tenderness and browning. Usually one teaspoon of sugar per serving is acceptable for most people with diabetes, as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

- How can I use artificial sweeteners in my cooking?

	Saccharin types1				Aspartame types2			Acesulfame- potassium	Sucralose
Replace sugar	Packets	Granular	Brown	Liquid	Packets	Granular	Equal for Recipes	Packets	Packets	Granular
1/2 tsp	1	1 tsp	1 tsp	1 drop	1	1-2 tsp	1/4 tsp	1	1/2-1	1-2 tsp
1/4 cup	6	1/4 cup	1/4 cup	1-1/2 tsp	6	1/4 cup	1-3/4 tsp	3	6	1/4 cup
1/3 cup	8	1/3 cup	1/3 cup	2 tsp	8	1/3 cup	2 1/2 tsp	4	8	1/3 cup
1/2 cup	12	1/2 cup	1/2 cup	1 Tb	12	1/2	3-1/2 tsp	6	12	1/2 cup
1 cup	24	1 cup	1 cup	1 Tb	24	1 cup	7-1/4 tsp	12	24	1 cup
Heat-stable?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Aftertaste?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Some	No	No

¹Manufacturer does not recommend replacing more than 1/2 cup sugar with saccharin sweetener in baked recipes.
²Contains phenylalanine. People with phenylketonuria must avoid this sweetener.

Check measurements and directions on product packages for the most accurate information.

tsp = teaspoon
Tbs = tablespoon

Source of Information: Dining with Diabetes, West Virginia University Extension Service