Glucose syrup
Glucose syrup is not a solution of a single - pure sugar - it is a mixture of a number of related sugars and some more complex products manufactured by the breakdown of a range of starch products using various types of acids or enzymes.
The choice of base material - method if treatment and conditions for processing - can be varied to develop a wide range of glucose syrups each with significant differences in their properties.
These differences can be used to good effect in the manufacture of sugar confectionery.
Glucose syrup was once known as confectioner's glucose and is still known in some areas as corn syrup. The latter name refers to its manufacture from one type of base ingredient namely corn starch.
A commonly quoted figure for glucose syrup is its "Dextrose Equivalent" (DE). This provides guidance on the behaviour of a particular type of glucose syrup when used in a recipe.
The DE value is derived from information obtained through chemical analysis. A dilute but predetermined concentration of syrup is gradually added to boiling solution of a known weight of a complex copper salt.
The amount of syrup solution needed to breakdown this copper compound can be found and the results used to calculate the "reducing properties" of the constituent sugars in the mixture.
Methods used to calculate the content of reducing sugars in a sample of glucose syrup assume that only dextrose is present whereas this is not the case.
Tables are used to determine the equivalent amount of the specific sugar that is present in solution. The term "Dextrose Equivalent" is quoted to show it is a derived and not an absolute value.
A second point about the "DE" value is that it is quoted on the dry solids content and not on the syrup as received at the factory.
The "Dry" value is used because varying quantities of water are present in the different types of glucose syrups and this variation could distort the conclusions reducing sugars present in a sample.
Approximately one fifth of weight of common grades of glucose syrup is water. The "Dextrose Equivalent" value provides an indication to the likely usefulness of a particular syrup in inhibiting crystallisation or in producing a firm texture or in helping to develop a delicate "bite".
A common - all purpose grade of glucose syrup used in the manufacture of sugar confections is the "regular" grade. This has a "DE" value of between 42 to 45.
Glucose syrup is not a solution of a single - pure sugar - it is a mixture of a number of related sugars and some more complex products manufactured by the breakdown of a range of starch products using various types of acids or enzymes.
The choice of base material - method if treatment and conditions for processing - can be varied to develop a wide range of glucose syrups each with significant differences in their properties.
These differences can be used to good effect in the manufacture of sugar confectionery.
Glucose syrup was once known as confectioner's glucose and is still known in some areas as corn syrup. The latter name refers to its manufacture from one type of base ingredient namely corn starch.
A commonly quoted figure for glucose syrup is its "Dextrose Equivalent" (DE). This provides guidance on the behaviour of a particular type of glucose syrup when used in a recipe.
The DE value is derived from information obtained through chemical analysis. A dilute but predetermined concentration of syrup is gradually added to boiling solution of a known weight of a complex copper salt.
The amount of syrup solution needed to breakdown this copper compound can be found and the results used to calculate the "reducing properties" of the constituent sugars in the mixture.
Methods used to calculate the content of reducing sugars in a sample of glucose syrup assume that only dextrose is present whereas this is not the case.
Tables are used to determine the equivalent amount of the specific sugar that is present in solution. The term "Dextrose Equivalent" is quoted to show it is a derived and not an absolute value.
A second point about the "DE" value is that it is quoted on the dry solids content and not on the syrup as received at the factory.
The "Dry" value is used because varying quantities of water are present in the different types of glucose syrups and this variation could distort the conclusions reducing sugars present in a sample.
Approximately one fifth of weight of common grades of glucose syrup is water. The "Dextrose Equivalent" value provides an indication to the likely usefulness of a particular syrup in inhibiting crystallisation or in producing a firm texture or in helping to develop a delicate "bite".
A common - all purpose grade of glucose syrup used in the manufacture of sugar confections is the "regular" grade. This has a "DE" value of between 42 to 45.