More than a Spoonful of Sugar

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, according to the song in the movie Mary Poppins, but it also provides energy (15 calories per teaspoon) and has many other functions, ranging from satisfying people’s desire for sweetness to helping preserve foods. Sugar (sucrose) is a disaccharide of glucose and fructose that occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables; the highest concentration is in sugar cane and sugar beet. The Codex Alimentarius Commission defines white sugar as purified …