Sucanat vs. Granulated Sugar
Although Sucanat and granulated sugar both start as sugarcane, the two differ on a molecular level. It all comes down to their levels of sugar molecules: glucose, fructose, and sucrose. Although these molecules all react the same way when combined with water, there are significant differences between them:
- In terms of being attracted to water (hygroscopicity), fructose is the most hygroscopic, glucose is the least hygroscopic, and sucrose falls somewhere in between.
- In terms of flavor, fructose is 1.5 times sweeter than sucrose, while glucose is only 75 percent as sweet as sucrose.
- Also, the length of time that the sweetness is perceived in the mouth is slightly different between molecules. The flavor of fructose dissipates the most quickly, followed by glucose, while sucrose offers the most sustained sweet flavor.
The chart below compares the makeup of granulated sugar to the makeup of Sucanat. You can see that unlike granulated sugar, which is made up entirely of sucrose, Sucanat is made up of sucrose, glucose, fructose, and other molecules. Given the different molecular designs of these sugars, it is no wonder that they react differently when added to a recipe.
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