Granulated Sugar

Sweet as they may be, what do we really know about sugars? Sugar is the general term for sweet or soluble carbohydrate. It is necessity in our diet no matter whether taken in large or small quantities, it provides energy.

Ever wonder what reaction or mechanism that occurs behind closed doors when you consume sugar?

What is sugar?

Granulated sugars are carbohydrates mainly composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Sugars are mainly used in many types of foods. It comes in many forms such as carbohydrates a large complex molecule of sugar to glucose, fructose and galactose the simplest for of sugars. Granulated sugar is commonly used in the food industry. It is a form of sucrose and is called many other names such as table sugar, cane sugar and beet sugar.

What does it consist of?

Table sugars are a type of sucrose, therefore, the bond for this compound is a glycosidic bond ( that bond together the fructose and glucose monomers in a sucrose polymer. The chemical formula for this compound is C₁₂H₂₂O_11. 

It is a covalent bond because sucrose is made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

an example of a sucrose molecule

Glycosidic bond

A glycosidic bond is a type of covalent bond that joins a carbohydrate(sugar) molecule to another group, which may or may not be another carbohydrate. is formed between the hemiacetal group of a saccharide and the hydroxyl group of some organic compound such as an alcohol.

Where does it come from?

Sugar is a naturally-occurring compound that can be found in most plant and animal cells. Most fruits, for instance, have very high sugar concentrations, which is one of the reasons that they taste so sweet. A process known as “refinement,” is the most important process to form granulated sugar.

Refining Process

Making table sugar is a multi-step process. There are many steps in the process of making this sugar. One of the important steps are Refining which begins by isolating the sugar crystals in the beet or cane, usually through diffusion. During diffusion, the sugar source is soaked in water, ground or pulverized to expose its inner cells, then left to evaporate, often over mesh sieves or fine cloth where the crystals can be collected. At this stage, the crystals are usually light brown or tan in color.

Pros and Cons

Sugars have clearly many advantages as its disadvantages. It is a natural carbon compound. It goes through less processes compared to artificial sweetener and has more nutrients. Not only does it increase your calories it provides you with the energy you need. Just because sugar’s reputation is being upheld, don’t be too quick to start adding sugar into your diet thinking it’s somehow good for you. There are still far superior forms of sugar in the form of carbohydrate out there to be putting into your body, such as oatmeal, whole grain breads, brown rice, sweet potatoes, fruits, and vegetables. Sugar is a tempting but hazardous ingredient if you over use it. It also causes various and many health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

The main question that has been going through your mind is how does the reaction or mechanism occur in our body system

There are two different categories of the sugars we consume in the foods we eat – those being simple sugars and complex sugars. A type of simple sugar would be the granulated sugar we use as an additive or ingredient, while other foods like rice and bread contain complex sugars or carbohydrate.

When a carbohydrate is ingested, it will be converted into a simple sugar before it can be used as an energy source. This begins in the mouth when the complex sugar molecules such as starch start to be broken down by salivary amylase.

 Starch + water = maltose 

It is then broken down further by the pancreatic amylase in the process of hydrolysis in the small intestine 

Maltose + water = glucose + glucose

When sugars arrive at the individual cells, they are eventually converted into water and carbon dioxide. This is the result of several complex chemical reactions that take place as the energy of the sugar is utilized and released by the cell.

(glucose)C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ ——> 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + 2830 kJ / mol 

Sugar is composed of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon molecules which are bonded together by chemicals. Simple sugars are known to contain around two-dozen bonds holding the elements together. When each of these bonds is broken in the cell, the energy released by the breaking of the bond is then used by the body.

(sucrose)C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ = 2C₆H₁₂O₆ +  H₂O

And in addition to utilizing the energy released right away, the cell also has the ability to reserve some of the energy to be used later. 

The body interprets and handles all types of sugar in basically the same way. The resulting simple sugar goes into the bloodstream. The pancreas then releases a hormone called insulin that is necessary to move the sugar from the blood into the cells where it can be used for energy. Without the proper amount of insulin, if there is too much sugar for the body to process, the sugar stays in the bloodstream and causes damage to the heart, nerves and kidneys. 

Not to worry there's always a solution to help reduce the risk

Carbohydrates come in many forms, and most foods have some carbohydrate in. All carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugar by the body anyhow. It takes longer for the body to turn some carbohydrates into simple sugar. Thus, the pancreas is not required to release as much insulin as soon, which is better for the body.

If you eat complex carbohydrates or those paired with fiber, fats or protein, you give your body more of a chance to deal with the sugar more gradually. Whole grain breads, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth are the healthiest forms of foods in the grain group. Beans, whole fruits and whole vegetables are also healthy forms of carbohydrates.

''I would like to dedicate this project to my dear lecturer Miss Alice Puah for giving me this privilege to write this post for our group assignment.''

~ Samuel ~