International Numbering System (INS) for Food Additives: 1103
Food additives Europe numbers: E1103
- Function: Unlike excipients that add color, texture, or stability, invertase is an enzyme. It specifically breaks down sucrose (table sugar) into its simpler sugars, fructose and glucose.
- Natural Occurrence: Invertase is naturally found in many fruits and vegetables, as well as in some yeasts and molds.
- Food Applications: Invertase has several uses in food processing:
- Sweetener conversion: It can convert sucrose into sweeter tasting sugars, enhancing the sweetness of products like honey or fruit fillings.
- Crystallization control: Invertase helps prevent sucrose from crystallizing, leading to smoother textures in candies, fudges, and icings.
- Fermentation: It's used in some fermentation processes to break down sucrose for yeast or bacteria to utilize.
External Links
Invertase