Sugar is one form of carbohydrate in our diets. Since carbohydrates affect blood glucose levels more than any other nutrient, this fact sheet offers lower carbohydrate recipes that can be helpful for both individuals with diabetes and those who are simply wanting a lower carbohydrate diet. Many foods contain starches and natural sugars which contribute to the total carbohydrate content of the product.
Individuals with diabetes must consider the total carbohydrate content per serving, especially if they are on a carbohydrate counting meal plan. Granulated table sugar sucrose is the most frequently used sweetener in canning and freezing. Sugar helps preserve the color, texture and flavor of the food.
The sugar in jams and jellies helps the gel to form, and increases the flavor. When large amounts of sugar are used in a recipe, the sugar also acts as a preservative by inhibiting microbial activity; thus, recipes should not be modified or adapted. While honey, corn syrup and brown sugar can be used as substitutes for granulated sugar, these alternatives do not reduce the calorie or total carbohydrate content.
Some low-sugar foods can be easily and safely preserved at home; however, the color, texture and flavor of these foods may be different than expected and may be less acceptable. Fruit can be safely canned without sugar for the diabetic or reduced-calorie, reduced-carbohydrate meal plan. Added sugar does not act as a preservative in canned fruit.
However, fruit canned without added sugar can be somewhat softer than a similar product packed in sugar syrup. Flavor changes and loss of color may also occur in fruit preserved without added sugar. The fruit still contains natural sugars that must be considered in the reduced-carbohydrate meal plan.
To can fruit without added sugar, try some of the following options:. Non-nutritive sweeteners such as saccharin, aspartame or sucralose should be added just before serving home canned fruit. Sucralose also can be added to canning liquids before canning fruits.
Bitterness and off-flavors may develop when saccharin is used in canning. The sweetness of aspartame decreases when heated. Heat the fruit to simmering to degrees Fahrenheit over low heat.
For example, a fruit canned in a light syrup might not last as long as one canned with a heavy syrup. The same goes for those canned using alternative sweeteners. Whole fruits with tough skins, such as Kieffer pears and kumquats, are impermeable to the sugar syrup unless precooked or unless the skins are pierced. For a dry sugar pack, the fruit is gently mixed with sugar, in a given proportion, so that each piece is coated. The choice of dry or syrup pack generally depends on the use to which the frozen fruit is to be put.
Most disease-causing bacteria do not grow below 0. Yet other microorganisms grow quite well under even more highly osmotic, low a w conditions.
For example, halophiles are an entire class of "salt-loving" bacteria that actually require a significant level of salt to grow and are capable of spoiling salt-cured foods. These include members of the genera Halobacillus and Halococcus. Food products that are concentrated sugar solutions, such as concentrated fruit juices, can be spoiled by sugar-loving yeasts such as species of Zygosaccharomyces.
Nevertheless, use of salt and sugar curing to prevent microbial growth is an ancient technique that remains important today for the preservation of foods. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Due to the health effects of sugar you may consider reducing the amount of sugar used in home food preservation but remember that any reduction in the sugar concentration of a product can make a food more susceptible to microorganisms.
In addition, while the use of an artificial sweetener to replace sugar can help retain the taste of a product, artificial sweeteners do not have the same preservative action of sugar, this is why sugar free jams and marmalade must also be refrigerated to aid their preservation. Call us on We have a friendly team of staff and enrolment advisors who can answer questions. Or email us info acsedu. More from ACS. Starting a Small Business. Food Preserving. Self Sufficiency II.
Food Preparation. Food and Beverage Management.
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