Dextrose equivalent

Dextrose equivalent (DE) is a measure of the amount of reducing sugars present in a sugar product, relative to dextrose (a.k.a. glucose), expressed as a percentage on a dry basis. For example, a maltodextrin with a DE of 10 would have 10% of the reducing power of dextrose (which has a DE of 100). Maltose, a disaccharide made of two glucose (dextrose) molecules, has a DE of 52, correcting for the water loss in molecular weight when the two molecules are combined (180/342). Sucrose actually has a DE of zero even though it is a disaccharide, because both reducing groups of the monosaccharides that make it are connected, so there are no remaining reducing groups. For solutions made from starch, it is an estimate of the percentage of reducing sugars present in the total starch product.