On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1281

syrup’sviscosityisthatitimpartsathick,
chewytexturetofoods.Andbecauseit
includesglucose,awater-bindingsugarthatis
lesssweetthantablesugar,cornsyruphelps
preventmoisturelossandprolongsthestorage
lifeofvariousfoodswithoutthecloying
sweetnessthathoneyorsucrosesyrup
imparts.Finally,allcornsyrupsaresomewhat
acid,withapHbetween3.5and5.5,soin
bakedgoodstheycanreactwithbakingsoda
toproducecarbondioxideandthuscontribute
toleavening.

Corn syrups. Standard corn syrup is a water
solution of glucose chains of varying lengths
(left).One-and two-unit sugars taste sweet,
whiletaste-freelongerchainsmakethesyrup
viscous. By controlling the relative


populations of different chains, the
manufacturer can tailor the syrup’s balance
of sweetening and thickening powers. Highfructose corn syrup (right)has been treated
with an enzyme to convert a portion of the
single glucose molecules (small hexagons)
into fructose molecules (small pentagons),
whichtastesweeter.
GradesofCornSyrupCornsyrupisan
especiallyversatileingredientinfood
manufacturingbecauseitssweetnessand
viscositycanbevariedsimplybycontrolling

thethoroughnessoftheenzymaticdigestion
ofstarchintosugars.Themostcommon
consumergradeofcornsyrupisabout20%
water,14%glucose,11%maltose,and55%
longerglucosechains.Itisonlymoderately
sweet,andfairlyviscous.Severalothers
gradesareavailabletomanufacturers:
Maltodextrinsaresyrupsthatcontain
lessthan20%glucoseplusmaltose,and
areusedmainlytogiveviscosityand