How to Boil Sugar to Give a Higher Brix

If the brix gets too high, add water and simmer the sugar.

Brix is the measurement of sugar solids in a liquid solution and is typically used to determine the sugar content in soft drinks and wine. Brix is measured using a refractometer, which shows the amount of solids when light reflects off the solids in the solution on the refractometer lens. Sugar can be purchased in solid and liquid form. To measure the brix of sugar, it must be in a liquid form, because brix is the measurement of the sugar solids in the liquid. To increase the brix in liquid sugar, the solution must be boiled to allow the liquid to evaporate, resulting in a higher solid-to-liquid ratio.

Things You'll Need

• Dropper
• Refractometer
• Sauce pan

Instructions

1. Place a drop of the liquid sugar onto the lens of the refractometer with a dropper and close the cover. Look into the monocular of the refractometer in a well-lit room to see the level of brix in the sugar. Record this number.

2. Pour the sugar liquid into a sauce pan and place it on a stove over low to medium. When steam begins to rise from the sugar, turn the heat down to low and allow the sugar to simmer for about five minutes. If the sugar starts to turn brown, remove it from the heat.

3. Place a drop of the cooked sugar on the lens of the refractometer using the dropper, and close the cover. Look into the monocular of the refractometer in a well-lit room and record the amount of brix. If you need the brix level to be higher, continue boiling the sugar and testing it until you reach the desired level of brix. The longer you boil the sugar and the thicker the liquid sugar gets, the higher the brix will be.

Tips & Warnings

• If you will be adding the liquid sugar to a carbonated beverage or wine, chill it first to avoid loss of carbonation or spoiling of the wine.

References

• Winemakers Depot: Brix Chart
• Grape Stompers: How To Use A Refractometer in Winemaking