View source for Chemistry:Mizuame

{{short description|Japanese starch-based sweetener}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name             = {{transl|ja|Mizuame}}
| image            = Mizuame 001.jpg
| image_size       = 300px
| caption          = 
| alternate_name   = 
| country          = Japan
| region           = 
| creator          = 
| course           = 
| type             = Sweetener
| served           = 
| main_ingredient  = Glutinous rice and [[Biology:Malt|malt]] or [[Biology:Potato|potato]]es
| variations       = 
| calories         = 
| other            = 
}}

{{nihongo3|literally "water candy", also known as millet jelly|水飴|'''Mizuame'''}} is a [[Chemistry:Sugar substitute|sweetener]] from Japan. A clear, thick, sticky liquid, it is made by converting [[Chemistry:Starch|starch]] to [[Chemistry:Sugar|sugar]]s. {{transl|ja|Mizuame}} is added to {{transl|ja|wagashi}} to give them a sheen, eaten in ways similar to honey, and can be a main ingredient in sweets. Some {{transl|ja|Mizuame}} are produced in a very similar fashion to [[Chemistry:Corn syrup|corn syrup]] and are very similar in taste.

Two methods are used to convert the starches to sugars. The traditional method is to take glutinous rice mixed with [[Biology:Malt|malt]], and let the natural enzymatic process take place, converting the starch to syrup<ref name="Penguin2002">{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Mizuame|date=2002|encyclopedia=The Penguin companion to food|publisher=Penguin books|location=London|url=https://archive.org/details/penguincompanion0000davi/page/611/mode/1up|access-date=2021-04-28|last=Davidson|first=Alan|orig-year=1999|page=611|language=en|isbn=0-14-051522-4}}</ref> which consists mainly of [[Chemistry:Maltose|maltose]].<ref name="USTreasuryDecisions1924">{{Cite journal|title=(T.D.40064) Mizuame – Glucose|journal=Treasury decisions under customs and other laws|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32437011695406&view=1up&seq=350|hdl=2027/osu.32437011695406?urlappend=%3Bseq=349|volume=45|pages=339–341|via=[[HathiTrust]]|publisher=United States Department of the Treasury|year=1924|location=Washington|language=en|hdl-access=free}}</ref> The second and more common method is [[Chemistry:Acid hydrolysis|acid hydrolysis]] of [[Biology:Potato starch|potato starch]] or [[Biology:Sweet potato|sweet potato]] starch by adding acid, such as [[Chemistry:Hydrochloric acid|hydrochloric]], [[Chemistry:Sulfuric acid|sulfuric]] or [[Chemistry:Nitric acid|nitric]] acids,<ref name="Penguin2002" /> to make [[Chemistry:Glucose syrup|glucose syrup]]. If done by the first method, the final product, known as {{nihongo||麦水飴|mugi mizuame}}, is considered more flavorful than the acid version.<ref name="Penguin2002" />

==See also==
*[[Biology:Barley malt syrup|Barley malt syrup]]
*[[Chemistry:Corn syrup|Corn syrup]]
* List of syrups

==References==
<references />
<!--*Davidson, Alan. ''The Oxford Companion to Food'' (1999). "Mizuame", p.&nbsp;510 {{ISBN|0-19-211579-0}}-->

==External links==



{{Sourceattribution|Mizuame}}