Brown Sugar Syrup
Brown sugar syrup is a viscous liquid sweetener in which sucrose and invert sugars are carried in solution together with the molasses derived colour and flavour compounds that define the brown sugar character. It is made either by dissolving brown sugar or by cooking a sugar syrup with molasses or cane juice concentrate until the target colour and flavour are reached, and the result is a dark amber to near black liquid at 65 to 80 percent solids.
The sweetening solids are sucrose, glucose and fructose, the last two formed by partial inversion during cooking. The colour and the characteristic caramel, treacle and slightly smoky notes come from the non sugar fraction: melanoidins and caramelisation products, organic acids, minerals and phenolic compounds carried over from the cane. Ash content is therefore noticeably higher than in a refined sugar syrup, and it is one of the parameters that tracks the intensity of the flavour.
The syrup is fully miscible with water and pours readily above about 20 degrees Celsius, thickening sharply when cold. Because the invert fraction is hygroscopic, it holds moisture in a finished product and resists crystallisation better than a pure sucrose syrup, although a syrup at the top of the solids range will form crystals if it is stored cold for long periods. It browns readily on heating, since the invert sugars are reducing sugars and take part in Maillard reaction.
We source bulk Brown Sugar Syrup from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Guangxi. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
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- Function
- Sweetener
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Dark amber to near black viscous liquid, free from sediment |
| Flavour and Odour | Characteristic caramel and molasses, free from burnt or fermented notes |
| Total Soluble Solids | 72.0 ± 1.0 degrees Brix |
| Total Sugars (dry basis) | ≥ 95.0% |
| Invert Sugar | 15.0 to 35.0% |
| Identification | Conforms by HPLC sugar profile and colour |
| Colour (ICUMSA) | As declared for the grade |
| pH (as supplied) | 4.5 to 6.5 |
| Sulphated Ash | ≤ 2.0% |
| Sulphur Dioxide | ≤ 20 mg/kg |
| Water Activity | ≤ 0.85 |
| Lead | ≤ 0.5 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | ≤ 0.5 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | ≤ 1,000 cfu/g |
| Yeast and Mould | ≤ 50 cfu/g |
| Escherichia coli | Negative in 1 g |
| Salmonella | Negative in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
Grades are set principally by colour and by solids. Colour is measured on the ICUMSA scale or against a supplier reference series, running from a light golden syrup through amber to a dark treacle type product, and it moves together with flavour intensity and ash content. Solids are quoted as degrees Brix, commonly at 68, 72 or 78, with the higher figures giving better microbiological stability but a much more viscous product to pump.
Beyond that, the trade distinguishes syrup made from cane, which carries the classic molasses character, from beet derived material, which has a different and generally less favoured flavour profile. Organic certified and unsulphured lines are traded separately, as is a version made with cane juice concentrate rather than molasses for a cleaner label. Invert level is specified where the buyer is relying on it for humectancy, and some grades are stabilised with a permitted preservative for ambient storage in open systems.
Applications
- Bubble tea and brown sugar milk drinks, where the syrup provides both sweetness and the visible dark streaking
- Bakery products such as gingerbread, rye breads and dark biscuits, contributing colour, flavour and moisture retention
- Sauces, marinades and glazes for grilled and roasted meat, where the reducing sugars drive browning
- Ice cream and frozen dessert ripples and sauces
- Breakfast products, pancake and waffle syrups
- Confectionery such as toffee, fudge and caramel, as part of the sugar system
- Baked bean, barbecue and Asian style savoury sauces, balancing salt and acid
- Brewing and distilling, as a fermentable adjunct that carries colour and flavour
- Dairy flavoured milk and yoghurt preparations
- Food service dispensing systems where a pourable sweetener is easier to handle than granulated sugar
Brands Using Brown Sugar Syrup
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Brown Sugar Syrup on the ingredient label.
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Brown Sugar Syrup
Top Brown Sugar Syrup manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States, brown sugar syrup is a food made from sugar and molasses, both of which are common food ingredients used on the basis of common use in food. There is no federal standard of identity for the syrup itself, and labelling is governed by the general food labelling rules, with sugars declared as added sugars in the nutrition panel. Where caramel colour or a preservative is included in the formulation it must be a permitted additive and must be declared. Sulphites, if present above the threshold, require declaration.
In the European Union, the directive on certain sugars intended for human consumption covers sugar syrups in part, defines products such as sugar solution, invert sugar solution and invert sugar syrup and sets their dry matter and invert sugar requirements; a molasses flavoured brown syrup that falls outside those definitions is sold as an ordinary food under a descriptive name. The syrup is a food rather than an additive, so no E number applies to it, although any caramel colour used carries the E 150 series numbers and any preservative must be permitted under the additives regulation. Codex has adopted a standard for sugars which covers sugar solutions and syrups and sets compositional and hygiene provisions, and the general standard for food additives governs anything added.
Manufacturing Process
Two routes are used. The dissolution route takes refined or partly refined brown sugar and dissolves it in hot water in a jacketed vessel to the target Brix, with agitation and a controlled hold to make sure the crystals are fully in solution. The blending and cooking route, which gives more control over colour and flavour, starts from a refined sugar syrup or a cane juice concentrate and adds cane molasses or a caramel component, then cooks the mixture under atmospheric or vacuum conditions.
During cooking a controlled degree of inversion occurs, and where a specified invert level is required an acid such as citric acid, or an invertase enzyme at lower temperature, is dosed to split part of the sucrose into glucose and fructose. The syrup is held at temperature until colour and flavour development reach the target, then adjusted to final Brix by evaporation under vacuum or by dilution. It is filtered through a fine screen or a plate filter to remove any insoluble matter, pasteurised in a plate or scraped surface heat exchanger, and filled hot into drums, totes or tankers. Cooling rate and storage temperature are controlled after filling, since a hot filled high Brix syrup that cools slowly can crystallise at the walls of the container.
