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Invert Sugar

Appears in
Professional Baking
Professional Baking

By Wayne Gisslen

Published 2008

  • About

When a sucrose solution is heated with an acid, some of the sucrose breaks down into equal parts of two simple sugars, dextrose and levulose. A mixture of equal parts of dextrose and levulose is called invert sugar. It is about 30% sweeter than regular sucrose.

Invert sugar has two properties that make it interesting to the baker. First, it holds moisture especially well—that is, it is very hygroscopic—and, therefore, helps keep cakes fresh and moist. Second, it resists crystallization. Thus, it promotes smoothness in candies, icings, and syrups. This is why an acid such as cream of tartar is often added to sugar syrups. The acid inverts some of the sugar when it is boiled, preventing graininess in the candy or icing.

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