Have you ever wondered what the difference is between fructose and high fructose sweeteners? If so, you are not alone, it can be quite confusing. We will see if we can clear this up for you. There are differences between fructose and high fructose sweeteners.
High Fructose
High fructose (corn syrup) is also known as corn sugar. It contains nearly equal amounts of glucose (simple sugars) and fructose. However the ratios vary depending on how it is used. It is used in many products from processed fruit, condiments to pickles and of course in jams and jellies and many other products.
Fructose
Fructose is a simple sweetener. It naturally occurs in many fruits and vegetables and is also found in added sugars, sucrose (table sugar) and corn sugar. In fact sucrose is very similar in composition to high fructose corn syrup as it is made up of glucose and fructose. You may also hear the term crystalline fructose. Crystalline fructose is used in dry beverage mix, low-calorie foods, soda, baked goods as well as cereals, yogurt and fruit packs.
Of all nutritive sweeteners, fructose is the sweetest. It is 1.2 to 1.8 times the sweetness of sucrose in most food applications. Probably most important, fructose does not cause surges and dips in blood glucose levels. So the reason most experts agree that fructose is better for you than high fructose sweeteners is because it takes less fructose to achieve the sweetness desired in applications therefore it is carries a lower caloric value.
Before High fructose corn syrup was invented, all sucrose (sugar) came for sugar beets and sugar cane. It was produced in countries mainly around the equator and it was a powder or granular composition. Then high fructose corn syrup was invented. It was made from corn which made it more easily available. It was liquid so it was easier to use in many applications. Sucrose often needed to be mixed with water before it could be added. Further, delivery and storage was much easier. Both products are natural and they co-existed seamlessly until the 1980’s. In the 1980’s scientist began looking for a single reason why obesity was on the rise in the United States.
It has since been proven that though the compositions and uses are different, and though both should be consumed in moderation. Neither is unhealthier than the other.
Though the over consumption of these products can cause health problems, the same can be said for most things.
I much more simple explanation – roughly is:
Fructose is a simple sugar found in foods naturally. High fructose is a product derived from processed corn syrup. Both have their uses and both are important to the food industries of the entire world.