Dextrose vs. Sugar — What's the Difference?

Used in baking to promote browning and as a food preservative.

The generic name for sweet, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food.

Often derived from cornstarch through enzymatic hydrolysis.

Used extensively in food preservation, especially in jams and preserves.

A simple sugar that is metabolized quickly by the body.

A sweet-tasting, soluble substance usually obtained from sugar cane or sugar beets.

Frequently found in IV fluids to aid in nutrient delivery to patients.

Mainly consists of sucrose, which is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose.

The dextrorotatory form of glucose (and the predominant naturally occurring form).

Plays a crucial role in baking, not just for sweetness but also for texture and color.

The dextrorotatory form of glucose, C6H12O6·H2O, the naturally occurring form of glucose found in all organisms. Also called dextroglucose.

Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Table sugar, granulated sugar, or regular sugar, refers to sucrose, a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose.

The naturally-occurring dextrorotatory form of glucose monosaccharide molecule.

A sweet crystalline or powdered substance, white when pure, consisting of sucrose obtained mainly from sugarcane and sugar beets and used in many foods, drinks, and medicines to improve their taste. Also called table sugar.

A sirupy, or white crystalline, variety of sugar, C6H12O6 (so called from turning the plane of polarization to the right), occurring in many ripe fruits, and also called glucose. Dextrose and levulose are obtained by the inversion of cane sugar or sucrose, and hence the mixture is called called invert sugar. Dextrose is chiefly obtained by the action of heat and acids on starch, and hence called also starch sugar. It is also formed from starchy food by the action of the amylolytic ferments of saliva and pancreatic juice.

Any of a class of water-soluble crystalline carbohydrates, including sucrose and lactose, having a characteristically sweet taste and classified as monosaccharides, disaccharides, and trisaccharides.

An isomer of glucose that is found in honey and sweet fruits

A unit, such as a lump or cube, in which sugar is dispensed or taken.

(Slang) Sweetheart. Used as a term of endearment.

To coat, cover, or sweeten with sugar.

To make less distasteful or more appealing.

To form sugar.

To form granules; granulate.

To make sugar or syrup from sugar maple sap. Often used with off.

(uncountable) Sucrose in the form of small crystals, obtained from sugar cane or sugar beet and used to sweeten food and drink.

(countable) A specific variety of sugar.

Any of various small carbohydrates that are used by organisms to store energy.

(countable) A small serving of this substance (typically about one teaspoon), used to sweeten a drink.

(countable) A term of endearment.

A kiss.

Diabetes.

(dated) Anything resembling sugar in taste or appearance, especially in chemistry.

Compliment or flattery used to disguise or render acceptable something obnoxious; honeyed or soothing words.

Heroin.

Money.

(programming) syntactic sugar.

(transitive) To add sugar to; to sweeten with sugar.

(transitive) To make (something unpleasant) seem less so.

In making maple sugar, to complete the process of boiling down the syrup till it is thick enough to crystallize; to approach or reach the state of granulation; with the preposition off.

(entomology) To apply sugar to trees or plants in order to catch moths.

To rewrite (source code) using syntactic sugar.

(transitive) To compliment (a person).

To remove hair using a paste of sugar, water, and lemon juice.

(minced oath) Used in place of shit!

A sweet white (or brownish yellow) crystalline substance, of a sandy or granular consistency, obtained by crystallizing the evaporated juice of certain plants, as the sugar cane, sorghum, beet root, sugar maple, etc. It is used for seasoning and preserving many kinds of food and drink. Ordinary sugar is essentially sucrose. See the Note below.

By extension, anything resembling sugar in taste or appearance; as, sugar of lead (lead acetate), a poisonous white crystalline substance having a sweet taste.

Compliment or flattery used to disguise or render acceptable something obnoxious; honeyed or soothing words.

In making maple sugar, to complete the process of boiling down the sirup till it is thick enough to crystallize; to approach or reach the state of granulation; - with the preposition off.

To impregnate, season, cover, or sprinkle with sugar; to mix sugar with.

To cover with soft words; to disguise by flattery; to compliment; to sweeten; as, to sugar reproof.

A white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative

An essential structural component of living cells and source of energy for animals; includes simple sugars with small molecules as well as macromolecular substances; are classified according to the number of monosaccharide groups they contain

Informal terms for money

Sweeten with sugar;

Sugar is extracted from sugar cane or sugar beets through a process of milling and refining.

Processed foods, candies, and baked goods often contain high levels of dextrose.

Dextrose is primarily made from corn through a process called hydrolysis.

The body breaks down sucrose into glucose and fructose, which are then metabolized.

Beyond sweetness, sugar helps with the texture, color, and stabilization of baked goods.

Dextrose can replace sugar in some recipes, but adjustments are necessary due to its lower sweetness.

Yes, dextrose derived from corn is typically vegan.

Sugar production can have significant environmental impacts, including habitat destruction and water resource depletion.

Yes, dextrose is less sweet compared to sugar.

Dextrose and sugar have similar caloric values per gram, but dextrose is used in larger quantities due to its lower sweetness.

Yes, sugar is effective as a preservative in foods like jams and jellies due to its ability to inhibit bacterial growth.

Athletes use dextrose for quick energy replenishment, particularly during endurance sports.

Dextrose can alter the texture and browning of baked goods, making them less sweet and slightly different in texture compared to those made with sugar.