Maltose Syrups
Maltose (also called: malt sugar, di-glucose) is a di-saccharide with the molecular formula C12H22O11.
Maltose is the second member of an important biochemical series of glucose chains. The addition of another glucose unit yields malto-triose, and a four-glucose chain is malto-tetrose, etc. Further additions will produce dextrins, also called maltodextrins, and eventually starch.
The maltose syrups are produced similar to glucose syrups by enzymatic saccharification of liquefied starch. Maltose syrups are classified as high maltose, extra-high maltose or high conversion syrups.
High Maltose Syrup
This is a syrup with a DE of 48-52 and typically contains less than 5% w/w glucose and 48-52% w/w maltose.
Extra High Maltose Syrup
This syrup, with a DE of 50-60 also contains less than 5% w/w glucose and 70-85% w/w maltose.
Both High Maltose Syrup and Extra High Maltose Syrups are produced from starch liquefacts of DE 5-10.
High Conversion Maltose Syrup
Is produced from 38-42 starch hydrolysate (glucose syrup) and saccharified with amylase and glycol-amylase to a 62-63 DE syrup. The product typically contains 30-35% w/w glucose, 30-45% w/w maltose, and 8-13% w/w malto-triose. Altering the initial ratio of maltose-producing enzyme to gluco-amylase changes the concentration of glucose, maltose and malto-triose in the high conversion syrup.
Applications
High & Extra High Maltose Syrup
These syrups are often used for replacement of malt in the brewery industry. Normally, only a part of the malt is replaced by maltose syrup. The reason is that maltose syrup usually is cheaper than malt.
High maltose syrups also finds applications in bakery and canned food industries, in soft drinks and in soft candy whenever the malty sweetness of maltose is desired.
High Conversion Maltose Syrup
This syrup is basically a maltose syrup which has been adjusted to give certain taste and sweetness. This syrup has widely found use in a variety of soft drinks, in candies and in the canned food industry.
The taste and sweetness of the syrup can be adjusted over a wide range and can therefore be taylored for many sweetening purposes.
Besides the spectra of sweetness, maltose syrups also possesses special hygroscopicity.