nonsucrose

Nonsucrose is a term used in sugar chemistry to describe all constituents of a sugar product that are not sucrose. In practice this includes water (moisture), inorganic minerals (ash), organic acids, pigments, flavor compounds, and small amounts of other carbohydrates such as glucose and fructose. It also encompasses trace oligosaccharides and other non-sucrose components that accompany the sucrose in raw or refined sugar.

The nonsucrose fraction is typically small in high-purity refined sugar. Most table sugar contains more than 99.5% sucrose, with nonsucrose impurities on the order of a few tenths of a percent or less. Raw or less refined sugars can have higher nonsucrose fractions, often several percent, depending on processing and source material.

Measurement and quality: Sucrose purity is the main specification; nonsucrose amount can be estimated as the difference between total soluble solids (Brix) and the labeled sucrose content. Analyses may report moisture content and ash content separately.

Functional relevance: Non-sucrose components affect physical properties such as hygroscopicity, color, flavor, and crystallization behavior. For example, invert sugars (glucose and fructose) influence sweetness and browning; minerals and moisture affect caking and storage stability.

Terminology and context: Nonsucrose is primarily an industrial or analytical term and is not usually a label on nutrition panels. Its meaning depends on the stage of sugar processing (raw, crystallized, or refined) and the analytical method used.