List of Baking Ingredients in Singapore [Names of Sugars/Sweeteners (糖类) and uses]

I first had the idea of doing up this table because I was toying with the idea of going sugar-free (another failed idea) and at the same time doing research into sugar substitutes for my diabetic family members - remember my post on sugar-free chocolate cookies? I realized that knowing about the different types of sugars available in the market helped me in my decision making. I learnt what sugars to use and how it would affect my baking and whether it was beneficial (or not) to my health. So I’m hoping that this table will act as a jumping board for you to understand more about sugars too! 

Did you know that the word “sugar” traces it etymology from the Arabic word “sukkar” which traces its origins to the Sanskrit word “sharkara”? Now I know why Middle Eastern and Indian treats are so sweet ;p

Being one of the five basic tastes, you can be sure that there are many varying degrees of ‘sweetness’ and naturally many different types of sweet things contributing to that sweetness. Science and technology has developed such that not only are we able to derive/extract natural sugars from existing products, we have made ourselves artificial sugars too.

From my list for flours, I'm sure you can tell that I'm a 'list-y' person, but I've done sugars a bit differently, because I haven't done research as to what are the other names for sugars besides those names in mandarin, but I thought it would be more useful if I included a section on how these sugars are derived and how to substitute/use them in cooking/baking. Below is a list of both artificial and natural sugars, with common names as well as comments on each sugar. I have tried to include cooking tips and substitutions where possible.

And the most important takeaway for today is - did you know that besides those rows which are labelled as 'sugar, XX', the other sugars are technically not known as sugars? What do I mean? Well, I mean that if the product has say agave nectar or xylitol - it will be marketed as "sugar-free" or "no sugar added". And ignorant consumers will be fooled into thinking that the product has no sugar at all - which is technically true since that ingredient is not known as 'sugar'. So be aware alright!

For purposes of full disclosure and crediting, I have referred to a number of websites (particularly wiki) for the below information but have painstakingly put all that information together in the table below. 

