The Sweetest Of Them All

amasake - a thick liquid obtained from the fermentation of sweet brown rice.

beet sugar - sugar (sucrose) from sugar beets.

barley malt - made from sprouted barley.

brown sugar - white sugar with molasses to give a soft texture.

cane sugar - sucrose from sugar cane.

castor or caster sugar - fine crystals of white granulated sugar. Dissolves readily.

concentrated fruit juice - made by heating a fruit juice to a high temperature so that the water content evaporates, leaving behind a sweeter and more concentrated juice. It can be frozen to extend shelf life.

corn syrup, also called high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) - a thick and sweet syrup obtained from processing cornstarch with acids or enzymes.

corn syrup solids - see corn syrup.

corn sweetener - made from the breakdown of cornstarch.

date sugar - sugar from dates.

dextrose, also called corn sugar, grape sugar and starch sugar - the most common form of glucose found in ripe grapes, honey and can be produced from starch.

disaccharide - any sugar containing 2 monosaccharides. Lactose and sucrose are also

fruit sugar - sugar found naturally in fruits.

fructose, also called levulose and fruit sugar - a simple sugar that is the sweetest among natural sugars (e.g. glucose, maltose and sucrose). Found in fruits, honey and saps.

glucose - a simple sugar obtained from plants, honey and grape juice. See dextrose.

glycerol - a sweet liquid synthesized from sugar.

glycol - a thick, colorless sweet liquid made artificially from certain ethylene compounds.

honey - made by bees from flower nectar.

invert sugar - the breakdown of sucrose into an equal mixture of glucose and fructose.

lactose, also called milk sugar - found naturally in milk. It can be hydrolyzed to yield glucose and galactose. The least sweet among other natural sugars.

levulose, also called fruit sugar - a simple sugar found in honey and ripe fruits. See frutose.

malt barley - barley processed into malt. This process produces sugar due to enzymatic reactions.

malt sugar - see maltose.

malt extract - see malt syrup.

malt syrup - made from a filtered, evaporated mash of ground corn and sprouted barley.

maltodextrins - made from corn starch or potato starch with the addition of acids and enzyme to break down the starch molecules. Used commonly in fat-reduced food.

maltose, also called malt sugar - a crystalline sugar formed from starch.

mannitol - a white, sweet crystalline substance found in many plants.

mannose - a monosaccharide (simple sugar) obtained from the oxidation of mannitol.

maple sugar - the boiling of the sap from the maple tree until all the liquid has evaporated. It is about twice as sweet as granulated white sugar.

maple syrup - a thick and syrupy sap from a maple tree that has been boiled until most of the water has evaporated.

molasses - a brownish-black syrup obtained from refining sugar cane and sugar beets.

monosaccharide - a simple sugar (e.g. fructose and sucrose)

nectars - made from fruit juices and pulp.

palm sugar, also called jaggery - obtained from palm trees (e.g. coconut trees) or sugar cane juice.

pentose - a monosaccharide and natural sugar with 5 carbon atoms.

raw sugar - primarily sucrose, it is what is left behind after the refining process of sugar cane.

rock sugar - comes in amber-colored lumps. Gives glaze to sauces and braised dishes. Also added to sweeten barley water and birds’ nest soup.

sorbitol - found naturally in some fruits and seaweeds.

stevia - a white-flowered shrub named Stevia rebaudiana. Its primary sweet component is called stevioside, which is found predominantly in the leaves. Stevia has minimal calories.

sucrose - a crystalline disaccharide of fructose and glucose obtained from sugar cane or sugar beets.

sugar cane - a tall tropical southeast Asian grass.

table sugar - made from sucrose. See sucrose.

turbinado, also called raw sugar - partially refined sugar.

unrefined sugar - see raw sugar.

white sugar - made from refine sugar or beet sugar

xylitol - obtained from fruits, berries. Used as a sweetener in sugar-free foods.

artificial sweeteners - aspartame and saccharin.

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