Tag: Sugar Consumption

Alternative Sweeteners- Knowing What is Out There

Although there is really nothing quite dangerous about the ordinary table sugar that you have on your breakfast table, a lot of people are still more than willing to try out alternatives. Sugar substitutes in recent years have started to flood the market.

One of the reason, perhaps, is the fact that people are very much concerned with the caloric content of the sugar that they consume everyday.

Some people like diabetics are asked to cut down on their sugar consumption for medical reasons. Others who are diagnosed as obese are advised by their doctors to start dieting. And because most of these people cannot give up on the sweet things in life, sugar substitutes is one way of following the doctors advice and following the urgings of the appetite.

Alternative sweeteners are now being used not only in beverages but also in different kinds of food. It is now used as ingredients to cooking and baking.

Here are some of the alternative sweeteners in the market. Read on and find out what sweetener fit your needs.

Sucralose, which being manufactured under the name Splenda is an artificial sugar substitute that comes from sugar itself except that the chemical components are changed. Sucralose is actually 600 times sweeter than ordinary table sugar and is already being used as industrial ingredients to some baked goods, soft drinks, chewing gum and other frozen dairy desserts.

One of the main features of sucralose is the fact that it can retain the composition of sugar even at high temperature. This is the reason why sucralose can be used in baking. It is considered quite safe even if it is artificially made. In fact, it has even been considered safe for pregnant and breasfeeding women.

Neotame, which is being manufactured by the NutraSweet Co. is one sugar substitute that the body can easily metabolized and excreted by the body. This is actually manufactured more for food industries rather than for the consumer market. It is actually being used for products such as soft drinks, yogurt, and chewing gums.

Acesulfame K is another sugar substitute that is being sold in the market today under the product names, Sunett and Sweet One, Sweet and Safe. It is already approved by the FDA as safe. It is derived from acetoacetic acid. It stimulates the secretion of insulin in the body. It is however not metabolized and is excreted by the kidneys.

Production of scotch

The production of Scotch whisky takes time, a lot of time. It is a tedious process that can take years. However when it is done correctly, the product is one worth waiting for.

Barley is placed in deep tanks of water for approximately three days. As the moisture increases it promotes the germination process. After the germination process, the barley is then moved to the malting segment of the distillery where it will go into drums sometimes known as the malting floor.

The entire purpose of the germination process is to convert the starch in the grains into fermentable sugars. This will feed the yeast in the fermentation stage. Turning the barley frequently ensures the temperature will remain consistent. Sheils, another name for a wooden shovel, are used to turn the grains, on a traditional malting floor. The grains will die if the temperature reaches above 22 degrees, and will the stop the entire process as the starch will not be converted to sugar.

The grain is then kilned as to halt the continuation of sugar consumption the kiln will dry up any moister. Generally a kiln is a building standing two stories in height with the top perforated to allow all heat to leave. The lower floor contains peat bricks that are heated. During this process the grain is dried and takes on that peat like reek. The pagoda style roof on a distillery is the most noticeable characteristic. The malt must not be heated above 70 degrees or it will surely be damaged and unusable.

Most of the distilleries in this day and age buy all their malt from a centralized malting company. However there are still a select few that remain traditional and do it all themselves.

The grain is milled into grist and combined with water in mash tubs to be heated to sixty degrees. During the mashing period the water is changed at least four times to remove sediment. The bi-product of this mashing is called wort. The wort must be cooled prior to mixing with yeast in what is called a wash back. This large container is never filled to the top as the wort froths a lot due to carbon dioxide. After two or three days all the yeast is killed by the alcohol. The end product of this cycle is called wash. It contains an alcohol percent of five to 8 percent.

The stills in which the wash is placed are made of copper and are regulated to a certain shape allowing for proper distillation to occur. The still method is usually ran twice yet some companies do three or more.

After all this is complete the brew is then placed in casks made of usually oak, for a period of eight to twelve years minimum.