sugars-glucose

This note is part of my Zettelkasten.

Dextrose and glucose syrups are a surprisingly complex topic.

What’s What

dextrose / glucose / grape sugar are names for the same chemical compound
colloquially, dextrose is used for the pure thing, glucose for syrups that are not completely dextrose
glucose / dextrose is produced from starch by hydrolization of the starch molecules
depending on how far the hydrolization process is progressed different products are obtained
starch → maltodextrin → glucose syrup → pure dextrose
funfact: if you put a starchy thing in your mouth, it becomes sweet after a while: this is just that, the starch is broken down into sugars

measured as dextrose equivalent (DE)
the amount of reducing sugars in percent in the dry mass of the syrup
pure dextrose has a DE of 100: it is made entirely from reducing sugars (i.e. dextrose)
maltodextrin has a DE of up to 20, the rest are different grades of glucose syrups
see:
- https://icecreamcalc.com/2023/07/11/glucose-and-dextrose-explained/
- https://www.eis-machen.de/2020/06/der-unterschied-zwischen-traubenzucker-dextrose-glukose-und-trockenglukose-erklaert/

while “syrup” is generally understood to be a viscous liquid, glucose syrups are also available as powder in a dried form
generally, the higher the DE, the more POD and PAC (starch isn’t sweet at all, maltodextrin only slightly, glucose syrup more, dextrose is the sweetest, while still less sweet than sucrose)
although this isn’t a hard rule and not linear: two syrups with the same DE can have different properties depending on their exact composition
DE measures only one thing
it’s quite hard to find hard information on exact composition and properties of glucose syrups on the market
it’s also hard to find glucose syrups with a specific DE
numbers for POD or PAC found for syrup of a specific DE differ wildly around the web
much more than for pure dextrose or other ingredients
that’s why I try to avoid glucose syrups and only use pure dextrose instead: there are more accurate numbers available and it’s easier to find to buy
as glucose syrup mostly just a mixture of dextrose and starch, I should be able to reach the same total sweetnesses and freezing points with just dextrose and sucrose that I would with glucose syrup, dextrose and sucrose