Everything you wanted to know about invert sugar

[luvchocolate]

I have lots of recipes that call for invert sugar aka tremoline, but where I live it is not available. I have tried to bring some when I travel but the containers are usually too big and heavy to be put on a suit case, so doing some research I found that invert sugar is part glucose and part fructose. I can get both ingredients separately. Does any one know if mixing these two ingredients would deliver invert sugar and if so how much would be the ratios?

[Squirrelly Cakes]

See: http://www.guide-to-home-brewing-winemakin...InvertSugar.asp

http://www.sugar.org/consumers/sweet_by_nature.asp?id=275

See: http://www.rogerssugar.com/product/liquid.html

[MelissaH]

Invert sugar is what you get when you let an enzyme chew up sucrose (table sugar), a disaccharide, into its two monosaccharides (glucose and fructose). The name comes about because a solution of sucrose will rotate plane-polarized light in one direction, but a solution of the sucrose after the enzyme's broken it apart will rotate plane-polarized light in the other direction. (In other words, the rotation is inverted.)

So, I would think that you'd be able to make your own invert sugar by combining equal masses of glucose and fructose. The wild card is whether they come as dry powders, or if they come hydrated into syrups.

Since I've never used invert sugar, I can't speak to whether a homemade mixture would work in recipes. I suspect that if it's being used to inhibit crystallization, it would do the trick. But I'm sure there are other eG members with more experience that can give you a more definitive answer.

MelissaH

[tan319]

Trimoline (Invert Sugar)

This is an oldie but goodie thread from way back in 'Gullet land.

Sometimes it's called Nuevoline also.

You can find small containers in specialty stores that sell supplies for wedding cake makers, etc.

Good Luck!

[annachan]

I found this recipe from a candy making book. I haven't tried it out but you're welcome to:

8 lbs granulated sugar

1 qt water

1/2 oz citric acid or the juice of 4 lemons

Combine all ingredients in a heavy 8-qt kettle. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly so mixture does not scorch. Lower heat and simmer for 1/2 hour, stirring constantly.

Makes approximately 8 lbs.

[Patrick S]

Does any one know if mixing these two ingredients would deliver invert sugar and if so how much would be the ratios?

←

The ratio would be precisely 1:1, i.e. an equimolar mixture of fructose and glucose. Something I was wondering about last time this came up is whether you can buy high-fructose corn syrup in retail quantities, because it is 1) dirt cheap due to gov't corn subsidies, and 2) is essentially the exact same thing as invert sugar, the only major difference being that HFCS is not exactly 50/50 glucose/fructose -- HFCS 55 is 55% fructose and 45% glucose, and HFCS 42 is . . . you get the idea. They are basically the same thing, just made in different ways. Invert sugar is made by hydrolyzing sucrose into fructose/glucose, whereas HFCS is made by partially converting a glucose syrup to fructose.

[luvchocolate]

Thank you all! I will try the recipe provided by annachan, It looks easy to do. Since I don't live in the US it is almost impossible to order it on line: it won't pass through customs here.

Corn syrup is very commercial here so I will look for the high fructose kind and see how it works.

The old thread about invert sugar has been very informative!

[MelissaH]

Does any one know if mixing these two ingredients would deliver invert sugar and if so how much would be the ratios?

←

The ratio would be precisely 1:1, i.e. an equimolar mixture of fructose and glucose. Something I was wondering about last time this came up is whether you can buy high-fructose corn syrup in retail quantities, because it is 1) dirt cheap due to gov't corn subsidies, and 2) is essentially the exact same thing as invert sugar, the only major difference being that HFCS is not exactly 50/50 glucose/fructose -- HFCS 55 is 55% fructose and 45% glucose, and HFCS 42 is . . . you get the idea. They are basically the same thing, just made in different ways. Invert sugar is made by hydrolyzing sucrose into fructose/glucose, whereas HFCS is made by partially converting a glucose syrup to fructose.

←

Patrick, any idea what the stuff sold in grocery stores is?

MelissaH

[Patrick S]

Does any one know if mixing these two ingredients would deliver invert sugar and if so how much would be the ratios?

←

The ratio would be precisely 1:1, i.e. an equimolar mixture of fructose and glucose. Something I was wondering about last time this came up is whether you can buy high-fructose corn syrup in retail quantities, because it is 1) dirt cheap due to gov't corn subsidies, and 2) is essentially the exact same thing as invert sugar, the only major difference being that HFCS is not exactly 50/50 glucose/fructose -- HFCS 55 is 55% fructose and 45% glucose, and HFCS 42 is . . . you get the idea. They are basically the same thing, just made in different ways. Invert sugar is made by hydrolyzing sucrose into fructose/glucose, whereas HFCS is made by partially converting a glucose syrup to fructose.

