High maltose corn syrup

>> Monday, July 14, 2008

A friend asked me about high maltose corn syrup the other day and whether it was as bad as HFCS, and I had absolutely no idea what the stuff was. So, I thought I'd educate myself and then do a post on high maltose corn syrup in case any of you dear readers run across it in an ingredient list.

There are lots of different sugars out there, and maltose is but one of them. For example, lactose is a common sugar found in dairy products that is a disaccharide (or two sugars joined together) of glucose and galactose. (People have lactose intolerance when their body is missing or doesn't have enough of the enzyme lactase to process the sugar.) Fructose is a sugar that is found in fruit and honey. Maltose is another commonly found sugar. It's a disaccharide that is composed of two glucose molecules. It also goes by the name "malt sugar" and is the primary sugar in beer. Maltose isn't as sweet as fructose. Fortunately, our bodies have an enzyme (maltase) that easily breaks down maltose into two glucose molecules, and glucose is easy for our bodies to process.

So, high maltose corn syrup (also known as maltodextrin) is a corn syrup that is rich in maltose, just as HFCS contains fructose as its major sugar. High maltose corn syrup is a specially prepared acid-enzyme converted corn syrup. High maltose corn syrup is used to replace sucrose (table sugar) because it can improve flavor, body, and texture while imparting resistance to color formation, moisture absorption, and crystallization in products such as hard candy (http://www.riddhisiddhi.co.in/prod_lg.htm).

So, there you go. The short answer is that high maltose corn syrup is still a processed food, but it is not nearly as heinous as HFCS. It's basically maltose (a couple of nice glucose molecules stuck together) floating around in a glucose syrup. I haven't seen high maltose corn syrup yet, but I have seen maltodextrin.

28 comments:

Rachel July 15, 2008 at 10:58 AM  

What is maltose generally in? I know I have seen maltodextrin in foods, but for the life of me, I cannot think of any.

cathy July 15, 2008 at 6:58 PM  

Rachel - Maltose is used commonly in making beer and, oddly enough, in infant formula (maybe because it's so easily digested). I think that it's also used sometimes in sweets.

I know that I've seen maltodextrin as an ingredient before, too, but I also can't for the life of me think where!

Rachel July 17, 2008 at 8:36 PM  

Interesting about the infant formula.

Jehnie B July 18, 2008 at 6:21 PM  

Thank you! I'll have to go back and see what it was that had the Maltrose Corn Syrup listed. I can't remember now but something in my cupboard.

Anonymous July 21, 2008 at 5:36 AM  

I recently found HMCS in my Nature Valley Trail Mix granola bars.

Anonymous August 31, 2008 at 9:47 AM  

http://www.glutenfreeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=4296&pid=24635&mode=threaded&start=#entry24635

maltose is bad news if you are sensitive
to gluten

good luck with your hfs quest; I've enjoyed your blog.

Unknown September 18, 2008 at 6:39 AM  

Thanks so much for your post! I found High Maltose Corn Syrup in my Fiber One granola bar this morning (along with 1,000 other ingredients I'm not suppose to eat).

Anonymous October 8, 2008 at 11:19 AM  

main ingredient in jolly ranchers.

Anonymous October 19, 2008 at 2:04 PM  

HMCF is in Betty Crocker Chocolate Icing

Anonymous October 24, 2008 at 1:39 PM  

It's in the little granola packets with a McDonalds parfait. Don't eat the granola if you are gluten intolerant - the parfait part is ok.

Anonymous November 28, 2008 at 2:48 AM  

I would think it's the possibility of the oats being cross-contaminated--not the HMCS if it's made from corn--which is the possible bad thing about the granola for McDonald's parfaits.

On the mornings I've no time to make breakfast, I grab a couple of the parfaits on my way to work, where I keep a jar of granola that's safe to eat to top them with instead.

Gigi April 1, 2009 at 6:00 AM  

Natures Valley Trail Mix Bars has HMCS. I am surprised it does not contain HFCS. On the other hand Ritz Whole Wheat crackers has HFCS...which disappoints me greatly so now I need a new cracker. Any suggestions?

Anonymous June 19, 2009 at 1:37 PM  

I had a very bad experience with High Fructose in 2006 at age 38 and cannot eat or drink anything that contains this poison. I've even written to commercials that advertise HFCS and asked that stop glamorizing it as it literally is poison.
I noticed time after time that any time I ate or drank a substance containing HFCS, I would start getting heart palpitations, which later on lead to skipped beats and escalated into SVT - Super Ventricular Tachycardia. I ate pudding one afternoon, within 10 minutes I went into SVT, called an ambulance because, I started getting every sign of a heart attack, the emt's did an EKG which clocked my heart beats at "222" bpm. They had to inject me with something that literally stopped my heart and then injected me again with something to restart my heart.
I was in the cardiac unit for three days. It was the worst thing that ever happened in my entire life.
Sadly, HFCS is in EVERYTHING!! However, I did notice that A LOT of companies are removing HFCS and replacing with Aspartme, which can only be terrible for you too, but my body can handle that.
Also, I asked my dentist why my 5 year olds teeth are rotting out of his mouth when good hygiene is kept up. He said, HFCS is the culprit in milk, etc.. What a horrible man made creation!
I do not bring anything into my home containing HFCS not only because, I can't have it, but I don't wish to poison my family either.
Honestly speaking, keep away from High Fructose Corn Syrup and any of it's branches!

