Understanding sugar requires a great deal of nuanced information. There is much more to know about sweeteners beyond white, brown or powdered sugar. Students need to understand the many roles it plays in the baking and culinary fields. They also need to know how it affects the nutritional aspect of an application or formula. Teaching both the culinary aspects and the opposing nutritional aspects can be tricky. I have an activity that runs between the culinary and nutrition sides and helps students understand the different types of sweeteners and how they may be interchangeable. 

There are many types of sugars and sweeteners available and I like to start with sugar’s definition and its various forms from cellulose to glucose to lactose to sucrose. Once students understand this part, I break down sweetness into other types, including molasses, honey, brown sugars, corn syrup and artificial sweeteners.   

Even though all sugars and artificial sweeteners provide a level of sweetness, they are not interchangeable and subbing different sweeteners in formulas or applications may affect flavors, undernotes and textures. Like I said, there is a lot to be said about sugars!

I recommend teaching this sugar activity over a few days or lessons or a little at a time. Taste buds can become overwhelmed. You can use the chart found below. (The completed chart makes a great piece for their portfolio too.) If you are doing a tasting in an array, I recommend plain, flavored and salty food and lots of water. You can find many of these sugars and sweeteners at local health food or natural stores. If you are using a different form of sweetener in a baking or international class, I suggest you have students taste it in comparison to standard granulated sugar to guage its sweetness.

A good starting point to begin this lesson is instructing the students to taste a diet vs. regular soda of the same brand and let the conversation begin. Have a sweet day!

Attachments:
Sugar and sweeteners tasting chart
Sugars and sweeteners PowerPoint
Brief ordering guide 

Chef Jennifer M. Denlinger, PhD., CCC, CHEP, is the Culinary Management Program Department Chair at the Poinciana Campus of Valencia College. She is also the vice president of ACF’s Central Florida Chapter. Additionally, Chef Denlinger earned the 2020 Innovation Award, sponsored by CAFÉ and the Idaho Potato Commission, for a creative escape room based on safe food handling procedures. She also earned the 2021 Green Award sponsored by the United Soybean Board and was runner-up in 2021 for the Postsecondary Education of the Year sponsored by Sysco Corporation.