←

Patrick, any idea what the stuff sold in grocery stores is?

MelissaH

←

My understanding had been that the sugar fraction of regular light corn syrup is almost exclusively glucose. However, if you read the ingredient list of some corn syrup bottles, like Karo, you'll see that they list corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup as ingredients. My best guess is that brands that don't list HFCS as an ingredient are essentially glucose syrup, but for those that list HFCS as an ingredient, I don't think there is any easy way to tell what the proportion of glucose to fructose is.

[scott123]

Does any one know if mixing these two ingredients would deliver invert sugar and if so how much would be the ratios?

←

The ratio would be precisely 1:1, i.e. an equimolar mixture of fructose and glucose. Something I was wondering about last time this came up is whether you can buy high-fructose corn syrup in retail quantities, because it is 1) dirt cheap due to gov't corn subsidies, and 2) is essentially the exact same thing as invert sugar, the only major difference being that HFCS is not exactly 50/50 glucose/fructose -- HFCS 55 is 55% fructose and 45% glucose, and HFCS 42 is . . . you get the idea. They are basically the same thing, just made in different ways. Invert sugar is made by hydrolyzing sucrose into fructose/glucose, whereas HFCS is made by partially converting a glucose syrup to fructose.

←

Patrick, any idea what the stuff sold in grocery stores is?

MelissaH

←

My understanding had been that the sugar fraction of regular light corn syrup is almost exclusively glucose. However, if you read the ingredient list of some corn syrup bottles, like Karo, you'll see that they list corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup as ingredients. My best guess is that brands that don't list HFCS as an ingredient are essentially glucose syrup, but for those that list HFCS as an ingredient, I don't think there is any easy way to tell what the proportion of glucose to fructose is.

←

Corn syrup is never 100% glucose. According to this page, corn syrup is always comprised of glucose, maltose, maltotriose and higher saccharides. Pure glucose is 75% as sweet as sugar, regular corn syrup ranges from 30% to 60%, due to the presence of the less sweet maltose (45%) and higher saccharides which fall even lower on the relative sweetness spectrum.

A commercial corn syrup without HFCS in the ingredients will never be as sweet as glucose syrup. I'm guessing that, besides sweetness, the other compounds affect other qualities as well.

Edited July 27, 2006 by scott123 (log)

[Patrick S]

Does any one know if mixing these two ingredients would deliver invert sugar and if so how much would be the ratios?

←

The ratio would be precisely 1:1, i.e. an equimolar mixture of fructose and glucose. Something I was wondering about last time this came up is whether you can buy high-fructose corn syrup in retail quantities, because it is 1) dirt cheap due to gov't corn subsidies, and 2) is essentially the exact same thing as invert sugar, the only major difference being that HFCS is not exactly 50/50 glucose/fructose -- HFCS 55 is 55% fructose and 45% glucose, and HFCS 42 is . . . you get the idea. They are basically the same thing, just made in different ways. Invert sugar is made by hydrolyzing sucrose into fructose/glucose, whereas HFCS is made by partially converting a glucose syrup to fructose.

←

Patrick, any idea what the stuff sold in grocery stores is?

MelissaH

←

My understanding had been that the sugar fraction of regular light corn syrup is almost exclusively glucose. However, if you read the ingredient list of some corn syrup bottles, like Karo, you'll see that they list corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup as ingredients. My best guess is that brands that don't list HFCS as an ingredient are essentially glucose syrup, but for those that list HFCS as an ingredient, I don't think there is any easy way to tell what the proportion of glucose to fructose is.

←

Corn syrup is never 100% glucose. According to this page, corn syrup is always comprised of glucose, maltose, maltotriose and higher saccharides.

←

Thanks for the clarification, Scott. I wonder if maltose and maltotriose, since they are essentially very small glucose polymers (di-glucose and tri-glucose, respectively), if they would possess any of the confectionary qualities of glucose? I mean, obviously very large glucose polymers (starch) don't have the right qualities, but I wonder if when you get down into the di and trisaccharides if they have the right properties.

