Sugar or shakkar is the common name for sucrose, a carbohydrate that is made up of glucose and fructose. It is used in food and drinks globally, serving as a sweetener, preservative, texture modifier, fermentation substrate, colouring agent, and bulking agent.
Sugar has a long history of benefiting people. Not only does it taste good, but it has a lot of practical uses as well. Did you know? Sugar can help preserve food, add texture, and even act as a fermentation substrate.
Sugar tastes sweet! While everyone knows this fact, here are 9 more ‘sweet’ fun facts about sugar you need to know about!
- Sugar is found in plants
Sugar is a by-product of photosynthesis that’s found in the fibres of all plants. However, sugar crystals can only be made from sugarcane and sugar beet plants because they have the highest concentrations of sugar. More than 75% of all sugar comes from sugarcane. There are 37 different species of sugarcane, and they can all crossbreed with each other.
- Sugar has been in use for the last 10,000 years
Sugar consumption in South-East Asia dates back to around 8000 BCE when people would chew on raw sugarcane for its sweetness. The first records of sugar being crystallized and transported date back to 500 BC in India and China. In the 15th century, producers in Venice started their plantations, introducing sugar to Europe. Christopher Columbus brought sugarcane seeds to North America on his second voyage and it quickly became one of the cash crops of colonial America.
- Sugar is best known as a preservative
Sugar is lethal to most microbes. In its dry, crystalline form, sugar loves to bind with water. When present in high enough concentrations, table sugar will consume all the water around it, drawing water from cells and causing them to shrivel and die. This makes sugar an effective preservative that can extend the expiration date of canned goods.
- Sugar has medicinal benefits
Sugar can be used to speed up the healing process of wounds by absorbing moisture and starving bacteria. In some parts of the world, this procedure could save the lives of people who cannot afford antibiotics. It is also used to treat infected wounds where bacteria are resistant to antibiotics. Refined Sugar, or commonly known as Shakkar in India, is used to mask the bitter taste of medicines and has been used for this purpose for centuries. It is still one of the most popular pharmaceutical ingredients today.
- Sugar is used for fermentation
The most common ethanol production processes today use yeast to ferment the starch and sugars in corn, sugar cane, and sugar beets. In India, the primary source of ethanol is sugarcane and sugar beets. Sugar crops are the easiest ingredients to convert into alcohol, with their fermenting capabilities.
- Sugar is foodless food
White sugar is prepared with sugarcane or sugar beet and is a quick source of energy because it has 99.9% sucrose. Even if you have not eaten anything, white sugar can make your body function with active energy. This is why it is called foodless food.
- Sugar was used by the European monarchy to make giant sculptures
Subtleties, sculpted into different shapes and wheeled out at royal feasts starting in the 13th century, were similar in consistency to marzipan. Though they were visually impressive, they weren’t particularly tasty. Sugar was mixed with a range of nuts, pastes, and gums to make it more malleable, giving it a slightly clay-like consistency.
- Sugar is made from clean processes
The cleaning process of sulphur-free sugar uses phosphoric acid and phosphate salts instead of sulphur, making it advantageous over conventional methods. Not only is it a safer and healthier option, but it is also eco-friendly and enhances soil fertility.
- Sugar is loved by few animals
Scientists are still trying to figure out why some animals like sweet foods while others don’t. They’ve found that, for example, dogs respond to sweetness while cats and other felines don’t have sweetness receptors in their brains. Researchers have theorized that sweetness receptors may not be necessary for carnivorous animals, or for animals that don’t chew their food, like dolphins and sea lions.
Sugar is one of the oldest and most commonly used seasonings in the world. It has been an essential crop and commodity since ancient times and is still used to flavour foods all around the globe. It is an undeniably important part of modern life and cuisine.
