There's a reason why I didn’t say High Fructose Corn Syrup (HCFS). HFCSs aren’t the only ones that are high in fructose –
Wait, What?
Bottom line, all sugars are high in fructose, except for regular DE corn syrups and high-maltose corn syrups!
Need more details? Here we go!
In my opinion, the case of HCFS is something like what they did to that poor dog—you know—the one that was given a bad name and then hung.
There are two main types of corn-based syrups. These are corn syrups (CS) and high-fructose corn syrups (HFCS). Regular CSs contain free glucose and variable lengths of polymers made up of glucose. In other words, they do not contain any fructose. These corn syrups are designated by a DE (Dextrose Equivalent) number, which could range from DE 20 to a DE of 99.
HFCSs are designated by the percentage of fructose in them, and contain both glucose and fructose, with fructose ranging from 42 to 90 percent. Those generally used for food applications are HCFS 42, 55, and mixtures thereof.
Sucrose is a disaccharide made of glucose and fructose units, 1:1 ratio, whereas, maltose is a disaccharide, made of 2 glucose units.
Table 1. Sugar constituents in some commonly used sweeteners
Wait, What?
Bottom line, all sugars are high in fructose, except for regular DE corn syrups and high-maltose corn syrups!
Need more details? Here we go!
In my opinion, the case of HCFS is something like what they did to that poor dog—you know—the one that was given a bad name and then hung.
There are two main types of corn-based syrups. These are corn syrups (CS) and high-fructose corn syrups (HFCS). Regular CSs contain free glucose and variable lengths of polymers made up of glucose. In other words, they do not contain any fructose. These corn syrups are designated by a DE (Dextrose Equivalent) number, which could range from DE 20 to a DE of 99.
HFCSs are designated by the percentage of fructose in them, and contain both glucose and fructose, with fructose ranging from 42 to 90 percent. Those generally used for food applications are HCFS 42, 55, and mixtures thereof.
Sucrose is a disaccharide made of glucose and fructose units, 1:1 ratio, whereas, maltose is a disaccharide, made of 2 glucose units.
Table 1. Sugar constituents in some commonly used sweeteners
*May contain traces; ND, Not Determined
** May contain other types of disaccharides
*** Composition of Bee's honey varies depending on the source
Considering the composition of various sweeteners out there, you can decide for yourself what the culprits are, if you are considering fructose to be the enemy.
The commonly used HFCSs in the food industry are more or less similar to granulated sugar, which is 99% sucrose. One could say, sucrose or common table sugar, is still better than HFCS 55 as HFCS has 5% more fructose. However, when used in a food product, the purpose of a sweetener is to provide, well… sweetness. The relative sweetness of HFCS 55 is higher than that of sucrose. Therefore, the quantity of HCFS 55 you would need to attain the same sweetness will be less than that of sucrose. Accordingly, HFCS 55 could lower the total amount of sugar consumed as well as both glucose and fructose fractions per serving.
If we consider the composition of Bee's honey, sucrose will give rise to 50:50 fructose:glucose, whereas maltose is to 100% glucose. So, its sugar composition is not very different than that of a HFCS. However, Bee's honey also contains many other substances such as minerals (up to ~1%), vitamins (< 0.004%), amino acids (< 0.03%), various enzymes, acids, and bioactive compounds that makes it unique as a substance that is not only sweet, but also possesses antibacterial and medicinal properties. It has been used in Ayurveda medicines for centuries.
Agave syrup consists of 90% fructose. This is a true and extremely HIGH fructose sugar syrup. I would not recommend agave syrup for someone who's goal is to lose weight. Of course, the quantity of agave syrup used in a food product will be less than that of table sugar used to obtain the same sweetness, and therefore the total sugars consumed would be low per serving. However, if you are using agave syrup as the sole sweetener at home, you will be, predominantly, consuming free fructose more often.
Maple syrup sugar composition is more or less similar to table sugar, but again, it contains many beneficial organic acids (malic acid up to 0.7%, succinic, citric and fumaric), minerals (<0.8%, mainly potassium, magnesium and calcium), antioxidants (phenolic compounds), traces of vitamins, and various bioactive compounds and phytochemicals.
STOP! Think it through -- These are all sweeteners. They are NOT vitamin or mineral supplements. They all are high in sugars. Choose wisely!
You can refer to the following, which I read prior to writing this article, for more information
** May contain other types of disaccharides
*** Composition of Bee's honey varies depending on the source
Considering the composition of various sweeteners out there, you can decide for yourself what the culprits are, if you are considering fructose to be the enemy.
The commonly used HFCSs in the food industry are more or less similar to granulated sugar, which is 99% sucrose. One could say, sucrose or common table sugar, is still better than HFCS 55 as HFCS has 5% more fructose. However, when used in a food product, the purpose of a sweetener is to provide, well… sweetness. The relative sweetness of HFCS 55 is higher than that of sucrose. Therefore, the quantity of HCFS 55 you would need to attain the same sweetness will be less than that of sucrose. Accordingly, HFCS 55 could lower the total amount of sugar consumed as well as both glucose and fructose fractions per serving.
If we consider the composition of Bee's honey, sucrose will give rise to 50:50 fructose:glucose, whereas maltose is to 100% glucose. So, its sugar composition is not very different than that of a HFCS. However, Bee's honey also contains many other substances such as minerals (up to ~1%), vitamins (< 0.004%), amino acids (< 0.03%), various enzymes, acids, and bioactive compounds that makes it unique as a substance that is not only sweet, but also possesses antibacterial and medicinal properties. It has been used in Ayurveda medicines for centuries.
Agave syrup consists of 90% fructose. This is a true and extremely HIGH fructose sugar syrup. I would not recommend agave syrup for someone who's goal is to lose weight. Of course, the quantity of agave syrup used in a food product will be less than that of table sugar used to obtain the same sweetness, and therefore the total sugars consumed would be low per serving. However, if you are using agave syrup as the sole sweetener at home, you will be, predominantly, consuming free fructose more often.
Maple syrup sugar composition is more or less similar to table sugar, but again, it contains many beneficial organic acids (malic acid up to 0.7%, succinic, citric and fumaric), minerals (<0.8%, mainly potassium, magnesium and calcium), antioxidants (phenolic compounds), traces of vitamins, and various bioactive compounds and phytochemicals.
STOP! Think it through -- These are all sweeteners. They are NOT vitamin or mineral supplements. They all are high in sugars. Choose wisely!
You can refer to the following, which I read prior to writing this article, for more information
- Honey Composition and Properties, By J. W. White, Jr., and L. W. Doner. http://beesource.com/resources/usda/honey-composition-and-properties/
- The chemical composition of honey. D. W. Ball. Journal of Chemical Education. 2007, v84, No.10.
- Corn syrups: clearing g up the confusion. J.S. White. Food Product Design. Sweeteners. 2009, v19, No.12.
- The chemical composition of 80 pure maple syrup samples in North America. J. G. Stuckle, and N.H. Low. Food Research International. 1996, v29, Issue 3-4.