Formula: C6H12O6 Molar
Mass: 180.1572g
Fructose:
(aka) Laevulose, fruit sugar, fructosteril, Levugen, Laevosan,
Arabino-hexulose, laevoral, and fructopyranose.
The Life and Times
of Fructose
Fructose, also known as levulose and fruit sugar, is a simple sugar that
is produced by almost all fruits and many vegetables. I t was discovered in the
early 1960's and by the late1960's, High-fructose syrup, or HFS, was developing.
HFS
is developed by mixing almost equal amounts or glucose and fructose. fructose has
become the main sweetener used in the United States. The average American takes in
about 37g of fructose every day, or about 8% of his or her total energy intake per
day. It is nearly twice as sweet as sucrose, or table sugar. The amount of fructose found naturally in fruits and
vegetables alone contributes to about 40 to 60 percent of an individual's total fructose
intake. Fructose is a
carbohydrate with the same formula as glucose, however, the two have different structures.
The Sweet
Rewards of Fructose
Fructose is used to sweeten foods such as gelatin deserts,
jellies, soft drinks, syrups, and certain diet foods. An equimolar mixture of
fructose and glucose, called invert sugar, which is obtained by the breakdown of sucrose,
is the major component of honey. Fructose containing foods taste as sweet as similar
foods that are made with sucrose, but the fructose foods contain fewer calories. Ice
cream and candies have fructose in them to achieve a smooth texture. Fructose also
absorbs moisture so it helps to keep baked goods from becoming stale. |
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*This
site was created by Stephanie White*