Product Code Database
Corn syrup is a food syrup that is made from the starch of corn/maize and contains varying amounts of sugars: glucose, maltose and higher , depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to soften Mouthfeel, add volume, prevent crystallization of sugar, and enhance flavor. Most are typically based with corn syrup. It can be processed into high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) by using the enzyme xylose isomerase to convert a large proportion of its glucose into sweeter fructose.
The more general term glucose syrup is often used synonymously with corn syrup, since glucose syrup in the United States is most commonly made from corn starch.Structure of the world starch market, European Commission - Directorate Agricultural and Rural development, Evaluation of the Community Policy for Starch and Starch Products, Final report 2002, Chapter 1, page 3 [1] Technically, glucose syrup is any liquid starch hydrolysis of mono-, di-, and higher- and can be made from any source of starch: wheat, tapioca and potatoes are the most common other sources. Wheat starch, Application, International Starch Institute Denmark Global casave outlook; Guy Henry, Andrew Westby; 2007; page 600
Corn syrup is produced from number 2 yellow dent corn."Dent corn" ( Zea mays var. indentata) is so called because the tops of its kernels are slightly indented. See Merriam-Webster dictionary. When wet-milling, about 2.3 litres of corn are required to yield an average of 947g of starch, to produce 1 kg of glucose syrup. A bushel (25 kg) of corn will yield an average of 31.5 pounds (14.3 kg) of starch, which in turn will yield about 33.3 pounds (15.1 kg) of syrup. Thus, it takes about 2,300 litres of corn to produce a tonne of glucose syrup, or 60 bushels (1524 kg) of corn to produce one short ton.Trends in U.S. production and use of glucose syrup and dextrose, 1965-1990, and prospects for the future - U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service report [8]
The viscosity and sweetness of the syrup depends on the extent to which the hydrolysis reaction has been carried out. To distinguish different grades of syrup, they are rated according to their dextrose equivalent (DE). Most commercially available corn syrups are approximately 1/3 glucose by weight.
Two common commercial corn syrup products are light and dark corn syrup.
In the United States, tariff-rate quotas for cane sugar imports raise sugar prices; hence, domestically produced corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup are less costly alternatives that are often used in American-made processed and mass-produced foods, candies, soft drinks, and fruit drinks.
Glucose syrup was the primary corn sweetener in the United States prior to the expanded use of high fructose corn syrup production in 1964. HFCS is a variant in which other enzymes are used to convert some of the glucose into fructose. The resulting syrup is sweeter and more soluble.
If mixed with sugar, water, and cream of tartar, corn syrup can be used to make sugar glass.
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