How is sugar used?

1. How is sugar used? Learning objective: Identify the variety of uses for sugar

2. How many different ways can sugar be used?

3. Sweet food products Sugar creates a flavour change in sweet food products such as: Soft drinks Sweets Biscuits Cakes Hot drinks, such as hot chocolate

4. Savoury food products Sugar can also create a subtle flavour change in savoury food products such as: Bread Baked beans Tomato sauce Crackers

5. Preservation Sugar can be used as a preservative, helping to slow the growth of micro organisms. This can prevent food spoilage in foods such as jams and preserves.

6. Bulking agent Sugar also acts as a bulking agent for products such as cakes, biscuits and confectionary, such as wine gums.

7. Boiling and freezing points Sugar raises the boiling point or lowers the freezing point in certain recipes, for example ice cream.

8. Other uses Sugar helps flowers to stay fresher for longer when added to their water. It is used to help in the healing of some types of wounds. Sugar is added to concrete to slow down the setting process. It is also used in the film industry to produce glass for stunts.

9. Summary • Sugar is used in both sweet and savoury food products to enhance the taste • Sugar will also act as a preservative, bulking agent or alter the boiling and freezing points of foods • Sugar can also be used in a variety of different ways which are unrelated to the food industry

10. Examples of sugar There are a whole range of different sugars. These include the sugars made by plants during photosynthesis, milk sugar and honey. • Glucose C6H12O6 - fruit, vegetables, honey • Maltose C12H22O11- barley • Sucrose C12H22O11- sugar beet, sugar cane, fruits • Lactose C12H22O11- milk • Fructose C6H12O6 - fruits, honey KS4 Extension activity: Investigate the specific uses of these sugars.