Facts About Fructose

Benefits Fructose is being used in new foods and beverages, such as shelf-stable Sweetness nutrition bars, soft moist cookies, Fructose is the sweetest of all nutritive pourable frozen juice concentrates and sweeteners. It has roughly 1.2 times energy-reduced products. the sweetness of sucrose in most food Some are even suggesting the applications. application of fructose for those with Flavor Enhancement special dietary or nutritional needs, like endurance athletes. Its sweetness perception peaks and falls earlier than glucose and sucrose, History “unmasking” fruit and spice flavors. Production Carbohydrates are an essential part Ingredient Synergy Pure crystalline fructose is produced of the human diet, and sugars like The interaction of fructose with other from corn or sugar and purified. The fructose are a common source of sweeteners and starches results in a crystalline product is brilliant white and carbohydrate. Fructose is a natural synergy that boosts the sweetness, very high purity. sugar found in fruits, vegetables, cake height (baked goods) and honey, agave nectar, fruit juices, viscosity of foods and beverages. Primary Uses and fruit juice concentrates. It is the sweetest of the naturally occurring Glycemic Index/Insulin Release Primary applications for crystalline sugars and has many unique Glycemic index is often used to fructose include dry mix beverages, properties. assess the compatibility of foods with low calorie products, enhanced or individuals having special dietary flavored water, still and carbonated Pure crystalline fructose was first needs such as diabetics. Fructose beverages, sports and energy drinks, made available for food and beverage has a low glycemic index and results chocolate milk, breakfast cereals, use 30 years ago, having been in moderate release of insulin to the baked goods, yogurt, fruit packs and marketed previously primarily as a bloodstream relative to glucose and confections. health supplement. It is important sucrose. to note that crystalline fructose is a different product than high fructose Dental Caries corn syrup (HFCS). Crystalline fructose The only proven health risk of nutritive products are typically almost 100% sweeteners at typical consumption pure fructose whereas HFCS contains levels is dental caries (also known approximately equal proportions as tooth decay). However, when of glucose and fructose, similar to compared to other nutritive sugars, sucrose (table sugar). Pure crystalline fructose is among the least cariogenic. fructose has had a negligible effect on the carbohydrate composition of the diet because of the small volume Meeting Consumer of this sugar produced relative to all other naturally occurring and added Demand starches, syrups and sweeteners. Calorie Control Council consumer research shows that more than Because pure crystalline fructose 187 million adult Americans are is so much sweeter than sugar, less incorporating low calorie, sugar-free of it is used in products to achieve foods and beverages into their meal the same level of sweetness. Thus, plan as part of a healthy lifestyle. pure crystalline fructose can be used People will continue to demand a in making lower-sugar and lower- greater variety of low calorie products calorie foods. Food scientists favor as they strive to make healthier food pure crystalline fructose because it choices. Fructose can help meet possesses other properties beyond this demand because of its unique sweetness, which makes it very useful sweetness and functionality. in foods and beverages. Crystalline Fructose and References Dolan LC, Potter SM, Burdock GA. Evidence- HFCS Are Not the Same Based Review on the Effect of Normal Dietary People often use the terms “high Consumption of Fructose on Blood Lipids and Body Weight of Overweight and Obese fructose corn syrup (HFCS)” and Individuals. Critical Reviews in Food Science and fructose interchangeably; however Nutrition. 2010. 50(10):889–918. they are not the same. While pure Dolan LC, Potter SM, Burdock GA. Evidence- crystalline fructose contains fructose based review on the effect of normal dietary alone, HFCS contains nearly equal consumption of fructose on development of amounts of glucose and fructose, hyperlipidemia and obesity in healthy, normal similar to sucrose (table sugar). weight individuals. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2010. 50(1):53-84. Forbes AL, Bowman BA, Filer LJ, Glinsmann Safety WH, White JS. Health effects of dietary fructose. