Non- Exam Assessment 1

Sebastian Cutter
4068
Food Investigation Shows the A sweet airy
Something relative sizes sponge that has
changes because of two or been baked
of something else more values
Task Analysis
To investigate the effects of changing the ratio of sugar in a cake recipe.

Carry out a Becoming A natural

sweetener A set of
research to find different
found in the instructions for
facts
carbohydrate preparing a meal
family

My understanding of the hypothesis is that I will be changing the amount of sugar in a

sponge recipe to see what happens to the end product.

Prior Knowledge
Firstly, I know that sugar is a carbohydrate. This means that it provides energy to the body.
There are however, three types of sugars. Type one is a mono saccharide. These are natural
sugars found in fruits and vegetables. Monosaccharaides have one sugar molecule therefore
they are fast release as they are very easy for the body to digest. Type two is disaccharide.
These are sugars that we use in everyday life for example to sweeten tea or bake cake.
Disaccharides have two sugar molecules however they are also fast release so therefore are
easy to digest. Type three are polysaccharides. They are the sugars in starchy carbohydrates
for example bread and potatoes. Polysaccharides have three sugar molecules and are
therefore slow release because they are hard for the body to digest. Polysaccharides are
best for the body because they give long lasting energy. All sugars provide energy. If you eat
too much sugar then the unused energy is turned into fat causing weight gain and increasing
risks of obesity and heart disease.

Research
Types of Sugar on the Market
When you go out there are many different types of sugar on the shelves. But what are they
and what do they do?
Caster Sugar: a very fine sugar that dissolves easily. Used in baking because it doesn’t alter
the texture like granulated sugar. Can be made by grinding granulated sugar. Can be
brought golden or white. Golden is unrefined giving it a colour.
Granulated Sugar: This is your everyday sugar that is used in tea or over fresh fruit. Coarser
in texture than caster and takes longer to dissolve
Non- Exam Assessment 1
Sebastian Cutter
4068
Food Investigation

Icing Sugar: Sugar ground into a fine powder with an addition of an anti-caking agent e.g.
calcium phosphate or corn flour. It dissolves on contact with water and is used to sweeten
foods that won’t be heated. Used to make icing and dusting on cakes.
Demerara/ raw sugar: dark sugar with an intense flavour. Works well in coffee and topping
cakes.
Light brown soft sugar: has a rich flavour for use in fruitcakes and rich puddings.
Dark brown soft sugar: looks as its name suggests has a rich flavour popular in gingerbread,
pickles and chutneys.
Light and dark muscovado sugar: relatively unrefined. It has a dark treacle like flavour which
is used in sticky gingerbread.
The ingredients
In a plain sponge the ingredients are butter, eggs, sugars and self-raising flour.
Butter: Butter is a saturated fat with a low plasticity meaning it isn’t malleable
straight from the fridge. Make from milk, usually cow however goat’s milk is
also used. Fat is a macronutrient found in animal and plant foods. Fat molecules
are called triglycerides. They are made up from glycerol and three fatty acids.
Fat gives the body energy and insulates the body from the cold. It protects the
bones and organs from physical damage and provides the body with the fat soluble vitamins
(A, D, E, and K). Every gram of fat gives us 9 calories meaning fatty foods are very energy
dense. A deficiency of fat is very rare in the UK however it causes weight loss, feeling cold,
easy bruising and a lack of the fat soluble vitamins. However if you have excess fat it causes
weight gain as it is stored in the adipose tissue cells and obesity. Your liver absorbs fat and
can’t work properly. It can also lead to coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The
recommended daily amount for adults is 35% of food energy.
Eggs: The main nutrient is eggs is protein. Protein is a macronutrient found in plant and
animal foods. It is made up of amino acids. These ‘Building Blocks’ of protein are essential
for growth and repair. 10 of these amino acids are essential meaning the body can’t make
them and must be gained from foods. The body can make 10 also. High biological value
foods contain all the essential amino acids. An example of these are eggs and soya. Low
biological value foods do not contain all the amino acids. An example would be rice and
nuts. However if you eat two or more low biological value foods you gain all the essential
amino acids. This is called protein complementation. Vegans use this because they can’t eat
meat. Protein is needed for growth and repair of the body and gives the body energy.
Children need more protein because they are growing more than adults. A deficiency of
protein causes children to not grow properly, hair loss, poor nail and skin condition,
infections and poor digestion of food. An excess cause’s weight gain as it is stored as fat and
a strain on the liver and kidneys. Eggs also contain fat.
Non- Exam Assessment 1
Sebastian Cutter
4068
Food Investigation

Self-raising flour: Self-Raising flour is a combination of flour and baking powder.

The flour is a carbohydrate. It is a polysaccharide and a starch so therefore gives slow
release energy. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy. It also contains dietary
fibre to help the body get rid of waste. A deficiency of carbohydrates is rare in the UK and
similar countries however you will have a lack of energy, weight loss and severe weakness.
You will also become constipated due to a lack of dietary fibre. An excess leads to weight
gain. Weight gain leads to other illnesses such as obesity. Every day, 50% of your diet should
be carbohydrates. Adults need 30g of fibre per day.
Baking powder is a chemical raising agent. It is made by mixing bicarbonate of soda and
cream of tartar. It produces lots of CO2 when mixed with a liquid. Self-raising flour has been
already prepared with the correct ratio of flour to baking powder. You could use
bicarbonate of soda however this is an alkali and would leave a soapy aftertaste. Strong
flavours like ginger mask this. The cream of tartar , an acid, neutralises this to leave no
aftertaste.
Caster Sugar: Caster sugar is a refined, fine sugar that is a disaccharide. The type of sugar is
sucrose. It comes from sugar cane and sugar beet. Sugar cane is not grown in the UK.
Commonly, it is grown in Brazil, India, China, Australia and Thailand. Sugar Cane it a type of
grass and is a joined stem that grows up to 5 metres in height and 5 centimetres in
diameter. It is a tropical plant and can only be grown in countries near the equator or in
areas with an average temperature of 24oc. It must have a plentiful water and sun supply.
Sugar beet is also a source of sugar. The juice of sugar beet has high levels of sucrose second
only to sugarcane. Sugar beet is accountable for almost all sugar production in the EU and
1/5 of the world’s sugar production. A mature sugar beet can grow to 1-2kg and can contain
8-22 % sucrose. That’s 80-220 grams of sugar per plant. Sugar beet is commonly grown in
the UK, Germany and Eastern France.
Sucrose and other disaccharides should only be 5% of your daily carbohydrate intake. Also
11years old to adults should have no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar per day. Children aged
4-6 should have no more than 4 teaspoons a day and children aged 7-10 should have no
more than 5 teaspoons a day.

Summary of Research
I have learnt that sugar can be made in the UK and sugar beet only makes 1/5 of the world’s
sugar. I have also learnt that different sugars have different functions.