Difference Between Fructose and Sugar

Fructose vs Sugar

You’ve surely heard of sugar a lot, from how it nourishes the body to how it can be harmful when taken in large amounts. Sugar is present in sweet foodstuffs such as chocolates, cakes, and candies. When the word ‘sugar’ is mentioned, one would automatically be reminded of sweetness. There are many kinds of sugars, and sometimes, people tend to mistake one for the other. Table sugar and simple sugar, for example, are different from each other. The simple sugar, glucose, is a monosaccharide, while table sugar, or sucrose, is a disaccharide. Glucose is the base form of sugar, along with two other monosaccharides, namely galactose and fructose.
Fructose was first identified by Augustin Dubrunfault way back in 1847. Fructose is a white lump which can dissolve easily in water due to its high water solubility. A lot of sweets contain fructose, such as tree fruits, honey, melons, and various kinds of root vegetables. Fructose is usually accompanied by other simple sugars such as glucose. When fructose and glucose combine, they form the disaccharide sucrose.
It can be said that fructose is the most popular among all the sugars because it is affordable, and it is also the sweetest-tasting sugar. When taken simultaneously with other sugars, the sweet taste of fructose The low cost of integrating fructose into foodstuffs has enabled food companies to mix a lot of fructose into their products in order to attain sweetness.
Fructose is produced naturally by fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, tomatoes, beet sugar, onions, and most notably cane sugar. Because of the advances in technology, however, food companies prefer to utilize artificially-made fructose. Processed beverages which contain the highest number of high-fructose corn syrup are fruit juices.
There are two popular forms of artificially-made fructose, namely high-fructose corn syrup and crystalline fructose. The latter is made up solely of fructose in its monosaccharide form, while the former contains a mixture of glucose as well. When table sugar is digested by the body, its disaccharide nature is split up, resulting in the release of both fructose and glucose.
A significant advantage of fructose over other sugars is that it does not cause any significant rise in blood pressure, unlike other sugars which, upon intake, can easily trigger a blood pressure increase. However, like other sugars, fructose should not be consumed too much. Another difference of fructose from other sugars is that it is digested in the liver. Other sugars such as glucose are processed in one’s bloodstream to facilitate the release of insulin. When there’s too much fructose, the liver rejects some of it and releases the excess sugar into the bloodstream. The excess fructose is converted into triglycerides. An abundance of triglycerides may cause heart disease. That’s why one’s fructose intake should be regulated.
Summary:
1. Fructose is a type of simple sugar. It is a monosaccharide, along with other sugars such as glucose and galactose.
2. Glucose and fructose combine to form sucrose, a disaccharide.
3. Fructose was first identified by Augustin Dubrunfault way back in 1847. Fructose is a white lump which can dissolve easily in water due to its high water solubility.
4. Fructose is the most popular among all the sugars because it is affordable, and it is also the sweetest-tasting sugar.
5. Fructose is produced naturally by fruits and vegetables. However, food companies prefer to utilize artificially-made fructose.
6. There are two popular forms of artificially-made fructose, namely high-fructose corn syrup and crystalline fructose.
7. A significant advantage of fructose over other sugars is that it does not cause any significant rise in blood pressure. However, too much fructose intake can cause the formation of triglycerides, which are bad for one’s health.

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