Contents
SOURCES OF FRUCTOSE
Fructose-containing foods
Fructose can be found in many foods. The main ones are the following:
- Fruits and juices: Mainly, it is found abundantly in fruits and fruit juices. One of the richest fruits in fructose is the apple and its juice.
- Honey: It is rich in sugars, mainly fructose and glucose, which usually appear in a composition similar to corn syrup (55% fructose versus 45% glucose). It goes without saying that, in addition to carbohydrates, honey contains other components that make it a special sweetener with dietary properties superior to other sugars.
For example, rosemary honey is good for people with depression, eucalyptus honey for bronchitis, and thyme honey is good for colds.
- Other foods that contain fructose are: tamarind, blueberries, papaya, grapes, plums, mangoes, prickly pears, apricots, strawberry trees, bananas, oranges, pineapple, figs, chicory root and turmeric, among others.
Fructose in processed foods
Table sugar or sucrose: In this case, fructose appears bound together with glucose (it is a disaccharide).
Pure crystallized fructose: It is obtained from cereal starches, especially corn starch, although rice and wheat are also less commonly used. Glucose is obtained from these starches, which is subsequently crystallized by enzymes to obtain fructose.
This product contains over 98% pure fructose. So it has a sweetening power superior to the rest of sugars. It is 20 times sweeter than cane sugar and 5 times sweeter than glucose. It is used as a food and beverage sweetener and as a substitute for natural sugar.
- Molasses: It is the residue from the extraction of sugar from sugar cane and sugar beet.
- Agave nectar: It is a sweetener that is obtained in Mexico from plants of the agave genus. It contains proportions of up to 92% fructose and 8% glucose. It is used to sweeten dishes, especially vegetarian recipes, and cold drinks.
- Corn syrup: Also known as glucose-fructose syrup. Following the above process, pure fructose is obtained. It is then mixed with the desired proportion of glucose to form a sugary product that can replace table sugar. Normally the proportion is usually 42% fructose and 58% glucose. Another combination that can be found is that of 55% fructose and 45% glucose.
Alternatives to fructose. Other types of sweeteners
For people with sugar problems or fructose intolerance there are other types of sweeteners, among which we can highlight:
- Polyols: They have the same calories as carbohydrates but are absorbed very slowly, or sometimes they are not absorbed. So when they reach the colon they can produce side effects such as flatulence.
Some known polyols are xylitol (present in some chewing gums) or steviol, which is obtained from the leaves of the stevia plant.
- Sweeteners: They provide calories such as table sugar or sucrose (4 Kcal./g.). But they are used in very low doses because they have a much higher sweetening power than sucrose.
In this category we have such well-known examples as aspartame (200 times sweeter than table sugar), or saccharin (400 times sweeter than sucrose).
* Related information: Fructose-rich foods table
More information on fructose
