Fructose in Soft Drinks
Fructose can also used as a sugar substitute in crystalline or syrup form.
It is present naturally in many fruits and in honey, but commercially it is manufactured using sucrose as a starting material.
Sucrose is first hydrolyzed to a glucose-fructose mixture.
The monosaccharides glucose and fructose are separated using chromatography and the fructose is then crystallized.
Fructose has some interesting physiological properties. It is monosaccharide sugar with an energy content of 4 kcals/g (17 kJ/g) but due to its increased sweetness can be used at lower levels than sucrose.
Fructose is slowly absorbed and metabolized by the body, independent of insulin production, and does not cause rapid rises in blood glucose after ingestion.
It is therefore, suitable for diabetics and also for use in drinks intended to act as a lower more sustained energy source.
Owing it to limited effect on blood glucose, it is a low glycaemic index sweetener (compared with glucose).
This is an area of increased nutritional interest and may be a stimulus to the greater use of fructose in drinks.
Fructose has also been shown to have an increase satiety effect, compared with other sweeteners.
Mineral absorption (iron and calcium) has also been shown to be positively affected by the incorporation of fructose into the diet.
Chemically, fructose is very active and it readily takes part in maillard reactions, which may cause browning in some products.
It is available in crystalline anhydrous form and also in high concentrations syrups.
Fructose in Soft Drinks
