Why is Sugar Added For Fermentation?

Gunawan Jusuf
3 min readJan 23, 2023

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All bread and baked goods require yeast, but why is sugar added for fermentation? What is the difference between glucose and dextrose? And how does this affect the rheology of dough?

Adding glycerol to the fermentation inoculum may modify the microorganisms’ profiles and influence the fermentation process. This research investigates the effects of glycerol on microbial communities and aims to explore the potential of glycerol as an inoculum for in vitro fermentation.

In vitro fermentation is a common technique used to characterize fiber-rich ingredients. It has many applications, including feed utilization and biotechnology. A detailed understanding of the characteristics of microbial fermentations in dietary fiber substrates is essential for feed selection.

The inoculum used for in vitro fermentation can be a mineral buffer solution. Enhanced buffer capacity of the medium can improve the stability of pH values during in vitro batch fermentation. Furthermore, the modified medium can also improve the structure and composition of the microbial community.

Glycerol was added to the inoculum to enhance the survival rates of fecal microbial cells during cryopreservation. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of glycerol on the inoculum on the phylum level, the total propionic acid (TPA), short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content, and the Shannon index.

When it comes to the use of sugar for fermentation, you have two options. You can add it to your wort or add it as a sugar substitute. Either way, it will help extend the fermentation process.

Sucrose is a good choice for fermentation. It burns up quickly and is also a natural plant source. As such, it is often used in a wide variety of products. For instance, you can find it in baked goods, as a preservative, and even in processed foods.

Although it can be used to increase the alcohol content in beer, it is not the best option. Instead, a more suitable option is dextrose. In addition, it is a simple sugar that does not require the yeast to convert to a more complex compound.

If you are considering adding some sugar to your next batch of beer, check out the many different types available. Some are pure, while others are made from less fermentable sources.

Sugar in yeast-fermented dough significantly affects the final product’s rheological properties. It dilutes the gluten network and causes a change in the structural and technological characteristics of the bread. This can result in poor-quality defects.

Sugar also affects the dough’s elasticity. Using sorbitol to replace sugar in the dough reduced its hardness, decreased stiffness, and improved stability. At the same time, sorbitol decreased water absorption and stability time.

Glycerol similarly softened the dough. Salt also has an effect. It helps partially reverse the detrimental effect of low pH values on the cohesiveness of the gluten network.

In addition to sugar, the dough was enriched with different yeast metabolites. These yeast metabolites have various mechanisms, and their effects on the rheological properties of the dough are not clearly understood. However, the primary yeast metabolites are all found to have a softening effect on unfermented dough.

Alcohol fermentation is a metabolic process that produces alcoholic beverages. It occurs naturally and is used by industry. Fermentation involves the conversion of sugar to alcohol, as well as other by-products. These include water, ATP (energy molecules), and carbon dioxide.

The fermentation process is carried out by yeast. During the process, yeast cells break down the sugar into ethanol, carbon dioxide, and other by-products. Some of these by-products are toxic to yeast. Yeast cells are tiny, microscopic organisms. They can be found in various environments, including the human gastrointestinal tract.

Yeasts are also found on the skins of fruit. These native yeasts are called ambient yeasts. Besides producing alcohol, they may also influence the flavor of a fermented beverage.

When the ethanol concentration reaches about 18 or 19%, the growth of the yeast cell ceases. This inhibits the growth of the yeast and slows down the fermentation process. However, some particular cultured strains of yeast can tolerate a higher level of alcohol.

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Gunawan Jusuf
Gunawan Jusuf

Written by Gunawan Jusuf

Gunawan Jusuf is the CEO and President of the Sugar Group Companies. He has a proven track record of promoting collaboration among numerous plants and offices.

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