[jsolomon]

Invert sugar is what you get when you let an enzyme chew up sucrose (table sugar), a disaccharide, into its two monosaccharides (glucose and fructose). The name comes about because a solution of sucrose will rotate plane-polarized light in one direction, but a solution of the sucrose after the enzyme's broken it apart will rotate plane-polarized light in the other direction. (In other words, the rotation is inverted.)

So, I would think that you'd be able to make your own invert sugar by combining equal masses of glucose and fructose. The wild card is whether they come as dry powders, or if they come hydrated into syrups.

Since I've never used invert sugar, I can't speak to whether a homemade mixture would work in recipes. I suspect that if it's being used to inhibit crystallization, it would do the trick. But I'm sure there are other eG members with more experience that can give you a more definitive answer.

MelissaH

←

Actually, it doesn't even take an enzyme, if I recall correctly. Simply being dissolved in water, the "invert" form is a lower energy, so the sugar takes that form. However, it does take time, or heat.

[MelissaH]

Invert sugar is what you get when you let an enzyme chew up sucrose (table sugar), a disaccharide, into its two monosaccharides (glucose and fructose). The name comes about because a solution of sucrose will rotate plane-polarized light in one direction, but a solution of the sucrose after the enzyme's broken it apart will rotate plane-polarized light in the other direction. (In other words, the rotation is inverted.)

So, I would think that you'd be able to make your own invert sugar by combining equal masses of glucose and fructose. The wild card is whether they come as dry powders, or if they come hydrated into syrups.

Since I've never used invert sugar, I can't speak to whether a homemade mixture would work in recipes. I suspect that if it's being used to inhibit crystallization, it would do the trick. But I'm sure there are other eG members with more experience that can give you a more definitive answer.

MelissaH

←

Actually, it doesn't even take an enzyme, if I recall correctly. Simply being dissolved in water, the "invert" form is a lower energy, so the sugar takes that form. However, it does take time, or heat.

←

With a touch of acid. I realized that you could do it as an acid-catalyzed reaction just after I sent off the previous post. That's why you'll often see a bit of lemon juice or vinegar added to sugar recipes---the acid plus the hot water will create a little invert sugar in situ.

MelissaH

[scott123]

Does any one know if mixing these two ingredients would deliver invert sugar and if so how much would be the ratios?

←

The ratio would be precisely 1:1, i.e. an equimolar mixture of fructose and glucose. Something I was wondering about last time this came up is whether you can buy high-fructose corn syrup in retail quantities, because it is 1) dirt cheap due to gov't corn subsidies, and 2) is essentially the exact same thing as invert sugar, the only major difference being that HFCS is not exactly 50/50 glucose/fructose -- HFCS 55 is 55% fructose and 45% glucose, and HFCS 42 is . . . you get the idea. They are basically the same thing, just made in different ways. Invert sugar is made by hydrolyzing sucrose into fructose/glucose, whereas HFCS is made by partially converting a glucose syrup to fructose.

←

Patrick, any idea what the stuff sold in grocery stores is?

MelissaH

←

My understanding had been that the sugar fraction of regular light corn syrup is almost exclusively glucose. However, if you read the ingredient list of some corn syrup bottles, like Karo, you'll see that they list corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup as ingredients. My best guess is that brands that don't list HFCS as an ingredient are essentially glucose syrup, but for those that list HFCS as an ingredient, I don't think there is any easy way to tell what the proportion of glucose to fructose is.

←

Corn syrup is never 100% glucose. According to this page, corn syrup is always comprised of glucose, maltose, maltotriose and higher saccharides.

←

Thanks for the clarification, Scott. I wonder if maltose and maltotriose, since they are essentially very small glucose polymers (di-glucose and tri-glucose, respectively), if they would possess any of the confectionary qualities of glucose? I mean, obviously very large glucose polymers (starch) don't have the right qualities, but I wonder if when you get down into the di and trisaccharides if they have the right properties.

←

That's a good question Patrick. Yes, a high glucose polymer corn syrup is going to be drastically different from glucose syrup. The greater molecular weight of the higher saccharides will effect freezing point depression, crystallization inhibition, osmolality, hygroscopicity and sweetness among others. But a low glucose polymer corn syrup (High glucose/maltose/maltotriose)... that could be a different story. I'm certain this syrup would be similar to pure glucose. How similar? Well, you've got me there. I think, though, that if someone were in a jam and had to sub corn syrup for glucose syrup, they would want to track down a high DE/sweet corn syrup. The sweeter you go, the less glucose polymers you have to deal with.

