12 Facts About Sucrose

Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits.

Sucrose is particularly dangerous as a risk factor for tooth decay because Streptococcus mutans bacteria convert it into a sticky, extracellular, dextran-based polysaccharide that allows them to cohere, forming plaque.

Sucrose is the only sugar that bacteria can use to form this sticky polysaccharide.

Sucrose can be dehydrated with sulfuric acid to form a black, carbon-rich solid, as indicated in the following idealized equation:.

Sucrose is formed by plants, algae and cyanobacteria but not by other organisms.

Sucrose is the end product of photosynthesis and is found naturally in many food plants along with the monosaccharide fructose.

Sucrose is a naturally occurring sugar, but with the advent of industrialization, it has been increasingly refined and consumed in all kinds of processed foods.

Sucrose is obtained by extraction of these crops with hot water; concentration of the extract gives syrups, from which solid sucrose can be crystallized.

Sucrose is important to the structure of many foods, including biscuits and cookies, cakes and pies, candy, and ice cream and sorbets.

Sucrose is an easily assimilated macronutrient that provides a quick source of energy, provoking a rapid rise in blood glucose upon ingestion.

Sucrose is the only dietary sugar that can be converted to sticky glucans by extracellular enzymes.

Sucrose is digested rapidly, but has a relatively low glycemic index due to its content of fructose, which has a minimal effect on blood glucose.