Fructose as a sweetener in foods is primarily used.
Currently sweetener widely used in the world there are more than 20 species, can be divided into the following categories:
A) monosaccharides, disaccharides, sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, lactose, xylose and other natural sugars.
2) oligosaccharides, mainly Isomaltooligosaccharide, fructooligosaccharides, galactose, lactulose, XOS, lactulose, raffinose, stachyose.
3) sugar alcohols include sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol, lactitol, erythritol, and xylitol.
4) chemical synthesis sweeteners, saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame, sucralose and the like.
These types of products has its own characteristics and advantages, there are also significant deficiencies. These shortcomings have limited their use. These disadvantages are:
A) monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, sugar alcohols low sweetness, to use a large amount equivalent sweetness.
2) high synthetic sweetener sweetness, but many products have a bitter taste and a metallic taste, taste impure, etc., need to add sweetness inhibitors and fillers.
3) biological stability oligosaccharides, sugar alcohols is poor. Synthetic sweeteners generally better stability, but there are no satisfactory place. If aspartame is not high temperature and acidic conditions, can not be used for a long time heating baked goods, many sweeteners can not be used for acidic foods.
4) Food hygroscopic sugar alcohols large, low viscosity, the impact of food processing, can not be used on dry solid foods.
5) difficult to absorb sugar alcohols, excessive intake can cause diarrhea or gastrointestinal discomfort, such as bloating, pain, belching, etc.
6) synthetic sweetener product safety remains in doubt.
7) oligosaccharide, sucralose, sugar alcohols, higher prices for some products.
In contrast, fructose combines the advantages of several types of sweeteners, is a good general-purpose sweetener.
1) high sweetness, with less, without adding special additives (synthetic sweeteners advantage)
2) its metabolic pathways and insulin-independent, human intake will not cause fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin levels advantage (sugar alcohols, chemical sweetener category)
3) fast metabolism in the liver, has a protective effect on the liver glycogen synthesis rapidly, can improve liver function, protect the liver (the advantages of oligosaccharides)
4) easy to tooth decay (the advantages of sugar alcohols occur)
5) natural sugars, green and safe (sugars, sugar alcohols, oligosaccharides advantages)
6) flavor taste good (some sugar alcohols, oligosaccharides advantages)
Fructose sweetness also has good synergy, can be mixed with other sweeteners. This synergistic mechanism mixed with other high-fructose sweetener sweetness of sugar in the chemical synthesis becomes more prominent. On the one hand can greatly enhance the sweetness sweeteners, on the other hand can reduce or eliminate sodium saccharin or aspartame and other undesirable bitter taste after taste
