Sugars & Sweeteners
Inverted Sugar in gelato
Inverted sugar is a liquid syrup of roughly equal glucose and fructose produced by hydrolysing sucrose. In gelato it is a high-PAC, high-POD sweetener used in small doses to boost softness, scoopability, and moisture retention.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 70% |
| Water | 30% |
| Sugars | 70% |
| Fat | 0% |
| MSNF | 0% |
| Protein | 0% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 91 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 133 |
Typical use: About 2-6% of the total mix, replacing roughly 10-25% of the sucrose.
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
Because its monosaccharides depress the freezing point far more than sucrose, inverted sugar has a PAC near 190 on a dry-solids basis (about 133 as a 70%-solids liquid), so a small amount lowers the serving temperature and keeps gelato soft and scoopable straight from the freezer. Its POD of about 130 dry (roughly 91 per 100 g of syrup) also raises sweetness, so it is dosed sparingly and balanced against sucrose to avoid a cloying, wet, or gummy body. It is most useful in low-fat and sorbet bases, and in flavours prone to over-hardening. Typical practice is to replace only 10-25% of the sucrose so total PAC and sweetness stay in range.
Origin & background
Inverted sugar takes its name from the optical inversion that occurs when sucrose is hydrolysed: the dextrorotatory sucrose splits into glucose and fructose, and the resulting mixture rotates polarised light in the opposite (levorotatory) direction because fructose is strongly levorotatory. The reaction can be driven by acid or by the enzyme invertase. The classic commercial form, Trimoline, has been used in professional pastry and gelato for over a century.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- https://www.cucina.li/en/inverted-sugar-in-ice-cream/
- https://saporepuro.com/en/products/zucchero-invertito-dolcificante-naturale-per-pasticceria-e-gelateria/
- https://doi.usp.org/USPNF/USPNF_M4789_03_01.html
- https://indispensables-sosa.com/en/product/liquid-invert-sugar
- https://under-belly.org/sugars-in-ice-cream/