Inverted sugar is one of the most useful and versatile ingredients in artisan ice cream making, especially when working with low-temperature recipes or with a complex sugar component. In this article we explore its technical functions, home production, differences from the commercial product, and how to use it properly in recipes.
How inverted sugar is used in ice cream
Inverted sugar is a mixture of glucose and fructose obtained by hydrolysis of sucrose. Compared with ordinary sugar, it has a slightly higher sweetening power (SP) and a much higher anti-freezing power (AFP) due to the presence of fructose, one of the most effective sugars in keeping ice cream soft at low temperatures.
In ice cream it is used for:
- Increasing the spreadability to -12 °C or colder
- Avoiding crystallization of sugars and water
- Giving a natural shine to variegations and sorbets
- Improving microbiological stability due to low free water content
It can be used as a partial replacement for sucrose, glucose or honey, or in combination with these to modulate the characteristics of the mixture.
How to make inverted sugar at home
Making inverted sugar at home is simple and does not require hard-to-find ingredients. The principle is to catalyze the cleavage of sucrose (disaccharide) into its two monosaccharides: glucose and fructose, via a mild acid and heat.
Basic recipe for homemade inverted sugar (about 750 g):
- 500 g of caster sugar
- 240 g of water
- 1 g citric acid (or 1 teaspoon filtered lemon juice)
- A pinch of baking soda (to neutralize acidity at the end of cooking)
Procedure:
- Bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Add the acid and cook on low heat, covered, for about 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from heat, let cool, add baking soda (it will foam).
- Allow to cool and store in the refrigerator in a clean jar for up to 2 months.
Notes:
- If you have a thermometer, keep the temperature around 110 °C during cooking.
- If you want a more fluid version for variegates, you can increase the water to 260–270 g.
- After adding the baking soda, the inverted sugar will have a more neutral pH and greater stability over time.
What AFP and SP does homemade invert sugar have?
Commercial invert sugar has a very high AFP, usually around 190, and a SP around 170-190, because it is composed of about 50% pure glucose and 50% pure fructose. The homemade one, however, has partial inversion and still contains some residual sucrose, so its values are lower.
On average, homemade invert sugar has:
- AFP: 90-120
- SP: 100-120
These values still make it a good ally for variegations and soft ice creams, but they must be considered in the balance.
Differences with commercial inverted sugar
The most obvious difference lies in technical potency: the commercial one is produced industrially by acid catalysis (hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid) or enzymatically (invertase enzyme).
The process is controlled and results in complete sucrose cleavage, with no residue, resulting in a purer, sweeter, more anti-freezing, and more stable product. Some products (such as Trimoline) are also partially concentrated under vacuum, with a creamy consistency.
Learn all about ice cream at the Gelato Masterclass Experience
During the Gelato Masterclass Experience on May 24-25 in Lugano, we will talk about these very topics and everything you need to know to learn how to make truly balanced artisanal gelato. Not only theory, but also a lot of practice: we will do several experiments together to understand, for example, how neutrals act, what influences spatulability and what effects different types of sugar have.
Example recipe with homemade inverted sugar
Vanilla ice cream (approx. 800 g mixture)
- 480 g of whole milk
- 120 g of cream 35%
- 100 g of caster sugar
- 60 g homemade inverted sugar
- 30 g of low-fat milk powder
- 3.5 g of neutral per cream
- 1 vanilla pod
- 1 g salt
Procedure: Combine the powders and sprinkle in the milk and cream together with the inverted sugar and vanilla seeds. Pasteurize at 85 °C for a couple of minutes and cool rapidly, ripen 8-12 hours and whip. The ice cream will be more scoopable and glossy, with a better balance of sweetness and texture than ice cream made with sucrose alone.
How to adapt other recipes using inverted sugar
There are over 400 balanced recipes in the Gelato Project that are ideal for making scoopable ice cream both at home and professionally (from ice cream parlors to restaurants). If you want to replace some of the sucrose with homemade inverted sugar, you can:
- Replace 10-20% of sucrose while maintaining the solids balance
- Use an ice cream balancer such as BilanciaLi to recalculate AFP/SP and rebalance sugars
Smart sugar substitution can improve the quality and texture of your ice cream, especially in more delicate recipes such as fruit sorbets, variegations, or low-fat milk-based flavors.
Get closer to the world of balancing ice cream for free
For those who want to learn how to balance ice cream from scratch, I have created a free course on balancing: a step-by-step guide to understanding how to combine ingredients, calculate AFP, SP, and solids, and achieve textured, scoopable, and tasty ice cream. It is the ideal starting point for those who want to go beyond ready-made recipes and create their own, using an intuitive and simple ice cream balancer like BilanciaLi.
FAQ – Frequently asked questions about invert sugar
How do you store homemade inverted sugar?
Homemade inverted sugar can be stored for up to 2 months in the refrigerator at +4 °C inside a sterilized, tightly closed glass jar; it is important to always take it with clean, dry spoons, and if it shows crystallization or abnormal odors, it is advisable to discard it, although its low pH and high sugar concentration make it microbiologically quite stable.
Is inverted sugar suitable for those with glycemic problems?
Despite its name, invert sugar has a glycemic content comparable to or higher than sucrose, so it is not suitable for low-glycemic index diets or for people with diabetes. In these cases, it is better to prefer sweeteners such as erythritol or allulose.
Can I use inverted sugar for baked or leavened desserts?
Yes, inverted sugar can also be used in bakery confectionery to increase moisture and extend the shelf life of products. It helps keep cookies, sponge cakes and brioche soft.
Why does homemade inverted sugar have a lower AFP than commercial sugar?
Commercial one is completely inverted, as opposed to homemade, in which chemical inversion (with citric acid or lemon) is never complete. In the homemade inverted sugar, there is always some sucrose left and thus remains a less fructose-rich mixture, hence with lower PAC and POD
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