Sugar molecules begin to disintegrate at temperature above 170 degree C (340 degree F). They break up in various ways, and the number of different compounds which can thus be yielded is over a hundred.
Some of them are brown in color and bitter in taste producing the characteristic color and flavour of caramelization.
If heating continued, caramelized sugars break down further into pure black carbon.
The various types of sugar differ noticeably in the extended to which they caramelize. Fructose and sucrose caramelize readily but dextrose(glucose) hardly does so at all.
The pentose sugars whose molecules contain only five carbon atoms instead of sox, caramelize very well.
Since small amounts of these are present in wheat bran and in rye, wholemeal and rye breads tend to color quickly when toasted.
Caramelization can take place both in air and away from it, as at the bottom of a saucepan. The sticky black coating in the bottom of an overhead pan is mostly caramel and carbon.
Caramelized sugar can be used as a brown coloring and is the basis of ‘gravy browning’, which is made from glucose.
An example of pure caramelization is the well-known dessert Crème Caramel. Sugar and water are boiled until the sugar is caramelized and this is then use to line a small mould.
A vanilla flavored custard is poured in and the mould is placed in a bain-marie in the oven.
Caramelization
