What is crystalline fructose?

When more and more food and beverage ingredients appear in the list of crystalline fructose four words, consumers still know little about crystalline fructose, in the end what is crystalline fructose? Why do more and more foods and beverages, especially nutrition products, choose to use crystalline fructose? In fact, you may not know as much about crystallized fructose as you think.
Crystallized fructose is not a sweetener
Unlike the sweeteners commonly used in the food industry, crystallized fructose is a real “sugar” and is known as a “new source of healthy sugar.”
Crystalline fructose, or hexulose, is a naturally occurring sugar with the highest sweetness, 1.3-1.8 times that of sucrose.
Crystalline fructose is soluble in water (3.5g/mL at 20℃) and ethanol, insoluble in ether, odorless white crystalline powder.
Stable to light and heat, easy to absorb moisture. Pure fructose is colorless needle-like or triangular crystal, so it is called crystalline fructose.
Crystallized fructose metabolizes faster than glucose in the human body, is easily absorbed by the body, and does not depend on insulin, has little effect on blood sugar, suitable for glucose metabolism and liver dysfunction patients to supplement energy, and eat with fat, can inhibit the excessive storage of human fat, while it also has the ability to promote the reproduction of beneficial bacteria, improve intestinal function and metabolism, promote calcium absorption, do not caries and other characteristics.
Crystalline fructose, like sucrose and maltose, can be digested and absorbed by the small intestine and is the source of nutrition for the human body. Diabetic people, obese people, children can also be safe to eat.
Crystallized fructose is not high fructose syrup
Another misconception is that many people think that crystallized fructose and high fructose syrup are the same thing. The truth is that while both contain fructose, HFCS is only 42% or 55% fructose, up to 90% fructose, and the other components are mainly glucose.
The crystalline fructose is a crystalline solid with more than 95% fructose content. According to the current technical level, the content can be 98% or even more than 99%. The glucose level is only a few parts per thousand.
Not only the fructose content is different, but also the crystalline fructose has its own “unique” in application.
Crystalline fructose is very stable after maintaining molecular crystal water, when crystalline fructose absorbs 6-12% water, does not release nor absorb water, can inhibit food dehydration and starch aging, keep products soft, extend shelf life;
Because crystalline fructose contains aldehyde group, it can produce Maillard reaction with amino compounds to make baked goods color.
Crystallized fructose has a strong ability to reduce the freezing point, so it is suitable for frozen food and can improve the taste;
If it is sold in crystalline form, it is difficult to recrystallize once it has been dissolved in food.
This characteristic makes it possible to be used in soft pastries with higher moisture in the future;
Unlike sucrose, crystalline fructose does not decompose under acidic conditions, so the sweetness and flavor of the finished product are not easy to taste during delayed storage.
The peak of the flavor release of crystalline fructose appears before glucose and sucrose, so it can better reflect the flavor of fruit.
Crystallized fructose, if used in conjunction with other sugars or sweeteners, can enhance the feeling of sweetness, improve the sweetness of foods and beverages, while maintaining the fluffiness of baked foods and low viscosity of beverages.
Because of the above uniqueness, crystallized fructose has been widely used around the world.
For example, as an ingredient source in food production and processing; As the main raw material in special nutritional foods; Used as cooking sugar in commonly used household cooking foods; In terms of medical treatment, crystalline fructose has been included in the pharmacopoeia of Europe and the United States and other countries, as an oral agent or injection, especially by diabetic patients as a sugar substitute to regulate nutritional balance.
Crystallized fructose is not a ‘new species’
Although crystallized fructose has not been widely recognized by consumers in China, crystallized fructose is not a “new species”. As early as the mid-1980s, the raw sugar of the beverage, food and confectionery industries in the United States has been completely replaced by fructose.
In 1981, the production of crystallized fructose in the United States was only a few thousand tons, and by 1996, the production of crystallized fructose in the United States had reached about 500,000 tons.
As of 2013, 30 countries and regions around the world have established fructose industries. Due to its good processing characteristics, crystallized fructose has begun to emerge in ordinary food and beverage, and as an important new sugar source for health, with the deepening of consumers’ awareness of crystallized fructose, its role in functional food and beverage, nutrition and health food, and even special medical use of formula food is also expected.