Is Maltose Sugar Safe?

[lcarter]

I love candied ginger and I just discovered that the packages we bought has maltose in it. Is maltose safe for us celiacs?

[ravenwoodglass]

Since from what I can see looking it up it is made from barley I wouldn't consume it. I don't know if it can be made from other grains, perhaps you could call the company and find out what it is derived from.

[love2travel]

If you want to, it is easy and fun to make - lasts a year in the fridge. This is my favourite recipe...

Open Original Shared Link Better than bought, anyway!

[psawyer]

From the Canadian Celiac Association list of food ingredients:

MALTOSE ... ALLOWED

A simple sugar obtained by enzymatic breakdown of starch (potato, rice, barley or wheat). Although barley or wheat may be used in the production of maltose, the manufacturing process renders maltose gluten-free.

[love2travel]

From the Canadian Celiac Association list of food ingredients:

MALTOSE ... ALLOWED

A simple sugar obtained by enzymatic breakdown of starch (potato, rice, barley or wheat). Although barley or wheat may be used in the production of maltose, the manufacturing process renders maltose gluten-free.

I have also read that in the US it is usually derived from corn.

[lcarter]

I was afraid you all would tell me maltose wasn't safe. Boo! We have been buying this imported candied ginger in an oriental market. The outside of the packages just say ginger, sugar and tapioca...but today I discovered that the individual wrapped pieces also added maltose to that list of ingredients in very, very small print. I had to get a magnifying glass out just to be sure that it really said maltose. What a bummer! Now I will quit eating any of this and see if my intestines calm down. Something subtle has been bothering me, so guess it is likely the candy. Thanks to all of you for the info. I will certainly try making some on my own. I appreciate the recipe and it doesn't sound too difficult. Heaven knows I have grown addicted to the stuff!

[love2travel]

I was afraid you all would tell me maltose wasn't safe. Boo! We have been buying this imported candied ginger in an oriental market. The outside of the packages just say ginger, sugar and tapioca...but today I discovered that the individual wrapped pieces also added maltose to that list of ingredients in very, very small print. I had to get a magnifying glass out just to be sure that it really said maltose. What a bummer! Now I will quit eating any of this and see if my intestines calm down. Something subtle has been bothering me, so guess it is likely the candy. Thanks to all of you for the info. I will certainly try making some on my own. I appreciate the recipe and it doesn't sound too difficult. Heaven knows I have grown addicted to the stuff!

The recipe is as simple as it gets. I hope you like it! It is rough when you find out something you love could contain bad guys...

[jebby]

Maltose is a type of sugar, just like fructose, galactose, and glucose are all sugars. Maltose refers to its chemical structure, not that it is in anyway derived from anything "malt."

[Lisa]

I was afraid you all would tell me maltose wasn't safe. Boo! We have been buying this imported candied ginger in an oriental market. The outside of the packages just say ginger, sugar and tapioca...but today I discovered that the individual wrapped pieces also added maltose to that list of ingredients in very, very small print. I had to get a magnifying glass out just to be sure that it really said maltose. What a bummer! Now I will quit eating any of this and see if my intestines calm down. Something subtle has been bothering me, so guess it is likely the candy. Thanks to all of you for the info. I will certainly try making some on my own. I appreciate the recipe and it doesn't sound too difficult. Heaven knows I have grown addicted to the stuff!

Maltose is not of a gluten concern!

[lcarter]

If maltose is not gluten related...it makes me wonder then if what I am reacting to is the sugars in the candy, since I am also fructose intolerant. I seem to do better with sugars in foods that are balanced between fructose and glucose, as in some fresh fruits. However, I have to really limit denser sugery foods because they quickly make me nauseas.

Just for history....I have had 3 glucose tolerance tests run over my lifetime and each time have had a "flat-curve" reaction. Also, I was a research subject for a group of scientists and doctors who were studying nutrition's roll in disease. They told me that every time my cells came in contact with sugars, they died...particularly quickly with fructose. Although, I seem to have a problem with all kinds of sugars, even the alcohol-sugars of dietetic foods. So, something in the pathway that either breaks-down or up-takes sugars in the digestive process is not functioning properly in me.

