Sugar derived from genetically modified sugarcane

Abstract

Sugar is an ancient food and currently one of the most used ingredients in human nutrition and in the food industry. In tropical regions, sugar is produced mainly from sugarcane, while temperate countries produce sugar preferably from sugar beets. Due to its widespread use, the forthcoming adoption of genetically modified (GM) sugarcane varieties may raise questions about the quality and classification of the sugar produced. Here, we describe the several varieties of sugar and their specific uses and legal classifications. Regardless of whether they are produced from beet or from sugarcane and their final use, sugar consists of highly purified substances composed almost entirely from a disaccharide (sucrose) whose molecules consist of two monosaccharide residues: glucose and fructose. The differences between commercial sugar types are primarily in sucrose content (> 99.00 to 99.80 °Z), moisture content, ICUMSA color, conductivity ashes and reducing sugar. Neither DNA nor proteins can be detected at relevant levels in the different types of sugar. Therefore, sugar from genetically modified sugarcane varieties is virtually identical to sugar produced from conventional sugarcane, and the adoption of GM sugarcane varieties should not cause any change to the current use of sugar in human nutrition and in the food industry.

Assessment of the Regulatory and Institutional Framework for Agricultural Gene Editing via CRISPR-based Technologies in Latin America and the Caribbean

“…In the case of transgenics, there is no detectable difference in ethanol or even in sugar obtained from the conventional and the transgenic plant, since it is not possible to detect the genetically modified protein or the recombinant DNA, as sugar is a highly purified substance constituted by sucrose (Lajolo, Yokoyama and Cheavegatti Gianotto, 2020). Even according to Law 11.105/2005, sugar can be classified as a pure substance and not as a derivative of GMOs and, therefore, the mandatory labeling of the product as transgenic does not apply.…”

Impact of charged ionic species (NaCl and KCl) on the generation of color and volatile aroma compounds during caramelization

“…During heating reaction procedure, a series of non-enzymatic browning reactions called caramelization occurs and the characteristic caramel-like volatile compounds could be generated (Kroh, 1994;Shah et al, 2018;Zhang et al, 2013;Bressani et al, 2021). The reaction starts with heating of carbohydrates and contributes to the formation of both volatile and non-volatile products associated with food flavor and color (Cirlini et al, 2019;Li et al, 2021a;Lajolo et al, 2021). The properties of the final caramel depend on the initial types and concentrations of sugar as well as the preparation conditions such as heating temperature, duration, water content and pH (Brands & van Boekel, 2001).…”

Assessment of Genetic Diversity and Fingerprinting of Sugarcane Varieties Using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) Markers

“…Sugarcane is derived from the Sanskrit word "Sarkara" meaning sugar in the first edition of Species Plantarum [1]. "Sugarcane is a highly efficient crop that converts sunlight into biochemical energy and is the second largest commercial crop after cotton, providing sustainable economic growth and food security in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide" [2,3,4].…”