Dextrose Monohydrate

Where does Dextrose Monohydrate Come From?

Dextrose Monohydrate is a simple sugar generated from the hydrolysis of starch.

Since corn (maize) crops are so abundant in the US, the majority of Dextrose Monohydrate and other sweeteners are typically generated from cornstarch.

To understand how Dextrose Monohydrate is manufactured in bulk, it's useful to understand a little bit about the structure of cornstarch, the substance that it comes from.

An easy way to understand the physical structure is to visualize a chain (starch), which is comprised of individual chain-links (Dextrose).

Significant energy is required to break a long chain into smaller chains and even more is needed to separate the individual links.

The same is true of starch, which is a chain of carbohydrate/sugar molecules. If you break the chain of starch into individual units, each is a d-glucose, or Dextrose molecule.

This process is referred to as hydrolysis ("hydro" for water and "lysis" for splitting or breaking) and can occur in many ways.

How is Dextrose Monohydrate Made?

Industry employs several methods to hydrolyze starch and generate dextrose in bulk.

The most common practices involve treating starch with enzymes called amylases (which are also naturally occurring molecules), or treatment with acid.

These industrial processes mimic those that occur in nature.

In the human body, starch digestion begins in the mouth in the presence of the enzyme amylase (saliva).

As amylase hydrolyzes carbohydrates in the mouth, foods that contain starch (and other sugars) like bread, pasta, potatoes, ice cream and baked goods are broken down into more simple sugars.

As this occurs, the food tastes increasingly sweeter... that's why we like foods containing Dextrose Monohydrate so much.

As digestion continues, the food moves into the stomach, a highly acidic environment. The acid produced by the stomach further hydrolyzes the food into the simplest carbohydrate monomers, one of them being Dextrose (d-glucose).

By using nature as a guide, industry generates large quantities of Dextrose Monohydrate from available natural resources (i.e. corn).

In turn, the nation is supplied with a readily available energy source for consumption that imparts many wonderful qualities, flavors and textures to the foods we love.

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