White sugar. Pure sucrose extracted from sugar cane or beet. It is made up of fructose and glucose. It is the granulated sugar of commerce, crushed more or less finely (fine or extra-fine). It is also found in the form of small cubes or small more or less rectangular blocks.

Brown sugar (brown sugar, brown sugar). Sucrose containing more or less molasses, either as a result of incomplete refining or a specific mixture of white sugar and molasses. The color of the brown sugar can range from golden to dark brown, depending on the richness of pigments in the molasses.

Raw sugar. Unrefined and evaporated sugar cane juice. Occurs as brown, dry crystals. It is generally intended for refining.

Turbinado sugar (turbinado sugar, plantation sugar or plain sugar). Semi-refined cane sugar. This is not raw sugar, but a sugar whose refining process is incomplete, so that the crystals obtained are even more or less colored. Can be sold in bulk or in pieces.

Icing sugar (powdered sugar). White sugar ground into a superfine powder to which a little starch has been added to prevent lumps from forming. It is used in particular for making glazes and sweet pastes.

Coarse crystal sugar (icing sugar). White sugar with large crystals used in baking for decoration.

Sugar with demerara. Very moist granulated sugar generously coated with creamy molasses.

Molasses. Product derived from the refining of cane or beet sugar. Only sugar cane molasses are intended for human consumption. Beet molasses are used for the production of yeasts and the manufacture of citric acid. They can be added to feed for farm animals.

Invert sugars. Liquid sugar in which the sucrose molecule has been fully or partially dissociated into glucose and fructose. Has a sweetening power greater than that of sucrose. Mainly used for the industrial preparation of sweet drinks, confectionery, pastries and canned foods.

Liquid sugar. White crystallized sugar dissolved in water. Used in beverages, jams, candies, ice cream, syrups and soft candies (such as fudge).

Dextrose. It is purified and crystallized glucose obtained by complete hydrolysis of a starch or a starch.

Maltodextrin. It is a soluble compound of maltose and dextrin, a food additive related to dextrose. It is used in particular to thicken dairy products.

Besides sucrose, extracted from cane or beet, there are a host ofnatural sweeteners. The nature of the sugars they contain as well as their sweetening power and their physicochemical properties vary greatly. Some of these sweeteners contain vitamins and minerals, but these are minimal amounts with negligible health impacts. Choosing a sweetener is more a matter of taste and cost.

Honey. Sweet substance produced by bees from the nectar of the flowers they forage. Rich in fructose, its sweetening power is generally greater than that of sucrose. Its flavor, color and viscosity vary depending on the season and the type of flowers that the bees collect.

Agave syrup. It is extracted from the sap present in the heart of agave, a plant that is also used to make tequila (Tequilana agava). Its taste is more neutral than that of honey. Its color varies from golden to dark brown, depending on the degree of purification. This natural sweetener is relatively new to the market. It is usually found in health food stores. His sweetening power is almost one and a half times higher (1,4) than that of white sugar. It contains a high proportion of fructose (60% to 90%).

Maple syrup. Creamy syrup obtained by boiling the sap of sugar maple (Acer) – maple water – up to 112 ° C. Rich in sucrose (glucose and fructose). Its flavor and color vary depending on the year, the place of production or when the maple sap was collected.

Malt syrup. Made from sprouted barley grains, dried, roasted and then ground to give a flour that is immediately fermented. The starch contained in this flour is then transformed into sugars (maltose). Barley malt syrup is a kind of sweet molasses, intended to enrich, flavor and sweeten certain culinary preparations (pastry, whipped milk) and to make beer (by fermentation) or whiskey (by distillation).

Corn syrup. Syrup of thick consistency, prepared from cornstarch. Composed mainly of glucose. Widely used in confectionery, it is also found in beverages, canned fruit, ice cream, baby food, jams and jellies. It is available in all grocery stores. The food industry uses corn syrup high in fructose, in particular in the manufacture of carbonated drinks. High fructose corn syrup generally contains 40% to 55% fructose (more rarely 90%), which gives it a higher sweetening power than regular corn syrup.

Brown rice syrup. Thick syrup obtained from the fermentation of brown rice and whole barley. It has a slight caramel flavor. It contains complex carbohydrates, about half, and simple sugars, or 45% maltose and 3% glucose. These different sugars are not assimilated at the same time. An advantage which industrialists benefit from in the manufacture of energy bars intended for athletes. Brown rice syrup can replace sugar and brown sugar in making homemade desserts.

Fruit concentrates. Syrups obtained by reducing fruit juices, especially grapes: they are rich in fructose.