Fruit Syrup Calculator
Target
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity (g) |
|---|---|
| Sucrose | 90.0 |
| Dextrose | 30.0 |
| Fructose | 30.0 |
| Acids | 0.0 |
| Stabilizers/Additives | 2.0 |
| Total Syrup | 192 |
| Volume (mL) | 156 |
| Adjusted Sugar % by Weight | 52.08% |
| Estimated Density | 1.234 |
| Estimated Sweetness by Mass | 0.521 |
| Estimated Sweetness by Volume | 0.643 |
Existing Syrups
| Syrup Type | Sugar % | Density | Sweetness by Mass | Sweetness by Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple (1:1) | 50 | 1.23 | 0.500 | 0.615 |
| Maple/Rich Simple (2:1) | 66.7 | 1.33 | 0.667 | 0.887 |
| 60% Simple (3:2) | 60 | 1.29 | 0.600 | 0.774 |
| Old Soda Fountain (4:3) | 57.1 | 1.27 | 0.571 | 0.725 |
| Honey | 82 | 1.43 | 0.956 | 1.367 |
| Agave Syrup | 68 | 1.49 | 0.978 | 1.457 |
Start with the quantity of juice you are working with. (Use clarified juice for products that will be carbonated.) Next research the average concentration of the 4 major sugars, for the particullar fruit you are working with. For the purposes of this calculator, the resulting properties of glucose and sorbitol are relatively similar. So you can combine those quantities before inputting the value. While I don't vouch for this website in its entirety, this table is a convenient starting point. It's also easy to check the USDA or research the composition of specific fruits, and get similar tables/summaries of research papers.
The relative sugar composition is a parameter to research. The actual overall sugar concentration of the juice you are working with, is ideally something to measure. If you are using a store-bought/commercially available juice, you can reference the nutritional information. For fresh juice, use either a refractometer, or properly calibrated hydrometer. Note that both of these measurements do not account for only the natural sugar content. Other compounds in the juice will affect the density and the Brix reading for a refractometer. Especially with the Brix reading, it is good to essentially "aggressively round down" the value you measure. Doing more so the more natural acids occur for the juice you are working with.
Finally for your target, the sugar concentration you are going for is relatively self-explanatory. Again you may want to target a percent or 2 higher than you think, referencing the final calculated percentage within the calculator. The last 2 inputs are entirely optional. The first lets you include some acids directly into your syrup recipe. The amount indicated is a percentage based on the added sugar. The last input is just a static quantity of material you may want to include in the overall recipe. This can be salt, preservatives, spices or other flavorings etc. Lastly, you can choose to have the recipe only use sucrose/white sugar. Or you can choose Sugar Matching, which will give you sucrose, fructose, and dextrose (glucose) which will provide the same ratio of sugars as the composition of the fruit you inputted.
The final table is a starting point for adapting recipes that use more conventional syrups. You can compare relative sweetness when measuring by either mass or volume. All of the measurement multipliers are formulated to standardize for perceived sweetness, using either measurement technique. Whatever the quantity of a regular syrup is in a recipe, you simply multiply by the Measurement Multiiplier, based on whether you used only sucrose or sugar matching and whether going by mass or volume. The number that results from that multiplication is the measurement that should be used for this fruit syrup ASSUMING you want to maintain the same level of sweetness.