Selection of a Sweetener - Assignment Example

Select a sweetener My selection is Sugar (sucrose). Sugar is a carbohydrate organic compound with a sweet taste. The white granules sugar is known as “sucrose”. It comes from sugar cane and sugar beets. 2. Explore the history of the sweetener (when it was developed, its composition) Ancient people from different countries used different sources to find the sweetener. In China people derived it from a grassy plant called “Saccharum”, in Hindustan Peninsula (India) from palm juice, in Canada from maple, in Poland from birch juice. The sugar that we know today came from India. It is believed that Indians some 3000 years ago invented sugar from cane. The Indians collected juice of cane, boiled it until the formation of brown crystalline grains. These grains in Sanskrit were called “sarkara”. The name sugar in different languages came from the original Sanskrit name. Thus, in Arabic – Sukkar, in Turkish – Seker, in Latin – saccharum, in Italian – zucchero, in German – Zucker, in Russian – Skhar, and in English – Sugar. In 327 B.C. the warriors of Alexander the great entered the Indian land. Their attention was attracted to the strange white colored solid material with a sweet taste. Onisikrit, the Greek historian of that time, who accompanied Alexander the great, wrote about the fact that in India; a cane produces honey without bees. Seventh century Arab expansion revealed Indian recipe of sugar production. Arabs brought the sugar cane from India and began to cultivate in Middle East. Arab established sugar production in North America and Spain as their expansion spread. West Europeans came to know about sugar during 11th century Crusade. Later West European trade with the East introduced sugar to the Europeans. Sugar was an extraordinarily expensive product at that time. For example, in 1319 in London, in today’s currency it cost $ 100 for one kilogram. In the 15th century sugarcane made its voyage to the New world, thus becoming one of few plants that came from Europe to America. It is recorded that in 1493, Columbus took sugar cane plants to grow in the Caribbean, and thus established a whole period of sugarcane plantation network. Caribbean islands became a real paradise for Indian sugarcane. Plantation supporting required a lot of workers. This also established export of 900,000 slaves from Africa during 1701 to 1810 just to support plantations in Jamaican and Barbados. Massive sugarcane plantation resulted power struggle among leading world powers of that time to take control of West Indies. In 1674, the Netherlands surrendered New York (at that time was called New Amsterdam) to England in exchange of sugar plant ownership in Suriname. In a 1673, France was ready to leave Canada to the UK in exchange for the return of Guadeloupe. Necessity is the mother of invention, and it dictated to find an alternative of expensive sugarcane “sugar” in Western Europe. Way back in 1575, French botanist Oliver de Serres tried to draw attention to the high sugar content in sugar beet, however, only in 1747, German chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf managed to extract sugar from sugar beets. He presented a report about this discovery to the Berlin Academy of Science. During the life of Marggraf, his discovery did not get the necessary attention. In 1786, Charl Achard, French by birth, one of Marggraf’ student initiated agricultural experimental work of cultivation near Berlin. His goal was to learn how to grow the most sugary beet that could be used for sugar production. In January 1799, Charl Achard presented the first significant sample of sugar beet that weighed about 4 kg to the Prussian king Frederick William III. In his explanatory note to the King, he mentioned that by replacing sugarcane “sugar” by sugar beet “sugar” the country would save a considerable amount of foreign currency and create jobs for the locals. In 1802, with help from the government, Charl Achard, built the first plant in the estate of Kunren of Prussia for the production of sugar from sugar beet. Thus, sugarcane faced its rival sugar beet. By the year of 1913 – 1914, the world production of sugar from sugar beet and sugar cane was almost identical. Sucrose known as table sugar is a carbohydrate. Each molecule of sucrose consists of two “simple sugars” (monosaccharides) molecules. These simple sugars are Glucose and Fructose. Once joined together they form a bond that is called glycosidic bond. The chemical formula for sucrose is C12H22O11. It is highly soluble in water at room temperature. Hydrolysis of sugar (sucrose) solution produces glucose (C6H12O6) and (C6H12O6). One hundred grams of granulated sugar produces energy equivalent to 375 – 400 kcal and contains 99.8 grams of hydrocarbon. Other materials in sucrose are iron, potassium, calcium, and sodium. Sugar is a term used to describe sucrose. Body breaks down sucrose thru a process called glycolysis into simple sugar, for example glucose. Glucose is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and is used for energy. Glucose (blood sugar) in the human organism acts as an energy source. It is the primary energy source for body cells. According to the Glycobiology, glucose plays a structural role with its addition to proteins helping enzyme functions of the body. 3. Discuss safety and the sweetener that you have selected The history of debate over safety of sugar has gone far longer than one can imagine. Mostly sugar is a taken by a human being in processed food. Though, glucose plays  an essential part for the human body cells, but from the nutrition point of view, sugar does not contain any nutrients. Moreover, excess