Dextrose Monohydrate shows up everywhere, often described as a simple sugar that people know better as glucose. This crystalline powder brings a slightly sweet taste and dissolves well in water, which makes it reliable for tasks in food processing, medicine, and industry. Whether it lands in your recovery drink or helps yeast do its job in bread, dextrose packs a consistent punch. Its chemical formula, C6H12O6·H2O, makes it different from the anhydrous variant, mostly because it carries a water molecule as part of its structure.
Companies pull dextrose monohydrate from starch (like corn or wheat) using enzymatic hydrolysis, refining it into a raw material with a high purity level. I’ve often seen it listed as “glucose powder” in ingredient decks. Pharmaceutical firms trust it for injectable solutions, oral rehydration salts, or as a filler in tablets and capsules. In bakeries, this sugar supports fermentation by feeding yeast, while the beverage industry relies on it for sweetness and energy drinks. The food sector turns to this compound for making syrups, jams, confections, and ice cream. At home, it sometimes appears as “corn sugar” for homebrewing, kickstarting fermentation for craft beers and sodas.
In solid form, dextrose monohydrate shines as white, odorless crystals or a fine white powder. It can also appear as flakes, pearls, or as part of a solution, depending on the process and need. A glance under the right lens shows each particle forming rectangular, prism-like shapes. The monohydrate structure keeps the powder slightly heavier than anhydrous types. If you handle enough of this material, it's clear how consistency in crystal structure affects everything from how it dissolves to flow through processing equipment.
Dextrose Monohydrate usually keeps to tight purity standards, often reaching between 99.0% and 100.5% on a dry basis. Its HS Code sticks to 170230, covering glucose and glucose syrup, often for customs or regulatory purposes. Quality batches show up with minimal impurities, controlled moisture content, and guaranteed solubility, matching global food and pharma safety rules. The melting point hits at about 83°C, helping separate it from similar sugars by thermal testing.
The molecular formula C6H12O6·H2O packs the same atoms as regular glucose, plus a single water molecule. Gram for gram, density checks in at 1.54 g/cm3 in solid form. Water solutions of dextrose monohydrate line up neatly with a density chart, making them predictable for industrial or lab use. Dextrose monohydrate dissolves easily, forming clear, colorless solutions that help measure sweetness or calculate calorie content with precision. Its sweetening index tracks just under table sugar. The powder absorbs moisture from air, so manufacturers use moisture-proof packaging for long shelf life.
This is a naturally occurring sugar, and safety data sheets class it as non-hazardous under normal handling. Dextrose monohydrate doesn’t carry the toxicity of chemicals like strong acids or solvents. Still, high dust levels may bother the lungs or eyes. Too much sugar in food or medical solutions poses risks for people with diabetes or metabolism disorders, driving home the need to use it with care in clinics and in kitchens. Spilled powder draws insects and molds if left uncontrolled, so it pays to keep storage areas dry and tightly sealed.
Bulk storage uses airtight drums or lined bags, kept in cool, dry zones to stop caking or bacterial growth. Powdered forms can clump if they pick up too much humidity. Liquid dextrose solutions call for stainless steel or food-grade plastic tanks—equipment that doesn’t corrode or affect purity. Handling requires gloves and masks where airborne dust seems likely, not just for personal safety but to keep the work space clean and within food-grade spec. In labs and factories, weight and volume conversions—like grams per liter—make sure everyone adds the right dose every time.
Problems sometimes arise from poor storage or careless dosing, resulting in sticky messes, wasted product, or off-spec batches. Rigid protocols on container sealing, humidity control, and precise scaling help dodge those pitfalls. Some users ask about the environmental load—dextrose monohydrate itself breaks down biologically and rarely causes pollution. For safety, ventilation matters most where dust could build up, as any fine, combustible powder can spark in the wrong conditions. Switching to pearl or flake forms, or dissolving it immediately, knocks down the dust risk and keeps lines running smoothly.
