Corn sugar is a natural sweetener that is made utilizing starch that is extracted from kernels of corn. The extracted cornstarch is then refined to create a solid sugar or to make another popular sweetening agent known as corn syrup. Both corn syrup and sugar are routinely used in many culinary recipes as well as in the creation of a number of mass produced food products.
The process for making corn sugar begins with the removal of starchy elements from the corn. The extracted elements are actually glucose, although the refining process will transform them into another form of sugar known as dextrose. With the production of syrup, the corn sugar becomes a high fructose corn syrup that is ideal for use in many commercial foods as both a flavor enhancer and as an ingredient that influences the final texture of the prepared food.
There are different types of sugar available today, each of them varying in texture and the level of sweetness that is provided by a measured amount of the refined product. In the case of corn sugar, this sugar product — slightly yellow and a little larger than most cane sugar products — does not provide the same level of sweetness as the more common granulated sugar. However, this type of sugar does help to provide slightly more bulk to various recipes, which sometimes makes it a better option than other sugars. Many experts agree that it provides a little more than half the sweetness provided by the same amount of white refined sugar.
Corn sugar also tends to be more easily digested than sugars made using sugarcane or beets. In terms of nutritional value, there is no clear indication that it provides any additional health benefits. Using corn sugar as a means of cutting the sweet taste in recipes is an excellent way to adapt dishes that require a specific amount of sugar for bulk purposes.
However, there is currently no definitive proof that using corn sugar instead of cane sugar provides any benefits to people who are in the early stages of diabetes and are attempting to control the condition with diet. Foods containing this material are still likely to cause unhealthy spikes in blood glucose levels and place additional strain on the body’s ability to process those higher levels of glucose efficiently.
