Procurement managers at food factories in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town spend a significant part of their working week sourcing the same core ingredients repeatedly. Corn starch, liquid glucose, maltodextrin, dextrose monohydrate. These are not exotic specialty chemicals. They are the workhorses of food and pharmaceutical manufacturing, bought in container quantities, shipped on a schedule, and consumed in production before the next order arrives.
Asia & Africa General Trading FZE LLC supplies the full range of corn starch and corn-derived ingredients direct from the manufacturing facility to buyers in South Africa, Nigeria, the GCC, and across Africa. No pricing is published here because specifications vary and we price to your requirements. What you get by contacting us is a factory-direct price for exactly the grade, form, and quantity you need, delivered to your port.
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The Full Product Range
Corn Starch, Food Grade The starting point for everything else on this list. Used directly in food manufacturing as a thickening and texturising agent, in pharmaceutical tablets as a binder and disintegrant, and in industrial applications including paper coating and textile processing. Available in food grade and pharmaceutical grade specifications.
High Maltose Corn Syrup A liquid sweetener produced by enzymatic hydrolysis of corn starch, with a high proportion of maltose sugars. Preferred by confectionery and brewing manufacturers who need specific fermentability and a less sweet profile than standard glucose syrup.
Liquid Glucose (Glucose Syrup) One of the most widely used ingredients in commercial food production. Liquid glucose prevents crystallisation in confectionery, keeps baked goods soft, and adds viscosity and shine to products like toffee, fudge, fondant, and hard candy. Available in different Brix concentrations depending on application.
Dried Glucose Syrup The powder form of glucose syrup. Functionally similar to liquid glucose but easier to handle, blend, and transport. Used in instant food powders, dry beverage mixes, confectionery coatings, and any application where incorporating a liquid into a dry production process is impractical.
Sorbitol, Non Crystalline (Liquid) A sugar alcohol derived from glucose, used as a sweetener and humectant in sugar-free and reduced-sugar products, in oral care formulations including toothpaste and mouthwash, and in pharmaceutical syrups and paediatric liquid medicines.
Sorbitol, Crystalline (Powder) The solid powder form of sorbitol. Used in pharmaceutical tablet manufacturing as a filler, binder, and sweetener in chewable tablets. Also used in personal care products and food applications requiring extended shelf life and moisture control.
Maltodextrin Powder A partially hydrolysed corn starch with a mild taste and high solubility. Maltodextrin is one of the most versatile food ingredients in commercial use. It serves as a spray drying carrier that converts liquid flavours, colours, and active ingredients into powders. It adds bulk and body to instant beverages and soups, improves mouthfeel in dairy products, and functions as an energy carbohydrate in sports nutrition products and infant formula. Available in different dextrose equivalent values from DE 3 to DE 20.
Dextrose Monohydrate Powder Pure crystalline glucose containing one molecule of water, approximately 91% glucose by weight. Used in food manufacturing for its clean sweetness and browning properties in baked goods, in pharmaceutical manufacturing for glucose injection solutions and oral rehydration salts, in sports nutrition as a fast-absorbing carbohydrate, and as a fermentation substrate in the production of antibiotics, enzymes, and other biotechnology products.
Dextrose Anhydrous Powder Pure glucose without the water molecule, approximately 99.5% glucose by weight. The preferred specification for pharmaceutical injectable formulations, clinical nutrition products, and industrial fermentation applications where the higher glucose concentration matters. Also used in infant nutrition and medical food products.
South Africa: A Market That Runs on These Ingredients
South Africa has the most industrialised economy on the African continent. Its food manufacturing sector, pharmaceutical industry, and growing light manufacturing base all consume corn starch derivatives at scale, and the country imports a significant share of its requirements from India and other origins through Durban Port.
The South African biscuit and bakery sector is one of the most active in Africa. Biscuit manufacturers producing cream crackers, chocolate biscuits, wafers, and digestive biscuits use liquid glucose as a humectant to control texture and water activity, dextrose monohydrate for browning in the oven, and corn starch as a shortening agent that creates the crumbly texture consumers expect. Maltodextrin appears in flavour carrier systems used in cream fillings and flavoured snacks. These are not small quantities. A mid-sized South African biscuit factory running three production shifts can go through a full container of liquid glucose in under six weeks.
