Fructose is a sugar produced by nearly all fruits and by many vegetables. Fructose, also known as levulose and fruit sugar, is nearly twice as sweet as sucrose (table sugar). Fructose is used to sweeten such food products as diet foods, gelatin desserts, jellies, soft drinks, and syrups. It is the chief sweetener in honey.
Foods that contain fructose taste as sweet as similar foods made with sucrose, but they may have fewer calories. Fructose gives ice cream and candies a smooth texture. It also absorbs moisture readily and so helps keep baked goods from becoming stale.
Fructose is produced commercially as a liquid, powder, or tablet. Food-processing companies use fructose primarily in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, which is obtained from cornstarch.
