Sweeteners from Starch Production, Properties and Uses

Sweeteners from Starch Production, Properties and Uses 

Commercial production of sugar in the Indus valley was reported during Alexander the Great s invasion in the period around 325 bce, but cane sugar did not reach Europe 

Starch Chemistry and Technology, Third Edition ISBN 978-0-12-746275-2 

In order to discuss the changes that have happened in the industry and the forces driving them, it is necessary to first define the types of sweeteners covered. 

Maltodextrins are the dried products or purified aqueous solutions of saccharides obtained from edible starch having a dextrose equivalency of less than 20. Outside the US, the products may be known as dextrins only the US has an official definition of maltodextrins. 

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Hobbs L. Sweeteners from starch production, properties and uses, starch chemistry and technology. 3rd ed. Amsterdam Elsevier 2009. [Chapter 21] p. 797—832. 

Recently, much attention has been given to the production of liquid sweeteners as an alternative to cane sugar using inexpensive starch-containing natural materials as the primary feed stock. This situation exists in the United States as this country is not self sufficient in the production of cane, but must rely heavily on importation mainly from South America and the Caribbean. The main source of sta rch in the United States comes from corn (Zea mays) and the liquid sweetener commercially produced from this material is called high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The current method of production of HFCS is via wet milling which exploits the physical properties of the whole corn constituents (oil, starch, gluten, and fiber) for their separation coupled with enzymatic hydrolysis of the starch fraction to monosaccharides. 

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