Nowadays, enzymes from the easily cultured molds Aspergillus oryzae (also used in Japan to break rice starch down into fermentable sugars for sake) and A niger are used almost exclusively In Europe, potato and wheat starch are the main sources for making what is called “glucose” or “glucose syrup,” which is essentially the same as American corn syrup Fructose Crystals Crystalline fructose has been commercially available for only a few decades Fructose is so hygroscopic, or water-absorbing, that it’s hard to get it to crystallize from a water solution It’s now made by mixing high-fructose corn syrup with alcohol, in which fructose is much less soluble If fructose crystals are sprinkled onto a food as decoration, they’ll quickly disappear into a thin, sticky syrup as they absorb moisture from the food and air and dissolve The Properties and Uses of Corn Syrups Among the usual sweeteners available to the cook, corn syrups are alone in providing long carbohydrate molecules that get tangled up with each other and slow down the motion of all molecules in the syrup, thus giving it a thicker consistency than any but the most concentrated sucrose syrups It’s largely these long tangly molecules that have made corn syrup increasingly important in confectionery and other prepared foods Because the tangling interferes with molecular motion, it also has the valuable effect of preventing other sugars in candy from crystallizing and producing a grainy texture All molecules in the syrup are flowing very slowly, and the sucrose crystal faces keep getting covered with chains that can’t become part of the crystal (The same behavior helps minimize the size of ice crystals in ice cream and fruit ices, thus encouraging a smooth, creamy consistency.) Another consequence of corn ... syrup increasingly important in confectionery and other prepared foods Because the tangling interferes with molecular motion, it also has the valuable effect of preventing other sugars in candy from crystallizing and producing a grainy texture.. .The Properties and Uses of Corn Syrups Among the usual sweeteners available to the cook, corn syrups are alone in providing long carbohydrate molecules that get tangled up with each other and slow down the motion of. .. with each other and slow down the motion of all molecules in the syrup, thus giving it a thicker consistency than any but the most concentrated sucrose syrups It’s largely these long tangly molecules that have made corn