The most frequently used corn syrup in confections is 42DE (dextrose equivalent). Lower DE corn
syrups lead to tougher finished caramels due to increased viscosity caused by higher amounts of large molecular weight molecules. The lower the DE of a corn syrup, the more viscous it is. Excessively high levels of corn syrup lead to the defect ‘cold flow’,defined as the tendency of a material to deform under its own weight, over time. Higher levels of corn syrup solids decrease the amount of sucrose that crystallizes out and increase the amount of dissolved solids in the continuous phase.