Industrial manufacture of sugar-free chocolates: applicability of alternative sweeteners and carbohydrate polymers as raw materials in product development

Chocolate is dense suspension of solid particles comprising 60-70% sugar and non-fat cocoa solids. Until recently, it was rarely produced as a sugar-free product due to the multi-functional properties of sweetness, bulkiness and textural characteristics that sugar offers to products. Today's consumers are concerned about the high sugar levels, calories and cariogenicity effects in confectionery products, hence increasing popularity of 'light' and 'sugar-free' products. Development of sugar-free chocolates is most challenging since all sugar needs to be replaced. In-depth understanding of the applicability of alternative sweeteners and carbohydrate polymers as ingredients in sugar-free chocolate manufacture would therefore have significant industrial applications

Incentives and disincentives for reducing sugar in manufactured foods: An exploratory supply chain analysis

This policy brief presents the results of a novel food supply chain analysis that identifies insights for governments to consider when designing sugar reduction strategies. It explores the incentives and disincentives to using sugar in manufactured foods throughout the “sugar supply chain” – the actors and activities that take sugar from farm to fork. It draws on the perspectives of entities working inside this sugar supply chain to explore the following key questions: • What are the incentives and disincentives for industry to reduce the amount of sugar in manufactured food and drink products? • At what point along the supply chain do these incentives and disincentives operate? • Are there opportunities to effectively enhance the incentives and/or lessen the disincentives for reducing sugar

A copolymer analysis approach to estimate the neutral sugar distribution of sugar beet pectin using size exclusion chromatography

Partially degraded sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) pectins were characterised in terms of galacturonic acid, neutral sugar and ferulic acids contents. It was shown that the total neutral sugar content is correlated with the ferulic acid content. One pectin (C) was further characterised by size exclusion chromatography coupled to refractive index and UV detectors (SEC-RI-UV). This gave the opportunity to estimate how the ferulic acid and neutral sugar contents changed with hydrodynamic radius. Pectin C was found to be heterogeneous in composition with neutral sugar-rich fractions of both high and low hydrodynamic radii. A neutral sugar-poor fraction was found at intermediate hydrodynamic radii

Cuban Popular Resistance to the 1953 London Sugar Agreement

In 1953, faced with a catastrophic fall in the price of sugar, representatives of the major sugar producing and consuming nations of the world met in London to agree a mechanism for stabilising the international sugar market. Cuba was heavily dependent on the export of sugar and any change in either the price received for the sugar crop, or the amount that could be sold, had a huge effect on the island's economy. Despite having failed to diversify its economy into other areas to any great extent, by the 1950s Cuba had two independent markets for its sugar exports, one provided by the United States quota system and the other being the so-called ‘world market'. However, when the political threat of a reduction in the US quota coincided with a heavy fall in the price on the world market, the Cuban sugar industry faced a crisis. The Cuban government, which had come to power in a military coup in March 1952, had more economic problems to solve than just the falling price of sugar. A report for the World Bank had recommended wage cuts, easier dismissal regulations and mechanisation of industry as part of a package to raise productivity and increase profitability by reducing the share of the national income that went to labour. Cuban workers had a long tradition of militant defence of their wages and conditions, and so any attempt to increase productivity – which would have resulted in increased unemployment and lower standards of living for Cuban workers – required an authoritarian regime capable of overcoming resistance from the trade unions. Given the importance of sugar for the economy, any attempt to generally increase profitability could not succeed unless profits from sugar could be maintained, which in turn was dependent upon arresting the fall in world prices. The method chosen to implement the cut in exports, as required by the London Sugar Agreement, was to cut production by shortening the harvesting period. This served the double objective of reducing the amount of sugar on the world market, while reducing the plantation owners' wage bill because the cane cutters were only paid during the actual harvest. Such an approach, given the militant traditions of the sugar workers, would bring the Batista regime into direct confrontation with the sugar workers and lead to their biggest strike for 20 years. As both the London Sugar Agreement and the sugar workers' strike of 1955 are largely ignored in modern historiography, this paper traces the course of events and argues that, in an economy dominated by an industry that was so dependent on international market conditions, the contradiction between the needs of capital and labour would give the Cuban workers good reason to support the revolution in 1959. Starting from a discussion of the detailed relationship between sugar price fluctuations and the crisis in the Cuban economy, it can be seen how this led to participation in the London Sugar Agreement. The fact that this in turn brought the government and employers into conflict with the sugar workers requires an explanation of Cuban working-class politics and traditions of struggle. Before recounting the details of the 1955 strike, the paper continues with an analysis of the US sugar-quota system and an explanation of the manner in which American domestic politics exacerbated the already grave problems of the Cuban sugar industry. Finally, it argues that the different perceptions of the sugar workers and their employers as to the outcome of the strike led to increased working-class support for the revolutionary forces at the same time as many capitalist interests became disillusioned with the dictatorship

Preparation of Wine from Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus lam)Juice Using Baker yeast: Effect of Yeast and Initial Sugar Concentrations

The overproduction of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam) during harvest season and its short shelf-life have caused serious losses for farmers. Fortunately, high sugar content of the fruit pulp makes the juice a potential substrate for wine production. This work was purposed to investigate the effect of yeast and initial sugar concentrations on jackfruit juice wine fermentation. Clarified jackfruit juice of 14 % w/w sugar concentration was fermented using 0.5 to 2.0 % w/v Baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) under anaerobic condition at 30°C for 14 days. Samples were collected daily for ethanol and sugar contents analysis. The profile of sugar and ethanol concentration as function of fermentation time, showed that higher yeast inoculums rate and initial sugar concentrations inhibited growth of yeasts. The fermentation of original jackfruit juice of 14 % w/w sugar concentration using 0.5% w/v yeast for 9 days was the best to produce a good quality wine with 12.13% v/v of ethanol and specific jackfruit aroma

THE U.S. CANE AND BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY UNDER ALTERNATIVE TRADE LIBERALIZATION POLICY OPTIONS

The objective of this study is to analyze major issues the U.S. sugar industry is facing or will face in the near future and the impacts of alternative trade liberalization policies in the United States and the European Union (EU) on the U.S. sugar industry. Special attention is given to regional competitiveness in sugar production in the United States. A global sugar policy simulation model was used for this study. This study indicates that most sugar producing regions may be able to survive at current costs and asset values if both the United States and the EU liberalize their sugar trade, while sugar subsidies remain in other countries. However, if only the United States eliminates its sugar programs, all U.S. sugar producing regions would be threatened.sugarbeet, sugarcane, loan rates, import liberalization, sugar price, Caribbean sugar price, high fructose corn syrup, International Relations/Trade,

Impacts of Sugar Free Trade Agreements on the U.S. Sugar Industry

We use a multi-region GTAP model to study the implications of a global sugar free trade agreement on the U.S. sugar industry. In general, the sugar net importing countries such as the former Soviet Union, Japan, and the United States would reduce sugar production and increase their net imports from the world market. By contrast, the sugar net exporting countries such as Australia, Brazil, and Thailand would increase their sugar production and increase their net exports. Under a scenario where import tariffs and export subsidies are completely eliminated, U.S. sugar production would decrease by 2.8%. This is in contrast to some of the previous studies, which argued that the U.S. sugar production would increase slightly annually. U.S. import prices would decrease by 21.9% and U.S. domestic sugar prices would decrease slightly by 0.8%. U.S. net imports of sugar of sugar would increase 478.1 million US dollars.International Relations/Trade,