Fruits
Cherry in Syrup in gelato
Cherry in syrup is whole sweet cherries preserved in a sugar solution, used in gelato as a fruit variegate or inclusion. It brings fruit flavor, color, and a high, glucose/fructose-rich sugar load that boosts anti-freezing power.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 18.3% |
| Water | 81.7% |
| Sugars | 15.8% |
| Fat | 0.2% |
| MSNF | 0% |
| Protein | 0.6% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 18 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 23 |
Typical use: 5-15% as a swirl or inclusion (drained cherries plus a little syrup); lower if the syrup is heavy/amarena-style.
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
Used mainly as a swirl (variegate) or folded-in inclusion rather than dissolved into the base, so it contributes sugars and water locally rather than uniformly. Because cherry sugars are glucose/fructose-rich (from the fruit) plus added sucrose (from the syrup), the product has an above-sucrose anti-freezing coefficient (PAC ~1.45x), which softens the finished gelato and can cause local melting if overdosed. Sweetening power (POD) is close to sucrose (~1.13x). If you blend the syrup into the mix, recount its sugars in the balance; drain first if you only want the fruit. Keep the base slightly firmer to compensate for the soft swirl.
Origin & background
Preserving cherries in sugar syrup is a classic canning technique, and the USDA Standard Reference catalogs several syrup densities (water, light, heavy, extra-heavy pack). In Italy the syrup-cherry tradition is embodied by 'amarena' (sour Marasca cherries in dark syrup), popularized commercially by Fabbri of Bologna in the early 20th century, which cemented the syrup cherry as an iconic gelato and dessert topping.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- https://www.calforlife.com/calories/cherries-sweet-canned-light-syrup-pack-solids-and-liquids
- https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/usda/sweet-cherries-(solids-and-liquids-light-syrup-pack-canned)
- https://happyforks.com/food/cherries/5817
- https://glycemic-index.net/cherries-sweet-canned-pitted-heavy-syrup-pack-solids-and-liquids/
- https://www.nutritionvalue.org/Cherries%2C_raw%2C_sweet_nutritional_value.html