Sucrose is a delicious crystalline dextrorotatory disaccharide sugar that occurs naturally in varied proportions in plants such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Sugarcane and sugar beets also serve as sources for its production. It is one of the most frequently occurring disaccharides in nature.
USES:
- Sucrose is utilized in many different kinds of pharmaceutical products, including vaccinations, and cough and throat treatments. Sucrose is a sweetener, binder, carrier, and bulking ingredient used in tablets and oral liquids.
- Sucrose acts as a stabilization agent by forming hydrogen bonds with proteins, creating a protective environment that shields them from external stressors. This stabilizing effect helps maintain the native conformation of proteins and antibodies, preserving their functionality over time.
- It also acts as an antioxidant, inhibiting oxidation.
- Sucrose is a chemical carrier for emulsifiers, detergents, and other saccharose derivatives.
- Sucrose can also be used to turn brown in baked goods.
DOSAGE:
Orally administered sucrose is more effective and safe in reducing pain intensity during single tissue damaging procedures in neonates and is commonly recommended in neonates’ pain guidelines. The dosage is recommended based on the patient's condition.
- If the child is <32, the minimum prescribed dosage is 0.2 ml and should not increase and should not exceed more than 1 ml in a day.
- For children between 32 - 40 days, the dose administered is 0.2 ml, and the dose should not exceed 2.5 ml per day.
- For children between 40 and 44 days, the initial recommended dose is 0.2–1 ml, and the dose should not exceed more than 5 ml per day.
- For infants from 1–18 months postnatal age, the recommended dose is 1–2 ml and should not exceed more than 5 ml per day.
ADVERSE EFFECTS:
It is generally well tolerated. But during the administration, it may be associated with
- Oxygen desaturation
- Choking
- Bradycardia
- Apnoea
OVERDOSE:
Taking an overdose of sucrose can lead to some toxic effects.
- Kidney damage
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Hyperlipidemia
MARKET AVAILABILITY:
In the market, sucrose is available in many food and processed items.
PHARMACEUTICAL USE:
- Sucrose is used to avoid the bitter taste of the medications and also helps in extending the shelf life of medicines.
- It is also used as a cryopreservative and media supplement in cell-based.
- It is mainly used in oral pharmaceutical formulations that act as a bulking agent, binder, and sweetener in tablets, syrups, lozenges, and mouthwash.
- It is used to stabilize monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, peptides, and antibody-drug conjugates and to stabilize lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins in therapeutics.
DERVIATIVE PRODUCTS OF SUCROSE:
- Glucose and fructose: Sucrose is a disaccharide that can be broken into two monosaccharide components glucose and fructose through hydrolysis.
- Black solid rich in carbon: Sucrose can be dehydrated with the help of H2SO4 to produce a black solid rich in carbon.
- Sucralose: It is a trichloro derivative of sucrose which is an artificial sweetener that has a similar taste and appears like sugar.
- Carbon dioxide and water: Sucrose undergoes a combustion reaction to produce carbon dioxide and water.
- Hydrochloric acid, carbon, and water: It reacts with chloric acid, sucrose produces hydrochloric acid, carbon dioxide, and water.
