My question is simple, but I am confused. Table sugar or sucrose is well known for taste and its application in food, but being a good preservative up to a limit, its being named as adulterant. The question arises due to mixing it into milk and thus making density more and milk loses its quality. The rise in carbohydrate doesn't mean that the lactose level will be increase cause its have different monomers but only one monomer that is similar is the glucose. Thus the lactose being a reducing sugar ,the chain increase with different monomers with fructose.Thus , the adulteration hampers the quality of the milk. Now ,if we see no.1 a raw milk without added sugar and no.2 a raw milk being added and mixed (a small amount), the no.2 will last long then no.1, for a while and then if we add more water (also an adulteration part) in no.2 milk, and thus the density will be lower down. However if an adulterer do at first concept that to increase the density as per transportation area ,so at first he will do, and also the method will preserve the milk for a longer duration, and then comes the addition of water or else that will be worthless for that adulterer to mix the table sugar into the milk. Now sugar as preservative increase the shelf life upto a period depending upon its reaction with food and the quantity being used in that food.(In few cases, some adulterer uses the sweet condensed milk with a small quantity of raw milk and with the mixing high amount of water). So, for those who are buying ,its definitely an act of adulteration but for those who are playing with the customers ,its a preservation method as well as adulteration. So ,thus can we say that sugar is playing both the roles of adulterant as well as preservative?
I think you have indirectly answered your question; it is purely a viewpoint thing between the seller and the buyer. To the buyer it is an adulterant; to the seller it is a preservative.
John, Adulteration (foods ) also refers to product misrepresentation - either by addition or removal of an undeclared component usually practiced to gain (financial) advantage. Forms of adulteration include addition of less valuable components or removing more valuable component; some forms of (meat) contamination are also considered adulteration e.g. trading spoiled foods. Public health consequences of excessive sugar include, diabetics, calorie control - so called dieting, not to mention teeth decay. There are discussions on whether too much excess sugar in children's foods and fruit juices could habituates them to a life-long loving of sweet foods with possible adverse effects on food choice. I hasten to add that this is not "adulteration" per se, where amounts added are accurately declared. I have heard use of the phrase "hidden" sugar - but this could largely be a matter of perception, e.g. amounts are sugar are described/ labelled as "flavour" . So the issue with sucrose adulteration (of foods) is not so much of its "functionality" but whether addition is declared (e.g. on the product label). Sugars may be described as preservatives, flavouring, water binders etc. Great Question.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Analytical Chemistry
- Extraction