sugar in the body converts into fat. Human body needs hydrocarbon for the function of the brain and muscle. Only brain cells require (David DiSalvo) approximately 10 % of whole body energy. Hydrocarbon is the source of energy that the body needs. Sugar is nothing, but hydrocarbon. Obvious question arises why sugar should be a problem for the human organism. The problem with sugar is that it contains 99 % of simple hydrocarbon. Our body reacts to sugar producing insulin to counteract sugar. Unfortunately, sugar grabs this insulin and body lacks the necessary insulin causing high blood sugar level. This causes diabetes. Recent studies (Sajay CBS) have found that sugar helps cancer cell growth. Is sugar safe? Experts say a moderate intake ( Sugar better health channel) of processed sugar as about 10 % of total energy is appropriate for the body. But excessive consumption of sugar has an adverse effect in our body. The most common is tooth decay. Bacteria in mouth convert sugar in food producing acids, and it attacks tooth enamel. However, tooth decay is the infinitesimal problem that sugar may bring to our body with compare to other problems. According to claim made by Dr. Robert Lusting, sugar is a toxic food and responsible causing heart disease, hypertension, obesity, and type II diabetes. Dr. Lusting is a pediatric hormone disorder specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. Dr. Robert Lustig marked sugar-in all its forms-as nothing, but a poison (Is sugar to blame). According him, sugar taxes the liver, especially once it is used-up in liquid form such as soft drinks (Is sugar to blame). This, in turn, causes a phenomenon called insulin resistance, when body cells ignore the activity of insulin, which is responsible to regulate blood sugar. Researchers describe resistance to insulin becomes a catalyst for obesity, type 2 diabetes and many cancers-at least in the research laboratory rats (is sugar to blame). 4. Examine the relationship between the sweetener that you have selected and obesity. Obesity is considered to be a medical condition of a human being when accumulated fat in the body is in excess than required, and it could adversely affect on health. Obesity among the population in the USA and other countries at present tends to replace under nutrition and infectious disease. Obesity contributes to coronary heart disease, diabetes, certain forms of cancers, and sleep breathing disorder (“Obesity as a medical problem”). Link between high sugar intake and being overweight or obese is an unending debate. The general acceptance is if body cannot burn all the energy derived from carbohydrate; it will then store it as fat. The per gram energy measured in kilojoules from any carbohydrate, be it sugar or bread, rice, pasta, or fruit would be the same. One gram of sugar supplies body 16kJ of energy, when the same one gram of fat supplies 37kJ (Sugar Health channel). Therefore, fats in food supply double the energy for the same amounts of sugar. Never the less, experts blame obesity on sugar. The adverse effects of sugar (Is sugar toxic) on health according to Dr. Robert Lusting are; obesity, diabetes II, hypertension, heart disease. According to Harvard Medical School Study (sugar and obesity: high calorie drinks to blame), Americans consume about 100 pounds of sweeteners per person per year. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the average American per year consumes 156 pounds of added sugar. The Harvard study reports that sweetener consumption has caused overweight among the Americans and mostly among the children. The report suggests (Harvard) that women who drank one or more soft drinks per day will gain weight and are subjected to develop type 2 diabetes. In another study, researchers (experts say its sugar stupid) noted that many people who for many years controlled fat intake still remained fat. They began to notice people replaced fat with that contains sugar, for example cookies. Small amount of consumption (experts say) of sugar provides a large amount refined carbohydrate intake. For example, a tablespoon of sugar contains about 60 calories, and a regular 12-ounce soda contains 3 tablespoons of sugar, that will give 180calories. In an experiment carried for the 10-week period, where 28 percent of calories came from sugar showed an increase in bodyweight and blood pressure. Can sugar be the cause of obesity? Consumption of too much sugar is not the only cause for obesity or being overweight. All food adds up together to the number of kilojoules from each food. Eating a lot of any food, without doing adequate exercise, will cause one to become overweight. One needs to keep in mind that soft drink provides high energy. For example, (sugar better health channel) a 600 ml bottle of soft drink for a 14-year old girl will provide 12 percent of her required daily energy. This implies she would cross the limit of energy intake from processed sugar just with one drink. Studies of children in the USA showed (sugar better health channel) that overweight and obesity was pretty much linked to drinking sweetened soft drinks. Irrespective of all adverse effects that sugar produces in our body, doctors and professional do not propose to remove sugar 100 % off from our daily ration. They recommend limit sugar intake. According to World Health Organization (its sugar stupid) sugar consumption should not be more than 10 percent of daily calories, while the National Academy of Science recommends it to 25 percent. The Center for Disease controls (David DiSalvio) limits consumption of sugar to 440 calories, which amounts to one quarter of a typical daily diet. Read More