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1993. Sucrose and HFCS have long been 58(5):7215-8235. considered Generally Recognized Glinsmann WH, Irausquin H, Park YK. Evaluation As Safe (GRAS). As a significant of health aspects of sugars contained in component of these two sweeteners, carbohydrate sweeteners. Report of Sugars Task the safety of fructose has been Force. Journal of Nutrition. 1986. 116(11S):S1-216. thoroughly documented in several Glinsmann WH, Bowman BA. The public health scientific reviews performed by the significance of crystalline fructose. American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1993. 58(5S):820S- and other expert panels. 823S. The FDA concluded, “High fructose Ha et al. Effect of Fructose on Blood Pressure—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of corn syrup is as safe for use in food Controlled Feeding Trials. Hypertension. 2012. as sucrose, corn syrup and invert 59(4):787-795. sugar.” An International Life Sciences Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation. Institute (ILSI) Expert Panel concluded, Carbohydrates in Human Nutrition (FAO Food “Fructose is a valuable, traditional Fructose Does Not Lead and Nutrition Paper – 66). Chapter 3 – Dietary source of food energy, and there is to Health Concerns Carbohydrate & Disease. Report of a Joint FAO/ no basis for recommending increases WHO Expert Consultation, Rome, April 14-18, or decreases in its use in the general Fructose is not responsible for the 1997. food supply or in special dietary use obesity epidemic or any other health Lowndes et al. The effects of four hypocaloric products.” issues the U.S. is facing. Obesity, diets containing different levels of sucrose or diabetes, and other chronic health high fructose corn syrup on weight loss and related parameters. Nutrition Journal. 2012. 11:55. Contrary to contemporary reports, the conditions are multi-faceted, brought introduction of HFCS (isoglucose) in on by many different factors, not just Murphy S. The state of the science on dietary the latter quarter of the 20th century one. Allegations that fructose causes sweeteners containing fructose. Journal of Nutrition. 2009. 139(6):1269S-12. did very little to change the ratio of increased fat production or increased simple sugars to starch, or the ratio appetite and weight gain are based on Sievenpiper et al. Effect of Fructose on of glucose to fructose. Why? Because poorly crafted experiments which often Body Weight in Controlled Feeding Trials—A HFCS and sucrose have nearly the Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Annals of test extremely high levels of fructose, Internal Medicine. 2012. 156(4):291-304. same composition and HFCS simply much higher than the levels found in a replaced sucrose in many applications typical human diet. These studies are Sievenpiper et al. ‘Catalytic’ doses of fructose on a one-for-one basis. may benefit glycaemic control without harming also generally carried out in animals cardiometabolic risk factors: a small meta- A Joint Consultation of the World that are poor models for human analysis of randomised controlled feeding trials. Health Organization and the United metabolism. Consequently, the findings British Journal of Nutrition. 2012. 108(3):418-23. from these studies are extreme, and Nations Food and Agriculture Song et al. Is obesity development associated Organization found that consumption not applicable to real-life situations. with dietary sugar intake in the U.S.? Nutrition. of sugars is not a causative factor in 2012. 28(11-12):1137–1141. any disease, including obesity. Summary Sun SZ, Anderson HG, Flickinger BD, Williamson- Hughes PS, Empie MW. Fructose and non- Fructose and HFCS are not the same. fructose sugar intakes in the US population and their associations with indicators of metabolic Fructose is sweeter than sucrose so syndrome. Food and Chemical Toxicology. 2011. less is needed to achieve the same 49(11):2875–2882. sweetness, offering calorie savings. Fructose has a low glycemic index US Government Printing Office. High fructose corn syrup. Code of Federal Regulations (21CFR and does not cause surges and dips in 184.1866). Federal Register. 1996. 61(165):43447. blood glucose levels. Pure crystalline fructose offers many functional US Government Printing Office. Federal Register. 1983. 48(27):5715. benefits when added to a wide range of foods and beverages, improving Wang et al. The Effects of Fructose Intake on product palatability and stability. Serum Uric Acid Vary Among Controlled Dietary Trials. Journal of Nutrition. 2012. 142(5):916-29.