[ravenwoodglass]

I was afraid you all would tell me maltose wasn't safe. Boo! We have been buying this imported candied ginger in an oriental market. The outside of the packages just say ginger, sugar and tapioca...but today I discovered that the individual wrapped pieces also added maltose to that list of ingredients in very, very small print. I had to get a magnifying glass out just to be sure that it really said maltose. What a bummer! Now I will quit eating any of this and see if my intestines calm down. Something subtle has been bothering me, so guess it is likely the candy. Thanks to all of you for the info. I will certainly try making some on my own. I appreciate the recipe and it doesn't sound too difficult. Heaven knows I have grown addicted to the stuff!

If you started having issues when you began eating this product I would stop eating it, see if issues resolve, and then maybe try it again. Whether it is gluten or not if you body doesn't like it then avoid it.

[ravenwoodglass]

Maltose is a type of sugar, just like fructose, galactose, and glucose are all sugars. Maltose refers to its chemical structure, not that it is in anyway derived from anything "malt."

It can be derived from gluten grains. Whether there is still enough gluten to bother most celiacs most likely no. Would it bother someone who is one of the unfortunate super sensitives? Maybe.

Open Original Shared Link

Maltose, or malt sugar, is a disaccharide formed from two units of glucose joined with an α(1→4) linkage. Maltose is not common in food, but can be formed from the digestion of starch, and is heavy in the sugar in malt, the juice of barley and other grains. Maltose is a member of an important biochemical series of glucose chains. The disaccharides maltose, sucrose, and lactose have the same chemical formula, C12H22O11, however, they differ in structure

[GlutenFreeManna]

It can be derived from gluten grains. Whether there is still enough gluten to bother most celiacs most likely no. Would it bother someone who is one of the unfortunate super sensitives? Maybe.

Open Original Shared Link

Maltose, or malt sugar, is a disaccharide formed from two units of glucose joined with an α(1→4) linkage. Maltose is not common in food, but can be formed from the digestion of starch, and is heavy in the sugar in malt, the juice of barley and other grains. Maltose is a member of an important biochemical series of glucose chains. The disaccharides maltose, sucrose, and lactose have the same chemical formula, C12H22O11, however, they differ in structure

I would not eat it for this very reason. In Europe Codex Wheat starch has been deemed "safe" for most celiacs yet there are still some of us that react to that. People with wheat allergies would likely react as well. If you're feeling sick better to cut this out for a while to see how you feel. It could be the grains used to make the sugar or just too much sugar for you.

[Reba32]

ginger itself can be quite an irritant to sensitive intestines, it's a "cleanser". It may not be the maltose at all, but the ginger. If you are a diagnosed Celiac with intestinal damage already, you may want to limit your ginger intake until you've healed some more. Small portions only.

Open Original Shared Link

I love candied ginger, but I stay away from it because of the sugar content. That recipe looks awesome but it's waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much sugar!

[jebby]

From a biochemical standpoint, I cannot understand how a simple sugar, like maltose, can have any gliadin protein (gluten) attached to after processing...are there any biochemists or scientists out there who can comment on this? Where could the protein possibly be attached to?

[Skylark]

If maltose is not gluten related...it makes me wonder then if what I am reacting to is the sugars in the candy, since I am also fructose intolerant. I seem to do better with sugars in foods that are balanced between fructose and glucose, as in some fresh fruits. However, I have to really limit denser sugery foods because they quickly make me nauseas.

Mom is fructose intolerant and that's EXACTLY how she reacts. She always has Smarties candy in her purse (they're made of dextrose), and she'll eat a few with a restaurant meal where she isn't sure whether there is high-fructose corn syrup in anything. She also buys bulk dextrose and sprinkles it on the small portions of fresh fruit she can tolerate to help the glucose:fructose ratio.

She can't eat sweets or dessert much at all. Just like you, sugar-dense foods don't agree with her.