Fructose

What Is Fructose?

Fructose is a naturally occurring monosaccharide found in fruits, honey, and root vegetables. It is the sweetest of the common dietary sugars. Commercially, fructose is produced by isomerisation of glucose from corn starch hydrolysis (producing high-fructose corn syrup, from which crystalline fructose is isolated) or from sucrose (table sugar) hydrolysis. The crystalline form (pure fructose powder) is used in food and supplement manufacturing.

Fructose is metabolised differently from glucose: it is absorbed via the GLUT5 transporter in the small intestine (glucose uses GLUT2), is transported to the liver where it is primarily metabolised (rather than entering peripheral glucose metabolism directly), and does not acutely stimulate insulin release to the same degree as glucose.

Specification & Form

How It's Sourced

YNP Ingredients sources Fructose from certified manufacturers in India, supplied with FSSAI-compliant documentation.

Applications

• Sports and endurance nutrition beverages (glucose:fructose blends for multi-transporter carbohydrate delivery)
• Confectionery (moist texture due to humectant properties, enhanced browning)
• Reduced-glycaemic-index formulations (not suitable for diabetic products without consultation — fructose has complex metabolic effects)
• Flavour enhancement (fructose has a cleaner, fruity sweetness vs glucose's more neutral profile)

Industries Served

Bakery & Confectionery · Sports Nutrition · Functional Food/Beverage

Evidence Note — Sports Nutrition Application

Multiple controlled studies have demonstrated that co-ingesting fructose with glucose during endurance exercise oxidises more total exogenous carbohydrate than glucose alone (approximately 1.5× more at high carbohydrate intake rates). This is the evidence basis for glucose:fructose blend sports drinks. Currell & Jeukendrup (2008) showed in a randomised trial that glucose:fructose co-ingestion improved 1-hour cycling time trial performance compared to glucose alone. Typical effective ratios studied are 2:1 (glucose:fructose) at total carbohydrate rates of 60–90 g/hour.

Important metabolic note: High chronic fructose intake (primarily from added fructose-containing sugars in the diet, not from whole fruit) is associated with metabolic health concerns including hepatic fat accumulation and metabolic syndrome in susceptible individuals. This is a context for very high doses in habitual diet — not a concern at typical use levels in formulation, but formulators should not position fructose as a "healthier" sugar alternative in marketing without appropriate qualification.

Buyer Checklist

• Confirmed application and appropriate positioning (sports nutrition glucose:fructose blend vs general sweetener)
• COA confirming purity and moisture
• FSSAI-compliant documentation confirmed
• 25 kg pack size and MOQ confirmed