Invert Sugar.

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Orfy

Orfy

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A few recipes ask for invert sugar. From some of the threads and questions I've seen on here it seems to be a bit of a mystery. I must admit I've ignored it myself and never paid much attention.
I've just been reading one of my 50 year old Wine books and came across a paragraph that clarified it for me. I hope the information is correct.

Basically Sucrose (standard table sugar) is unfermentable by yeast. Enzyemes break it down into glucose and fructose which are fermentable.
Invert sugar is already broken down into fructose and glucose so can be fermented by the yeast.

Now the simple bit, making Invert Sugar.

Take 2lb of sugar to 1 pint of water. Add 1 teaspoon of citric acid and gentle boil for 20 minutes.

Invert sugar....Simple.
 
That's right. (Or at least it's partial convert sugar)

http://www.britishsugar.co.uk/RVE8c65eef1771741df814105fe91a6a687,,.aspx#Invert Range

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_sugar_syrup

At Ragus we manufacture two main types of invert. The most popular is a partially inverted sugar such as golden syrup or refiners syrup, a mixture of 44% sucrose to 56% invert. This type of invert sugar offers high sweetness value of around 20% greater than sucrose. The shelf life of partial inverts is approximately six months, depending on storage and climatic conditions.

Fully inverted sugar contains 95% invert to 5% sucrose. This type of sugar (high in invert) is used in bakery products that require moisture to be retained. As the sugars have been fully broken down into their constituents - sucrose, dextrose and fructose - they can be used in products that require fermentation. Full inverts also offer a higher sweetness value than partial inverts due to the higher solids content, which means they have the maximum preserving effect. The shelf life is approximately two weeks, after which crystallisation can occur. They are microbiologically stable for a minimum of six months, depending on storage and climatic conditions.
Click to expand...
 
Orfy:

Just a little more clarification, the yeast produce the enzyme invertase and secrete it so the sucrose can be hydrolyed into glucose and fructose, absorbed and fermented.

Another note, according to some recent information I have read (Brewing Microbiology, 3rd ed) a wort high is glucose, fructose or sucrose can cause stuck fermentations. The reason is that yeast will perferrably use these sugars over maltose and if they level of these sugars is high, the yeast will exhaust the other nutrients in the wort before they begin fermenting the maltose, resulting a stuck fermentation.

Dr Malt:)
 

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