Glucose syrup is another name for corn syrup, which is a mixture of sugar and water. While not quite as sweet as table sugar, glucose syrup nevertheless has applications in cooking, especially in baking. Glucose syrup has several possible substitutes. The best one for you depends on what you're trying to accomplish and why you're looking for a glucose syrup substitute.
Simple Syrup
If you're using glucose syrup in cooking, it's possible to use simple syrup instead. Simple syrup is made by boiling water and slowly adding table sugar until you have produced a very thick mixture of table sugar and water with a syrupy consistency. Typically, you need one part sugar to one part water to make simple syrup. Table sugar is sweeter than glucose because it binds more tightly to the sweetness receptors in the human mouth, explain Dr. Reginald Garrett and Dr. Charles Grisham in their book "Biochemistry." As such, you may only need about 70 percent as much simple syrup as you would for a recipe that calls for glucose syrup.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Some foods, particularly processed foods, use high fructose corn syrup instead of glucose syrup as a sweetening agent. This is because high fructose corn syrup is sweeter than plain glucose syrup, so it isn't necessary to use as much of it. Manufacturers produce high fructose corn syrup by processing the starch in corn with an enzyme that breaks starch down into glucose. They then add another enzyme called invertase, note Dr. Garrett and Dr. Grisham. The invertase converts about half of the glucose into fructose, which is a much sweeter sugar. High fructose corn syrup is approximately as sweet as table sugar, but it's not chemically identical. Some studies show that high fructose corn syrup can contain mercury, as Dr. R. Dufault and colleagues note in a 2009 study published in the journal "Environmental Health."
Non-Nutritive Sweeteners
Non-nutritive sweeteners may also be a substitute for glucose syrup. These sweeteners contain no calories, so they work well for diabetics and dieters. Aspartame and sucralose, which are sold under the brand names Equal and Splenda, respectively, are the two most common non-nutritive sweeteners. You can use Equal instead of glucose syrup in cold foods and in beverages, regardless of whether they're hot or cold. You can't bake with it, however, because it's not stable. Splenda is heat-stable, so it works as a substitute for glucose syrup in baked goods.
References
- "Biochemistry"; Reginald Garrett, Ph.D. and Charles Grisham, Ph.D.; 2007
- "Environmental Health"; Mercury From Chlor-Alkali Plants: Measured Concentrations in Food Product Sugar; R. Dufault et al; February 2009