Loadrite K and R Weigh Systems July 2, 2009 at 11:48 AM  

This post is about high MALTOSE corn syrup, not High FRUTOSE corn syrup. It explains the differences and that is why I came upon it. Although I wouldn't consider HFCS "poison" (I believe a person's reaction to it highly depends on their individual make-up and historical intake), I can say at age 40 I have pre-diabetis symptoms and after reasearch have discontinued HFCS intake (I can't believe how many things it's in!!) and some of the symptoms have faded. Now I am reading every label for ingredients and found High Maltose Corn Syrup in a Healthy Choice Fresh Mixer and wanted to find out what differences there were between HFCS and HMCS. Thank you for the original post.

Anonymous November 26, 2009 at 11:04 PM  

I also have severe heart PALPITATIONS whenever I accidentally consume anything with high fructose corn syrup, such as canned fruits. High fructose corn syrup certainly DOES make my heart RACE.

Aspartame (in Hall's SUGAR FREE cough drops) ALSO makes my heart race.

Anonymous November 26, 2009 at 11:05 PM  

I also have severe heart PALPITATIONS whenever I accidentally consume anything with high fructose corn syrup, such as canned fruits. High fructose corn syrup certainly DOES make my heart RACE.

Aspartame (in Hall's SUGAR FREE cough drops) ALSO makes my heart race.

Anonymous November 26, 2009 at 11:05 PM  

I also have severe heart PALPITATIONS whenever I accidentally consume anything with high fructose corn syrup, such as canned fruits. High fructose corn syrup certainly DOES make my heart RACE.

Aspartame (in Hall's SUGAR FREE cough drops) ALSO makes my heart race.

Leslie November 26, 2009 at 11:07 PM  

I also have severe heart PALPITATIONS whenever I accidentally consume anything with high fructose corn syrup, such as canned fruits. High fructose corn syrup certainly DOES make my heart RACE.

Aspartame (in Hall's SUGAR FREE cough drops) ALSO makes my heart race.

Anonymous May 11, 2010 at 1:24 PM  

I just ran across High Maltose Corn Syrup and wanted to know what it was, thus why I read this article.

The explanation was fair enough but as to what it's in? I just found it in a Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix (Mixed Berry) bar.

Unknown July 26, 2010 at 6:31 PM  

I was researching HMCS (I also found it in frosting) to see if my fructose intolerant kids could eat this sweetener. Thanks to your article, I think they should be fine. Just wanted to let you know though for those individuals complaining of heart palpitations or fructose intolerance with the HFCS that fructose is in a little more than fruits and honey. If you are sensitive to fructose, that it is also in veges, artifical sweeteners with a "tol on the end like sorbitol, brown sugar (as it is sweetened with molasses), and much more. We found info on this link by the USDA - http://www.ars.USDA.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=12-35-45-00
Thanks for your Info!!

Wendy

Anonymous April 14, 2011 at 8:30 AM  

Fiber ONE Oats and Chocolate have High Maltose Corn Syrup.

They taste great. I assume they have it due to the highfibercontent

Anonymous May 18, 2011 at 10:12 AM  

Maltose is the primary fermentable sugar, but most is fermented out, so finished beer doesn't contain a high quality. Its also in a ton of other things, its one of the most common dissacharides.

Maltodextrin is NOT maltose. maltodextrin is a more complex chain of glucose molecules.

Anonymous May 18, 2011 at 10:15 AM  

HFCS is a mixture of glucose and fructose. HCCS is a mixture of glucose and maltose. Because maltose is made up of 2 glucose molecules, there is no fructose in HCCS.

mike September 25, 2011 at 11:49 AM  

I recently found HMCS in Alfredo Sauce. I wonder why? When i'm not to lazy to make my own I never use sweetner of any kind...One of those things that make you go huh...

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Mar January 30, 2012 at 12:27 PM  

I also saw HMCS in Nature Valley "100% Natural" Granola Thins Dark chocolate variety. I wanted to know more. I also read that it helps to prevent mold from growing, like a preservative. My husband bought these thinking they were more healthy. I just read 5 kinds of sugar in the ingredients...I'll stick with a piece of organic fruit. :) thanks for the info here

Gwen Nicodemus August 24, 2012 at 9:50 PM  

My family and I are going on a 19-hour train trip to WorldCon. We went to Costco with the intent to buy junk for the train ride.

I banned funny fats (trans, hydrogenated, fractionated, ...) in 2003. I banned HFCS a year ago.

Many things had the HMCS in it. "Quick husband, do a search on HMCS. What is it?" A few minutes later he said it was two glucose molecules joined together.

I got all excited and pronounced "Cool, we can get the Nature Valley bars for the trip. The liver can deal with glucose. But we don't want to buy this stuff normally."

The kids are happy, 'caus the nature valley things have dark chocolate in them.

Unknown March 9, 2015 at 2:14 PM  

I found high maltose corn syrup in my cookies and cream fiber one protein bars, which sent my curiosity here. I stay away from high fructose corn syrup, so when i seen that ingredient, i had to do my research. They are soo delicious, and a good snack in between meals. Im still on the fence about these finds, i might be saying goodbye to these delicious bars.

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