The South African pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, centred in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, produces a large proportion of the medicines consumed across sub-Saharan Africa. Dextrose monohydrate and dextrose anhydrous are active ingredients in intravenous glucose solutions produced at South African pharmaceutical factories for export across the continent. Sorbitol crystalline is a filler and sweetener in the paediatric syrups that South African manufacturers supply to hospital formularies in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and beyond. Corn starch is a standard disintegrant in solid dose tablet production. Maltodextrin functions as a spray drying carrier in the production of pharmaceutical powders and granules.
The South African confectionery sector, which produces toffees, hard candies, gummies, marshmallows, and traditional South African sweets, is a significant consumer of liquid glucose and high maltose corn syrup. Getting the right glucose specification is not trivial in confectionery. The wrong Brix or sugar profile affects how a candy sets, its texture on the palate, its shelf life, and whether it crystallises before the best-before date.
Durban Port handles the majority of South Africa’s food ingredient and pharmaceutical raw material imports. The port’s container terminal connects directly to Johannesburg by road and the N3 corridor, and goods cleared at Durban reach the Gauteng industrial zone within 24 hours.
Nigeria: Africa's Largest Consumer Market Needs Consistent Supply
Nigeria’s food manufacturing sector is large, growing, and perpetually hungry for raw material supply that it cannot always source domestically in the specifications and volumes that commercial production requires.
Lagos hosts the highest concentration of food manufacturing in sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa. The Isolo, Ilupeju, Ogba, and Agbara industrial estates contain hundreds of food production facilities producing biscuits, confectionery, instant noodles, beverages, and processed foods for Nigeria’s 220 million consumers. Every biscuit factory in Isolo that produces cream crackers uses corn starch. Every candy manufacturer in Ilupeju making toffees and hard candy uses liquid glucose. Every beverage company producing powdered drink mixes and instant soups uses maltodextrin as a carrier and bulking agent.
The Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturing sector in Lagos, Ogun State, and Kano produces tablets, capsules, syrups, and suspensions that supply the Nigerian domestic market and regional exports across West Africa. Dextrose monohydrate is used in glucose injection solutions manufactured in Nigerian pharmaceutical factories for hospital supply. Sorbitol non-crystalline is used in the cough syrups and paediatric liquid medicines that are among the highest-volume pharmaceutical products in Nigeria.
Apapa Port and Onne Port in Rivers State are the two primary entry points for food ingredients and pharmaceutical raw materials into Nigeria. We can provide CNF pricing to both ports depending on which serves your production facility more efficiently.
GCC Region: High-Value Manufacturing with Halal Requirements
The GCC food manufacturing and pharmaceutical sector operates at high volumes and to strict specifications, and it depends heavily on imported raw materials because the region’s agricultural base cannot support local starch production at the scale the manufacturing sector requires.
The UAE’s food manufacturing cluster in Jebel Ali Free Zone and the wider Dubai and Sharjah industrial areas produces confectionery, bakery products, dairy foods, and packaged goods for both the domestic Gulf market and export across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Liquid glucose, corn starch, and maltodextrin are standard production inputs for these facilities.
Saudi Arabia’s food manufacturing expansion under Vision 2030 has accelerated imports of food ingredients significantly. Saudi biscuit and confectionery manufacturers, dairy processors, and the growing pharmaceutical sector all require dextrose, glucose syrup, maltodextrin, and sorbitol on a recurring basis. The Jeddah and Dammam industrial zones are the primary manufacturing locations, with King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) adding new production capacity.
Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain have smaller but high-value manufacturing sectors with purchasing power that supports premium ingredient specifications. Halal certification is a non-negotiable requirement across all GCC markets for food-grade corn starch derivatives. All products we supply carry halal certification documentation available upon request.
