Rice Syrup is sweet stuff indeed that leaves you with no bitter worries for health because when you pour it over your pancakes remember you are getting the equivalent sweetness of half that amount of white sugar. However, unlike an after effect of sugar consumption, with Rice Syrup, you would not be gaining those extra kilos or jeopardizing your body sugar balance. So, a bottle of organic Rice Syrup even can be counted as a stress reliever as it provides you the alluring sweet taste in any recipe, minus the negative health impacts accumulated from a regular sugar dose.
Rice Syrup is a mild sweetener made from whole grain rice that has been cultured and fermented with enzymes. This enzymatic process is undertaken to break down the natural starches into complex carbohydrates, maltose and glucose. As the rice grain is boiled and the liquid removed, the remaining meal is processed into organic Rice Syrup with complex rather than simple sugars. This enables the sugars in Rice Syrup to be absorbed more slowly by the digestive system rather than being absorbed quickly into the bloodstream. This is the biggest advantage of organic Rice Syrup because in case of regular table sugar, the glucose absorption rate is faster, creating rapid increase in blood sugar level and accumulating excess fat with time. However, in case of Rice Syrup, the glucose might be absorbed immediately but the maltose and carbohydrates may take several hours to dissolve into our system. As a result, after consuming organic Rice Syrup in any form, we tend to drag our energy levels much more than the ones acquired from other fast acting sweeteners.
Containing only half the sweetness of common sugar, Rice Syrup provides a mildly sweet butterscotch flavour for cookies, cakes, granola, pies, and puddings. When used in baked goods, this Rice Syrup generally creates crisper or harder textured effect. Further, these Rice Syrups hardly ever crystallize like other liquid sweeteners and are now humbly added to salad dressings and dips, candied yams or carrots and beverages too. So, be it Clear Rice Syrup or Brown Rice Syrup, these superior sweetening agents that are rich yet subtle and one of the best-known sugar substitutes. If preserved in cool and dry places, Rice Syrup boasts of a good shelf life that can extend more than a year.
Rice Malt Syrup By Jenine Parkinson | on April 3, 2013
Fructose Free Gluten-Free Lifestyle Nutrition Products Refined Sugar-Free Some people have asked me “why do you use Rice Malt Syrup (RMS) in your sweet recipes?” “Isn’t it just another form of sugar?” Yes it is but it is the breakdown of sugars types that makes this a healthier alternative for those concerned about their sugar intake. RMS has a low glycemic index (GI) meaning the energy is slowly released and you won’t have a sugar rush like eating fructose (fruit sugar) or sucrose (table sugar). Unlike fructose (fruit sugar) and it won’t store in the body as fat. There is a lot of information out there on the internet about RMS, I first learnt about it from www.sarahwilson.com.au and more about the actual sugar profile and how the body uses it from the book Sweet Poison by David Gillespie. The easiest breakdown I have found on the Internet that explained RMS was this extract:
Brown rice syrup has a low glycaemic value, which means it does not cause a sugar rush or a sudden spike in blood sugar after consuming it. This is because the sugar profile in this syrup is 50% soluble carbohydrates, 45% maltose and 3% glucose. The glucose is immediately absorbed and metabolized, maltose takes from an hour to an hour and a half, and soluble carbohydrates take 2-3 hours to be metabolized and energy released. This results in constant supply of energy spread over a long time rather than a sudden rush. http://www.triedtastedserved.com/natural-sweeteners/brown-rice-syrup.php There has also been a lot of discussion on the Internet about arsenic levels in RMS based on some findings from various researchers in other countries. This alarmed me and I went into panic mode! However I have learnt that Australia and NZ has some fairly strict guidelines regarding arsenic (organic and non-organic) usage. http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumerinformation/arsenic.cfm
I have only ever used the brand Pure Harvest Rice Malt Syrup so I personally contacted Pure Harvest regarding the arsenic levels in their RMS and I was happy with their prompt response to which they sent me a test report for the total arsenic levels in their RMS and in fact the arsenic levels are way below FSANZ allowable limit. The FSANZ standard 1.4.1 permits a level for Cereals of 1 mg/kg (ppm) of Total Arsenic. As can be seen from the test report provided, our rice syrup has a level of <0.040 mg/kg (ppm) of Total Arsenic (note the less than, this is the detection limit for the specific test used to detect the arsenic in this case, so the actual levels are less than this), so is well below the maximum permitted levels stated in the code. The American FDA do not have any standards set for Arsenic in food or beverages, and are in general many years behind Australia and New Zealand in the development and implementation of Food Safety systems. I do not believe that RMS is a suitable alternative for diabetics and I am not qualified to make any suggestions otherwise. I also do not know anything about using RMS as a sugar alternative for cancer sufferers. I believe if you are concerned about your sugar intake be it because of weight or other health issues then RMS is a good option. Like any sugars though I would still use it in moderation and as a treat, if you are trying to wean yourself off sugar I would avoid any sugar substitutes including RMS for at least 6 weeks to get over the cravings first. Yours in Foodness Jenine x