English name	Other names	Comments (how it is made, how to substitute with white sugar, etc)
Artificial sugars or ‘sweeteners’ (E95X – E96X)
Acesulfame Potassium or K	Sold as Sunett or Sweet One	It is 200 times sweeter than white sugar but has zero calories. It is typically used as a sweetener in protein shakes.
Aspartame	Sold as Equal, NutraSweet, Canderel, 代糖, 阿斯巴甜	Same as above, although it is more prevalent in many food products like diet soft drinks, breath mints, etc.
Neotame	Made by NutraSweet, not sold to consumers	This is between 7000 and 13000 times sweeter than white sugar!!! Seldom used in food products yet because only recently ‘invented’.
Saccharin	Sold as Sweet 10, Sweet ‘N Low	Another non-caloric sweetener, as above.
Sodium cyclamate	Sold Sweet ‘N Low	30-50 times sweeter. Typically used together with saccharin. It is banned in US FDA although sold in other places.
Sucralose	Sold as Splenda, Sukrana	It is 600 times (!) sweeter than white sugar. This is another sweetener safe for diabetics and it also does not promote dental cavities. Did you know that sucralose is manufactured from a factory in Jurong in little Singapore?
Natural sugars
Agave Nectar	Also known as Agave Syrup or Blue Agave Nectar or Amber/dark agave nectar	It is about 1.5 times sweeter than white sugar and is made from the nectar from core of blue agave plant. It consists of fructose and glucose. It is sweeter, but less viscous than honey and is typically used as a vegan alternative to honey. Cooking tip: - Substitute ¾ cup of agave nectar for 1 cup of white sugar. - Reduce temperature by 5-10°C to prevent overbrowning.
Beet sugar		This sugar is obtained from the sugar beet, and accounts for some 20% of the sugar production in the world. This is less popular in Asia since sugar beets are only found in temperate countries, whereas sugar canes are found in our tropical climes.
Brown rice syrup	Also known as rice syrup (if white rice is used), rice bran syrup	Made by cooking rice with spouted barley to break down the starches, straining the liquid and cooking until thickened. It contains glucose, maltose and maltotriose. It has a higher GI than sugar but is about half as sweet, so diabetics beware, this is not something you should take in excess!
Corn syrup, light/dark	Also known as glucose syrup, 玉米糖漿	Food syrup made from the starch of maize.  This is NOT high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is a sweeter compound than plain corn syrup and is made by processing corn syrup further. This is used widely in USA (together with HFCS) because of the corn subsidies there.
Coconut sugar	Also known as shakkar, gula melaka	Made from the sap of the coconut palm flower instead of the tree. Traditionally used in Southeast Asia. Has a low GI and has a higher mineral and amino acid content. Different from palm sugar (see below).
Dark treacle	Black treacle, molasses	Treacle is made from the syrup that remains after sugar is removed in the refining process, ie, a by-product of the sugar making process. You can substitute molasses or blackstrap molasses for treacle, although molasses tend to be more bitter.
Date sugar	-	Made from ground, dehydrated dates. It does not dissolve in liquid and burns easily.
Dried sugar cane juice	Evaporated cane juice or unrefined sugar	Made with the same process as demerara – by extracting juice from sugar cane and evaporating liquid until it crystallizes.
Erythritol	-	Natural sugar alcohol extracted from fruits and fermented with yeast. No calories. Less likely to cuase gastric side effects as compared to other sugar alcohols. About 60% as sweet as white sugar.
Fructose	Fruit sugar, 果糖	Derived from natural sugars of fruits and vegetables. 1.73 times sweeter than white sugar (sucrose).
Golden syrup	金黃糖漿, light treacle, pale treacle, cane syrup	A mixture of invert syrup and sucrose. Other substitutes:  - Combine two parts light corn syrup plus one part molasses - Combine equal parts honey and corn syrup
Glucose	Also known as dextrose, grape sugar, 葡萄糖漿	A simple sugar (monosaccharide) which is the ‘fuel’ of most bio-organisms, including plants.
Honey	蜂蜜糖	Highest sugar content of all the natural sweeteners. Cooking tip: - Substitute ½ cup of honey for 1 cup of white sugar.  - Reduce the liquid in the recipe by ¼ cup and increase baking soda by ¼ tsp.  - Reduce the oven temperature by 5-10°C to prevent overbrowning.
Invert sugar	轉化糖	Created by combining sugar syrup with an acid compound, breaking it down to glucose and fructose.
Isomalt		A sugar alcohol. As with most sugar alcohols, there is a risk of gastric distress when consumed in large quantities because the body treats it as a dietary fibre instead of a simple carbohydrate.
Jaggery	Also known as Gur, Kalkandu, Gula Merah, Rapadura	Made from the sugarcane or date palm tree. It is a concentrated product of cane or date juice without the separation of molasses and crystals. It is widely used in Indian cuisine and has religious significance to Hindus. Ayurvedic treatment, if you subscribe to it, recommends jaggery for throat ailments.
Lactose	Milk sugar	A natural sugar occurring in milk, it is only about 20% as sweet as white sugar (sucrose).
Luo Han Guo	Lakanto, Monk fruit 羅漢果, 罗汉果	Natural sweetener and has low calories. The fruit contains lots of Vitamin C too! Because it is native to China, it’s of no surprise that TCM uses it quite a bit and it is easily available at Traditional Chinese Medical Shops in its dehydrated form.
Malt syrup/ Maltose	barley malt syrup, dark malt syrup, 麥芽糖	Maltose is typically produced by germinating cereals, hence the name “barley malt syrup”. It is typically used in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong as a sweet. Malt can be used to increase the 'sugar' in your breads and it is typically used in breads (and beer of course). PS charsiew gets its gloss from it too! Common substitutes include molasses, rice bran syrup or maple syrup.