Not that HFCS-less corn syrups are that common, and, if someone did stumble across one, I doubt that low and high DE versions would appear on the same shelf. For the sake of argument, though, it's interesting

Edited July 28, 2006 by scott123 (log)

[Stuckey]

I've been after invert sugar for a while, but have not been able to find a source for any amount less than 7kg (approx. 15lb). With the release of "Chocolates and Confections", which uses invert sugar in many recipes, I've decided to just bite the bullet and pick up a 7kg bucket. I can get it for AU$34 (approx. US$28), which isn't too bad.

Since I'm just a home confectioner, I'm wondering - how long does the stuff last once opened? If I remember correctly, the bucket that I saw had a sticker on it with a July 2007 date, and I'm hoping that's not the best before date! I'd be getting Trimoline-brand invert sugar.

Thanks for any help!

[John DePaula]

I have this big pail of Invert Sugar and it's marked with a 'Best By' date.

My question is: Does Invert Sugar really go bad? If so, what would be the signs that it has gone off e.g. crystallizes, looks funny, tastes funny...

Seems like it's a natural preservative that wouldn't expire.

[gfron1]

Interesting question since I have a 2/3 full pail in my cupboard. Mine has separated, but when I go to use it (I bought it over a year ago), I mix it up, nuke it to help it recombine, and go ahead.

From Wiki

The shelf life of partial inverts is approximately six months, depending on storage and climatic conditions. Crystalized invert sugar solutions may be restored to their liquid state by gently heating for 15 minutes.

and a nice explanation of invert found HERE.

From sugarindia.com

Storing  Invert Syrup is very easy. It can be stored on the shelf for about two years and up to a year after opening. Once open, it is best kept in the refrigerator to retard mold growth. If mold growth does occur, the syrup should be discarded. The outside of the bottle should be cleaned of drips after each use. Sometimes pure cane syrups may crystallize in storage, but this causes no harm and they can be reliquified using the same method as for honey.

[John DePaula]

Thanks, Rob. Looks like the info I was seeking.

[gfron1]

Yes and no. I like the visual of if there is mold, but the contradictory shelf life of 6 months v. 2 years is a big spread. And one of my pet peeves is the idea of a time from purchase since we have no idea how long that stuff has been sitting in a warehouse.

[John DePaula]

Yes and no.  I like the visual of if there is mold, but the contradictory shelf life of 6 months v. 2 years is a big spread.  And one of my pet peeves is the idea of a time from purchase since we have no idea how long that stuff has been sitting in a warehouse.

←

That's true. In this case, the product I have does show a 'Best By' date. I was just surprised that invert sugar could go bad since I've never noticed one to get moldy or taste off.

[pagosselin]

Yes and no.  I like the visual of if there is mold, but the contradictory shelf life of 6 months v. 2 years is a big spread.  And one of my pet peeves is the idea of a time from purchase since we have no idea how long that stuff has been sitting in a warehouse.

←

That's true. In this case, the product I have does show a 'Best By' date. I was just surprised that invert sugar could go bad since I've never noticed one to get moldy or taste off.

←

I have a question because I think I'm confused about this. Is invert sugar the same as invert syrup? Isn't the sugar dry like powder sugar and the syrup a liquid?

[John DePaula]

Yes and no.  I like the visual of if there is mold, but the contradictory shelf life of 6 months v. 2 years is a big spread.  And one of my pet peeves is the idea of a time from purchase since we have no idea how long that stuff has been sitting in a warehouse.

←

That's true. In this case, the product I have does show a 'Best By' date. I was just surprised that invert sugar could go bad since I've never noticed one to get moldy or taste off.

←

I have a question because I think I'm confused about this. Is invert sugar the same as invert syrup? Isn't the sugar dry like powder sugar and the syrup a liquid?

←

I have only seen the syrup, though I suppose there may be some form of atomized powder out there.

Mine is Invert Sugar Syrup.

[gfron1]

Mine is labelled as sugar, but is a syrup.

[Pallee]

I used a product called "drivert" sugar that contains 8% invert sugar. Worked great for fudge and fondants, really smooth and not grainy. It's a dry sugar and I never had any problem with shelf life.

[John DePaula]

I used a product called "drivert" sugar that contains 8% invert sugar. Worked great for fudge and fondants, really smooth and not grainy. It's a dry sugar and I never had any problem with shelf life.

←

My pail says it's 95% Invert Sugar + 5% Saccharose (which is just sucrose), so I don't think drivert would be a good substitute.