Fructose

Fructose is a monosaccharide and a carbohydrate. Fructose, also known as fruit sugar, occurs naturally in fruit and vegetables. Fructose is also a component of table sugar. It is also widely used in processed foods as a sweetener. Fructose tastes sweet and is even 2.5 times sweeter than glucose. In the past, we consumed far less fruit sugar than we do nowadays. This is because it is now widely used in industry. It is cheaper and easier to process than ordinary sugar.

It occurs naturally mainly in fruit and vegetables, and products made from them:

• Fruit: e.g. apple, pear, cherry
• Vegetables, e.g. asparagus, artichoke, sugar snap peas
• Fruit juices: e.g. apple juice or pear juice
• Dried fruit: e.g. sultanas, figs and dates
• Fruit compotes and jams
• Honey, apple syrup, pear syrup
• Fructose syrup (increasingly used by industry as a sweetener in products)
• Soft drinks
• Confectionery
• Salad dressing and other sauces
• Bread
• Muesli /Cruesli (bars)
• Alcohol
• Lactulose (a laxative)