What is Trimoline? How is It Made?

Trimoline is a sweetener commonly used in treats and beverages thanks to its retaining moisture and smooth texture. Trimoline might have a flashier name, but it’s nutritionally the same as table sugar and other added sweeteners. It is essential to be mindful of the amount of added sugars in your diet, including trimoline/invert sugar. These sweeteners may provide excess calories.

Professional pastry chefs and bakers mostly employ Trimoline, and it’s most often used with sugar (sucrose). It has a lot of advantages and is readily available from pastry supply shops or maybe produced at home.

 

What is Trimoline?

Trimoline (also known as inverted sugar or inverted sugar syrup) combines two simple sugars, glucose and fructose. Trimoline is sweeter than white sugar, with a sweetening power of 125 percent compared to sucrose (ordinary white sugar). Trimoline is a brand name used by one of its manufacturers, and bakers frequently call it to invert sugar.

Trimoline is a flavor enhancer used in confectionery, particularly ganache, jellies, fudge, and taffy. Its capability of reducing crystal formation and improving the mouthfeel of these items is why it’s utilized in the first place. Trimoline is hygroscopic, which means that foodstuffs lose water as they are prepared, extending their shelf life. It inhibits the growth of germs and serves as a preservative by slowing the speed at which bacteria spreads. Trimoline’s humectant effects are strong, and it will keep fillings for chocolates and fudge moist and soft for much longer. Trimoline also helps in the Maillard reaction (caramelization) and contributes to browning.

Trimoline is a chemical that breaks down the connection between glucose and fructose. A solution of half free glucose and half free fructose results from this action. The bonds are then broken through hydrolysis, which breaks molecules down via reactions with water, enzymes, or acids.

To put it simply:

Invert sugar = Free Glucose + Free Fructose (apart)

The name “Trimoline” comes from the fact that polarized light is reflected in a specific way through it. The light is reflected at a particular angle when polarized sunlight shines on sucrose. When it shines on inverted sugar, the light becomes rotated in the opposite direction.

 

How to make Trimoline?

Trimoline is splitting disaccharide sucrose into its two monosaccharides, fructose (also known as levulose) and dextrose (also known as glucose).

The most common way to make Trimoline is by hydrolyzing sucrose (dextrose) and fructose using acid and heat. On the other hand, acid hydrolysis has a poor conversion efficiency and requires a lot of energy.

With a conversion efficiency of almost 100%, the enzymatic action of invertase (immobilized yeast cells) on sucrose can also be used to convert it into glucose with little effort and without the problems associated with acid hydrolysis.

The easiest way to make inverted sugar at home is to combine white sugar, water, and citric acid or cream of tartar.

To make one kilo of trimoline/inverted sugar, you need 1 kg (4 cups + 6 tbsp) extra refined granulated sugar, 480 g (2 cups) water, and 1 g (1/4 tsp) cream of tartar or citric acid.

A thick-bottomed stockpot, a pastry brush, and a good candy thermometer are all you’ll need.

Instructions 

• The strained liquid is added to a non-reactive saucepan and boiled to make the mixture clearer. The pan’s temperature is reduced to medium, and the contents are cooked further without being stirred. Stirring will cause crystals to form, which is undesirable.
• The walls of the saucepan are washed with a pastry brush dipped in water, without the brush ever coming into contact with the mixture, to remove any sugar crystals that may have formed. The water should gently roll down into the ingredients. This water will not have any negative repercussions.
• It is heated to 236F (114C), after which it is removed from the heat, covered, and allowed to cool to room temperature without interruption. Homemade inverted sugar will keep for at least six months if kept in a fridge.

 

Nutrition Facts

Trimoline is a fat-free, sugar-free cooking ingredient that’s been used for decades. It’s safe to use in both home and commercial kitchens. You’ll want to be careful with how much you use (just as you would with table sugar).

Sucrose and invert sugar has several chemical and physical distinctions, but they are nutritionally equivalent.

A teaspoon of sucrose/termoline has 16 calories and 4 grams of sugar. Comparing this to other brands of inverted sugar, you’ll see comparable figures. Here are a few samples of famous names on the market. Per spoon:

• CK Liquid Invert Sugar: 15 calories, 4g sugar
• Florida Crystals Liquid Organic Raw Cane Sugar: 17.5 calories, 4.5g sugar
• Kelly’s Delight Original Liquid Sugar: 12 calories, 4g sugar
• Sugar in The Raw Liquid Cane Syrup: 20 calories, 5g sugar

The syrup’s concentration accounts for the minor variations in each brand’s calorie and sugar content.

 

Benefits of Trimoline

Trimoline is a sugar syrup commonly used in fudge, cream, ganaches, sweets, fondant, cakes, and other items. It’s also utilized to prevent crystallization and produce tiny sugar crystals that give a smooth texture when making fudge, creams, ganache’s, sweets, fondant, cakes, and candies. It’s ideal for items with a lot of water in them, such as ice cream and whipped cream.

Trimoline prevents the cream from crystallizing when heated and adds fragrance and color. This process is also beneficial in Maillard browning, leading to a more visually appealing and flavorful end product.

Invert sugar with fructose improves flavor, particularly in fruity recipes such as sorbet or jam.

Trimoline increases the hygroscopic nature of a product. It functions as a humectant, keeping the finished product from drying out by retaining moisture. This characteristic is also known as improved hygroscopicity. As a result, some bakers use it more frequently than others do.

Trimoline also has preservative properties thanks to its high degree of solubility, which lowers the water activity level and extends the final product’s shelf life.

 

Disadvantage of Trimoline

Trimoline, when used in excess, produces a fudge and other confections with an excessively soft, flexible texture that is undesirable. An overly sweet candy may also be generated as a result of this.

Finally, baked products made with syrup brown at a lower temperature require a shorter baking time than those produced with sucrose. Tromoline is primarily used as a component of recipes that include sucrose as an ingredient.

 

Trimoline is a helpful ingredient in the kitchen, whether commercial or personal. This inverted sugar improves the texture of a variety of baked products, desserts, and confectionery by a wide margin. If you don’t have any trimoline, liquid honey or glucose syrup are acceptable substitutes. In some cases, molasses, brown sugar, and corn syrup are also fine, but be aware that they each have properties that might not function in all situations.