Facts About Crystalline Fructose

Fructose occurs naturally in fruits, vegetables and their juices, as well as honey. It gives these foods their sweet taste. Fructose in crystalline form has been widely used for the past 20 years as a nutritive sweetener in foods and beverages.

What is fructose? Fructose is a simple sugar that occurs naturally in foods. It gives fruits their sweet taste. Crystalline fructose obtained from processing corn or sugar is used in food and beverages as a nutritive sweetener. It’s roughly 1.2 times the sweetness of table sugar in most food applications. Although originally marketed as a health supplement, crystalline fructose became available as a food ingredient about 20 years ago. However, when compared to all other naturally occurring and added starches, syrups and sweeteners, fructose contributes only a small amount of calories to the average American diet.

What is the difference between crystalline fructose and high fructose corn syrup? Crystalline fructose and high-fructose corn syrup are often mistakenly confused as the same product. Crystalline fructose is simply pure fructose in crystalline form. It’s 100% fructose. High-fructose corn syrup is composed of nearly equal amounts of fructose and glucose.

What are the advantages of crystalline fructose? Crystalline fructose offers unique benefits when used in a variety of products, including improved product texture, taste and stability. When combined with other sweeteners and starches, crystalline fructose boosts sweetness, cake height (in baked goods) and mouth-feel of foods and beverages. In addition, it produces a pleasing brown surface color and pleasant aroma when baking.

Is fructose safe? The safety of fructose, both crystalline fructose and high-fructose corn syrup, has been thoroughly and consistently documented in authoritative scientific reviews conducted over the past 25 years. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded, “High fructose [corn] syrup is as safe for use in food as sucrose, corn sugar, corn syrup and invert sugar.” An International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Expert Panel concluded, "Fructose is a valuable, traditional source of food energy, and there is no basis for recommending increases or decreases in its use in the general food supply or in special dietary use products."

Source: www. fructose.org/pdf/ADAFructosefactsheetfinal.pdf The contents of this fact sheet have been reviewed by the American Dietetic Association’s Fact Sheet Review Board. The appearance of this information does not constitute an endorsement by ADA of the sponsor’s products or services. This fact sheet was prepared for the general public. Questions regarding its content and use should be directed to a registered dietitian.