Sucrose (Table Sugar)

What is sucrose

Sucrose is one of many different types of sugar regularly found in foods. It's most often found in larger quantities in processed foods, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Sucrose is widely produced by plants. It is a disaccharide composed of the monosaccharides glucose and fructose.

Sucrose is found in so many food items (including unprocessed and even raw foods) that it can be very challenging to identify how much of a food can be safely consumed and how it might affect planning of other meals.

Further complicating this, when starchy foods are digested or cooked, they can release sucrose and maltose that was not there beforehand.

How much is too much?

Use the Disaccharide Checker to estimate the level and type of sugars in foods commonly consumed in New Zealand.

Synonyms (other names) for sucrose:

Sucrose has many many common names because many foods are so high in sucrose that's basically all they are. Sucrose also goes by these chemical names:
  • saccharose
  • Glc(α1->2β)Fru
  • β-D-fructofuranosyl-(2↔1)-α-D-glucopyranoside
  • β-D-Fruf-(2→1)-α-D-Glcp
  • 1-α-D-Glucopyranosyl-2-β-D-fructofuranoside

Why are sucrose levels of food important?

When the amount of sucrose consumed exceeds the capacity to digest it, symptoms begin to occur. Some people have no capacity to digest sucrose at all, while others retain a reduced capacity.

Replacement enzymes can be consumed in pill or liquid form. These enzymes may be very useful, or problematic. Some people are unable to safely digest the fructose and/or glucose which are generated when taking these enzymes. Further, supplements are expensive, or very expensive especially in some regions. They also may require strict refrigeration.

Sucrase-Isomaltase

Humans make sucrase-isomaltase in the small intestine. It splits in half to make sucrase and isomaltase enzymes which are used to digest carbohydrates.

Enzyme Commission Primary Name for 3.2.1.48 (Sucrase-Isomaltase):

  • sucrose α-glucosidase

Enzyme Commission Synonyms for 3.2.1.48 (Sucrase-Isomaltase)

  • sucrose α-glucohydrolase
  • sucrase
  • sucrase-isomaltase
  • sucrose.α.-glucohydrolase
  • intestinal sucrase
  • sucrase(invertase)

Sucrase

Sucrase is the name of the enzyme which digests sucrose (the sugar). In humans sucrase is released when Sucrase-Isomaltase splits in two during part of the digestive process.

Enzyme Commission Primary Name for 3.2.1.26 (Sucrase):

  • β-fructofuranosidase

Enzyme Commission Synonyms for 3.2.1.26 (Sucrase):

  • invertase
  • saccharase
  • glucosucrase
  • β-h-fructosidase
  • β-fructosidase
  • invertin
  • sucrase
  • maxinvert L 1000
  • fructosylinvertase
  • alkaline invertase
  • acid invertase

Isomaltase

During digestion sucrase-isomaltase splits in half to make sucrase and isomaltase enzymes which are used to digest carbohydrates.

Enzyme Commission Primary Name for (Isomaltase):

Enzyme Commission Synonyms for

  • Isomaltase
  • Palatinase