cooking Cooking, cookery, or culinary arts is the art, science and craft of using heat to Outline of food preparation, prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric ...

, a syrup (less commonly sirup; from ar, شراب; , beverage, wine and la, sirupus) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a solution of

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but showing little tendency to deposit crystals. Its consistency is similar to that of

molasses Molasses () is a viscous substance resulting from refining sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, method of extraction and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is primarily used to sweeten and flavour foods ...

. The viscosity arises from the multiple

hydrogen bond In chemistry, a hydrogen bond (or H-bond) is a primarily electrostatic force of attraction between a hydrogen (H) atom which is covalently bound to a more electronegative "donor" atom or group (Dn), and another electronegative atom bearing a ...

s between the dissolved sugar, which has many hydroxyl (OH) groups.

Culinary syrup

There are a range of syrups used in food production, including: *

Agave syrup ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some ''Agave'' species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known for i ...

, made from agave stem *

Cane syrup Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking *Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance *White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are b ...

, made from sugar canes * Chocolate syrup *

Corn syrup Corn syrup is a food syrup which is made from the starch of corn (called maize in many countries) and contains varying amounts of sugars: glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to softe ...

* Glucose syrup * Golden syrup, a by-product of refining crystallized

* High fructose corn syrup, widely used in the US *

Maple syrup Maple syrup is a syrup made from the sap of maple trees. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Maple tree ...

Common syrups

A variety of beverages call for sweetening to offset the tartness of some juices used in the drink recipes. Granulated sugar does not dissolve easily in cold drinks or ethyl alcohol. Since the following syrups are liquids, they are easily mixed with other liquids in mixed drinks, making them superior alternatives to granulated sugar.

Simple sugar syrups

Inverted sugar syrup

Inverted sugar syrup, also known as simple syrup, is a basic sugar-and-water syrup. It is used by bartenders as a sweetener to make cocktails, and as a yeast feeding agent in ethanol fermentation. The ratio of sugar to water is 1:1 by volume for normal simple syrup, but can get up to 2:1 for rich simple syrup. For pure sucrose the saturation limit is about 5:1 ( sucrose to water).

Demerara syrup

Combining demerara sugar, a type of natural brown sugar, with water in this process produces demerara syrup. Sugar substitutes such as

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

or agave nectar can also be used to make syrups. Spices can be added to the ingredients during the process, resulting in a spiced simple syrup.

Flavored syrup

Flavored syrups are made by infusing simple syrups with flavoring agents during the cooking process. A wide variety of flavoring agents can be used, often in combination with each other, such as herbs, spices, or aromatics. For instance, ''syrups' aromatics'' is prepared by adding certain quantities of orange flavorings and

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...

water to simple syrup. This type of syrup is commonly used at coffee bars, especially in the United States, to make flavored drinks. Infused simple syrups can be used to create desserts, or add sweetness and depth of flavor to cocktails.

Gomme syrup

Gomme syrup (or gum syrup; is

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

for "gum") is inverted sugar syrup added with gum arabic. Gomme syrup is made with the highest ratio of sugar to water possible, while the gum arabic prevents the sugar from crystallizing and adds a smooth texture. It is an ingredient commonly used in mixed drinks, and as a sweetener for iced coffee in Japan.

Production

Syrups can be made by dissolving sugar in water or by reducing naturally sweet juices such as cane juice,

sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...

juice, or maple sap.

is made from

corn starch Corn starch, maize starch, or cornflour (British English) is the starch derived from corn (maize) grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the kernel. Corn starch is a common food ingredient, often used to thicken sauces or sou ...

using an enzymatic process that converts it to sugars. A must weight-type refractometer is used to determine the sugar content in the solution.

For fermentation

Syrup is used to feed microbiological life. Syrup consists of carbohydrates and water. Cold drinking water (from tap water (even without a faucet aerator), lakes, etc.) can hold more dissolved oxygen than warm water. '' Saccharomyces cerevisiae'', is an important yeast in ethanol fermentation and winemaking. ''S. cerevisiae'' is able to grow both in the presence and absence of oxygen, but the fermentation rate increases during the stationary phase in the presence of oxygen. Examples of hydrolyzed sugars with high water ratio used in fermentation: * Inverted sugar syrup ** Fermented water ** Kombucha is produced by fermenting sugared tea using a ''

symbiotic Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasit ...

culture of bacteria and yeast'' ( SCOBY). ** Winemaking kits: Cheap winemaking kits usually instruct that the grape juice should be diluted

sucrose Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits. It is produced naturally in plants and is the main constituent of white sugar. It has the molecular formula . For human consumption, sucrose is extracted and refined ...

(bought separately) should be dissolved in water. However, concentrated syrups contain little water and thus have little impact in terms of oxygen. For example, glucose syrup containing over 90% glucose is used in industrial fermentation.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Drink mixers Sugar substitutes Demulcents Dosage forms Polymers Condiments