What Direct from Factory Actually Means for Your Price
When a buyer in Durban sources dextrose monohydrate through a local distributor, they are paying the distributor’s import cost plus the distributor’s margin plus warehousing. When they source through a Dubai-based trader who has already imported and warehoused, they pay that trader’s landed cost plus margin. When they source direct from factory through Asia & Africa General Trading, the price they receive starts at the production facility gate.
The savings on a container-sized purchase of dextrose monohydrate or maltodextrin are not trivial. For a South African pharmaceutical company buying four or five containers per year, sourcing direct rather than through a local distributor at a meaningful per-MT discount changes the raw material cost calculation for every batch of tablets they produce.
We do not publish fixed prices because the specifications matter too much. Dextrose monohydrate in regular crystal, coarse crystal, and fine powder form has different processing costs. Maltodextrin at DE 10 versus DE 18 is a different product. Pharmaceutical grade dextrose anhydrous to BP specification requires different documentation than food grade. Telling us your specification, your quantity, and your destination port takes three minutes and gets you a price that actually reflects what you need.
Specifications We Need to Give You an Accurate Price
Contact us with the following information and we will provide a current factory-direct price within one working day.
The product name from the list above. The specification if you know it — grade (food or pharma), form (liquid, powder, crystalline), dextrose equivalent for maltodextrin, or pharmacopoeia standard for pharmaceutical products. Your required quantity in metric tons. Your destination port. Your approximate required delivery date.
If you are not sure about the specification, tell us your application and we will advise on the most appropriate product and grade.
Industries We Supply in South Africa, Nigeria and GCC
Biscuit and Bakery Manufacturers use corn starch, liquid glucose, dextrose monohydrate, and maltodextrin in daily production. These buyers purchase in container quantities on a regular cycle.
Confectionery Companies making hard candy, toffee, gummies, marshmallows, and chocolate confections use liquid glucose, high maltose corn syrup, and dried glucose syrup as core ingredients.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturers producing tablets, capsules, syrups, injectables, and oral rehydration products use dextrose monohydrate, dextrose anhydrous, sorbitol, maltodextrin, and corn starch as pharmaceutical excipients.
Beverage and Instant Food Manufacturers producing powdered drinks, soup mixes, instant noodles, and meal supplements use maltodextrin as a carrier, bulking agent, and texture modifier.
Sports Nutrition and Health Food Companies use dextrose monohydrate as a fast-absorbing carbohydrate in recovery products, and maltodextrin as a sustained energy carbohydrate in endurance nutrition.
Infant Nutrition Manufacturers use maltodextrin and dextrose anhydrous in infant formula and specialised medical nutrition products.
Oral Care Manufacturers producing toothpaste, mouthwash, and dental gels use liquid sorbitol as a sweetener, humectant, and texturiser.
Asia & Africa Foodstuff Trading: Two Decades of Dubai Heritage
Get in Touch
For inquiries and booking:
– WhatsApp or Call: +971 55 956 9371
– Email: sales@agro-factory.com
– Head Office: Al Ras Market, Dubai – UAE
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between dextrose monohydrate and dextrose anhydrous?
What dextrose equivalent should I order for maltodextrin?
Lower DE values (3 to 10) produce a longer chain polysaccharide with better film-forming properties, lower sweetness, and better encapsulation performance. Higher DE values (10 to 20) produce a shorter chain, slightly sweeter, more soluble product suited to bulking and texture improvement in food products. If you are using maltodextrin for spray drying a flavour or active ingredient, a DE around 10 to 15 is typically appropriate. If you are using it for texture in a food product, a DE around 15 to 20 often works better. We will advise based on your specific application.
Can you supply pharmaceutical grade dextrose anhydrous with BP or USP compliance documentation?
Is sorbitol halal certified?
What is the typical lead time from order to delivery at Durban, Apapa, or Jebel Ali?
Can we receive samples before committing to a full container?
Where is Asia & Africa General Trading located?
Our office is located in Dubai, at Al Shizawi Building – Al Ahmadiya St – Deira – Al Ras(Near Al Ras Metro Station). You can easily find us on Google Maps or contact us directly for any assistance you may need in finding us. We look forward to serving you!