Golden syrup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Golden syrup is a thick, amber-colored form of inverted sugar syrup, made in the process of refining sugar cane juice into sugar, or by treatment of a sugar solution with acid. It is used in a variety of baking recipes and desserts. It has an appearance and allegedly tastes similar to honey, and is often used as a substitute for people who cannot eat honey and those who choose not to (such as vegans). It can also be used as a substitute for corn syrup.
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[edit] Production
In cane sugar refining, Golden syrup is a combination of byproducts at the crystallization stage, but an equivalent product is made by beet sugar refiners by processing a sugar solution and breaking down the disaccharide sucrose so that some, but not all, is converted into glucose and fructose. This is either done by acid hydrolysis or by adding an enzyme invertase.
Typical chemical reactions are that the disaccharides are split by hydrochloric acid, resulting in a solution which is acidic. This is restored to neutral by the addition of lye, which is sodium hydroxide. The consequence is that syrup made according to these reactions contains salt (sodium chloride).
The glucose and fructose crystallize less readily than sucrose but give equivalent preserving properties to the solution. As a result, golden syrups are less likely to crystallize than a pure sucrose syrup. The high fructose content gives it a sweeter taste than an equivalent solution of white sugar; when substituting golden syrup for white sugar, about 25 percent less golden syrup is needed for the same level of sweetness.
The term invert comes from the method used for measuring sugar syrups. Plane polarised light passed through a sample of pure sugar (sucrose) solution is rotated (optical rotation). As the solution is converted to a mixture of sucrose, fructose and glucose, the amount of rotation is reduced and the light appears inverted compared to light passed through the sugar solution.
[edit] Availability
Golden syrup is widely available in Britain, Germany, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, but harder to find in North America outside of Western Canada.
One of the best known UK brands is Lyle's Golden Syrup, made by Tate & Lyle. The other UK sugar company, British Sugar makes an equivalent product under its Silver Spoon brand.
In South Africa, the most popular brands are Illovo Golden Syrup and the locally produced Lyle's Golden Syrup. In addition to the classic Golden Syrup, several flavored versions are also marketed, notably Maple flavor.
In Australia, CSR Limited produces a popular golden syrup, and Chelsea Golden Syrup has been a household name in New Zealand since the late 19th century.
Rogers Golden Syrup is available in Canada. KING brand syrup, a mixture of corn and invert syrup, is sold in many areas of the United States, often grouped with table syrups like maple syrup. Speciality stores or those with international sections, eg. Wholefoods Market, often stock Tate & Lyle from Britain. "Cane Syrup" produced in Louisiana by Steen's is the real thing but not widely available.
In Germany, golden syrup or Zuckerrübensirup (literally "sugar-beet syrup") is a popular spread, especially in the western part of the country around Cologne. The best known producer is the Grafschafter Krautfabrik which has produced golden syrup for more than 100 years.
[edit] See also
- Molasses (also called treacle)