Maltitol	Maltitol syrup	A sugar alcohol which is about 75% as sweet as white sugar but with fewer calories. It is typically used as a sweetener for hard candies and chewing gum. Note that excessive consumption will result in diarrhea! Cooking tip: - Substitute 1½ cup of maltitol syrup for 1 cup of white sugar.  - Reduce the liquid in the recipe by ¼ cup or increase flour by  ¼ cup and increase baking soda by ¼ tsp.  - Reduce the oven temperature by 5-10°C to prevent overbrowning.
Mannitol	Manna sugar or mannite	Naturally found in seaweeds and many other plants. Its pleasant taste makes it popular as coating for hard candies, chewable tablets, chewing gums, etc.
Maple syrup	楓糖漿, 楓樹糖漿, 楓糖	A syrup made from the sap of the maple tree, it was first used by the aboriginal people in North America. Maple syrup is a good source of manganese and other minerals. It is graded on color, with Grade A being the lightest in color (and the one that goes superbly on pancakes)! Cooking tip: - Substitute 0.75 cup of maple syrup for 1 cup of white sugar.  - Reduce the liquid in the recipe by 3 tablespoons and increase baking soda by ¼ tsp.
Molasses	Treacle, 黑蔗糖漿, 糖蜜, 甘蔗糖蜜	Dark thick residue left over from making sugar from sugar beets or cane. Sugar beet molasses is typically too bitter for human consumption and is used as a medium for growing yeast. Light molasses are the residue from the first round of boiling whereas dark molasses are residue from the second round of boiling. Molasses are also a traditional ingredient in gingerbread and rye bread. Cooking tip: - Substitute 1½ cup of molasses for 1 cup of white sugar.  - Reduce the liquid in the recipe by ¼ cup and increase baking soda by 1 tsp.  - Reduce the oven temperature by 5-10°C to prevent overbrowning.
Molasses, blackstrap		These are molasses derived from the third boiling of sugar cane syrup. It is high in calcium, magnesium and potassium, as well as iron, making it extremely beneficial for those suffering from iron deficiencies (ahem, menstruating women!).
Non-diastatic malt		It is a dried barley malt syrup, and is used in bread making as a sweetener.
Palm sugar	椰糖, 爪哇紅糖	This is made from the sap of the stems of palms.
Sorbitol syrup	Glucitol, rice sorbitol syrup	This is another sugar alcohol (polyols), but is only about 60% as sweet as white sugar. It is typically used commercially.
Sorghum syrup	Sorghum molasses or sweet sorghum syrup	This is the the product from boiling down sorghum cane juice. Typically used in Southern US.
Sucanat	Short for “sucre de canne naturel”	This is a brand name for whole cane sugar which is made by crushing sugar canes then extracting the juices and heating it to create the sugar granules. It is essentially dehydrated cane juice and is approximately 13% molasses and 87% sugar.
Sugar, black	黑糖, 红糖, 赤糖、紫糖	This is a sugar predominantly popular in Asia, especially Taiwan. It is basically unrefined sugar from the sugar cane. Like molasses, it is very high in iron and other minerals, and is often used to reduce menstrual pains.
Sugar, brown	黃砂糖	Refined white sugar which has some molasses added back to it for flavor and color.
Sugar, castor	細砂糖, 幼砂糖, 幼糖 Caster sugar, superfine sugar	Very fine granulated sugar, fine enough to fit through a sugar ‘caster’.
Sugar, coarse	Sanding sugar, decorating sugar	Coarse sugar is recovered when molasses-rich, sugar syrups high in sucrose are allowed to crystallize. The large crystal size of coarse sugar makes it highly resistant to color change or inversion (natural breakdown to fructose and glucose) at cooking and baking temperatures. These characteristics are important in making fondants, confections and liquors.
Sugar, confectionary	Confectioners’ sugar, Powdered sugar, icing sugar, snow sugar, 糖粉	Mechanically crushed so that no crystals remain. Sometimes mixed with cornstarch or anti-caking agent  to keep it from clumping
Sugar, dark brown	紅糖	Combination of molasses and white sugar
Sugar, demerara	金砂	Similar to muscovado sugar, it has large light brown, irregular grains. The grains are usually larger than those of turbinado sugar. It has a natural molasses flavouring and
Sugar, muscovado (dark or light)	粗糖, 黑砂糖, moist sugar or Barbados sugar	Another type of raw sugar, this is more popular in Asia. It is made up of large brown sugar crystals which are high in mineral content, dried without spinning in a turbine. It is more moist than normal brown sugar and has a strong molasses flavour.
Sugar, rapadura	Panela, panocha	Another type of unrefined whole cane sugar, this is more typical in Latin America and is high in dietary iron.
Sugar, raw cane, unrefined	原蔗糖	Raw sugar is light brown/tan in color and it is the product that you get at the point right after the sugar cane has been processed and refined.
Sugar, refined, white, granulated, table	Saccharose 白砂糖, 砂糖	To many people, this is what sugar is. Small white crystals which are the product from heating, crystallizing and drying (and bleaching) sugar cane.
Sugar, rock	Chinese rock sugar, yellow rock sugar, 冰糖	Clear or white or yellow crystals made by slow cystallisation from a saturated sugar solution.
Sugar, turbinado		Another type of raw sugar, turbinad is medium brown in color and is found in the form of large crystals. Turbinado sugar is made from the crystallisation of heated pressed liquid of sugar canes which is later spun in turbines and centrifuges to speed up the crystallization and drying process. Hence the name turbinado!
Stevia (honey leaf)	蜜葉糖,甜葉菊 Sold as packaged stevia – Sweetleaf, Truvia, Purevia	Calorie free natural sweetener from a leaf. This natural sweetener has long been used in Japan, but has been gaining popularity in USA, Europe, and other parts of Asia. In its original ground version, it is green and can be found in Chinese medical shops in Singapore/Malaysia. If you buy the packaged/refined versions, it is available as white crystals or clear liquid.
Vegetable glycerin	Glycerin, glycerine, glycerol	It is about half as sweet as white sugar, but has more calories than white sugar. It is typically used commercially as a thickener or filler, just see if there’s “E422” in your food label. That’s glycerol.
Xylitol		Low-calorie sugar alcohol from birch trees.
Yacon syrup		Made from the root of the yacon plant, which is indigenous to the Andes mountains. Has low calories and is suitable for diabetics.