Sucrose is the Latin term for sugar. The human organism absorbs sucrose mainly through dietary sugar. However, it is also a substance produced naturally in the body during enzyme degradation or by acid hydrolysis.
What is sucrose?
Sucrose is the Latin term for sugar. The human organism absorbs sucrose mainly through dietary sugar. The human organism absorbs sucrose through dietary sugar contained in food. Sucrose is optically dextrorotatory and belongs to the non-reducing sugars. It also accumulates during the enzymatic degradation of polysaccharides or by acid hydrolase in the stomach. Sucrose is one of the most important foods used for manufacturing and sweetening food. Other synonyms include cane sugar and beet sugar.
Pharmacological action
Sucrose, also known as table sugar, is a disaccharide consisting of two molecules, fructose and glucose. During digestion, sucrose is cleaved by disaccharidases in the intestine, resulting in very rapid absorption of the two molecules. Fructose is called simple sugar and fructose, which is a natural component of fruits and vegetables. The human organism needs a longer time to digest this natural sugar, due to the fiber and other phytoproteins contained in fruits and vegetables. Glucose is colloquially known as dextrose. As a monosaccharide, glucose belongs to the carbohydrates. The white crystals are not as sweet as sucrose and fructose. Human blood contains 0.08 to 0.11 percent glucose. It is an important fuel for the brain. When blood glucose levels are elevated, hyperglycemia is present. Glucose is excreted in the urine and in its extreme form, can lead to a dangerous loss of water and thus to circulatory problems. This danger is especially present in diabetics. The hormone insulin produced by the pancreas counteracts this increase in blood sugar. Household sugar is an important metabolic product that occurs in all chlorophyll-containing plants and serves to transport carbohydrates in the conducting tissues. This sweet-tasting carbohydrate is found in many foods. It is a component of sugar beet (12 to 20%) and sugar cane (12 to 26%), from which it is preferentially extracted. In smaller proportions, this sugar product is found in sugar millet and sweet corn (10 to 18%). Refined products are the pure white sugar, while the brownish cane sugar still contains residues of syrup. It is caramel, a brownish decomposition product of sugar. The difference between these two types of sugar is not relevant for utilization by the human organism. By hydrolase in the stomach by means of acid or enzymes, sucrose is split to D-fructose and D-glucose in a 1:1 ratio. This ratio is called invert sugar. Sucrose is one of the most important foods in the food industry and home cooking, used in the form of table sugar or refined products to sweeten food and beverages. This sugar product has a high sweetening power (sweetness preference). For this reason, sucrose has been replaced by glucose, maltose and lactose in many foods for infants. Infants with fructose intolerance are particularly at risk from foods high in sucrose. This intolerance is inherited autosomal recessively in the form of a metabolic disorder. Affected individuals tolerate household sucrose poorly or not at all. This intolerance is due to an enzyme deficiency in the small intestine. The enzyme responsible for breaking down sucrose and maltose is present but does not work properly because it loses contact with the cell membrane. The sugar products pass into the small intestine and from there into the large intestine. At this point, bacteria convert them to water and carbon dioxide, which can lead to abdominal cramps, malaise, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Medical use and application
Industrialized countries have a particularly high consumption of sugar products. Researchers have now been able to establish a link between sugar consumption and diseases such as dental caries, obesity, heart attacks, and atherosclerosis. Diabetics may consume foods containing sucrose only in small amounts.You can resort to sweeteners and sugar substitutes. Fillers can be used as an alternative to replace the high calorific values created by sucrose. These are substances that increase the volume of foods without significantly increasing their energy values. They dilute the calorific value of the food and are not utilized calorically, although they occupy the intestines and stomach. In higher concentrations, sucrose acts as a preservative by removing water from foods such as baked goods and fruit products.
Risks and side effects
Because almost all foods contain varying amounts of sugar, excessive sugar consumption can quickly become associated with numerous diseases such as obesity (overweight), tooth decay, heart problems, hardening of the arteries, and diabetes. Dental caries is the disease most commonly associated with sugar consumption. Plaque is formed by breakdown products and saliva, which creates an optimal breeding ground for oral bacteria. Sugar breakdown products are converted into organic acids that attack tooth enamel and the dentin underneath. Each new sugar intake increases the plaque and bacteria concentration, which eventually decompose the affected teeth. Obesity (overweight) results from the high concentration of carbohydrates contained in sugar. In the case of excessive sugar intake, the human organism converts the excess into fat, which is stored in the tissues as a reserve substance. A large number of foods contain hidden sugar, which means that the sugar content is not immediately apparent. For example, many consumers do not know that even soups, spreads, meats and sauces contain sugar, although they tend not to associate these savory foods with it. But soft drinks, energy drinks and supposedly healthy fruit juices also contain sugar. Probably the best-known sweet drink is Coca Cola. One liter contains 106 grams of sugar. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that sugar should not account for more than 10 percent of daily energy intake, but this is often exceeded given the variety of sugary foods.
