Food Sources:

Some sweeteners are made by processing sugar compounds. Others occur naturally.

Sucrose (table sugar) is made from a low-sugar beet juice or sugar cane.

• Sucrose includes raw sugar, granulated sugar, brown sugar, confectioner's sugar, and turbinado sugar. It is made up of glucose and fructose.
• Raw sugar is granulated, solid, or coarse, and is brown in color. It forms when the moisture from the juice of the sugar cane evaporates.
• Brown sugar is made from the sugar crystals from molasses syrup.
• Confectioner's sugar (also known as powdered sugar) is finely ground sucrose.
• Turbinado sugar is unrefined sugar made from sugar cane juice.

Other commonly used sugars include:

• Fructose (fruit sugar) is the naturally occurring sugar in all fruits. It is also called levulose, or fruit sugar. Honey is a combination of fructose, glucose, and water, which is produced by bees.
• Corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup are sugars made from corn. Corn syrup is often used in soft drinks, baked goods, and some canned products. It is a liquid and is made of maltose, glucose, and dextrose sugars.

Sugar alcohols:

• Mannitol mayh have a laxative effect when eaten in large amounts.
• Sorbitol is used in many dietetic food products. It is produced from glucose and is also found naturally in certain berries and fruits. It is absorbed by the body at a much slower rate than sugar and has about half the calories of sugar.
• Erythritol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol found in fruit and fermented foods. It is 60 - 70% as sweet as table sugar, yet it has less calories, does not raise blood sugar, does not cause tooth decay, and does not cause stomach side effects, unlike other sugar alcohols.

Other types of natural sugars:

• Dextrose is glucose combined with water.
• Invert sugar is a sugar that is made by dividing sucrose into its two parts: glucose and fructose. It is sweeter than sucrose and used in a liquid form, and it helps keep candies and baked items sweet.
• Agave nectar is a highly processed type of sugar from the Agave tequiliana (tequila) plant. It is mostly made up of glucose and fructose sugars. Agave nectar is about 1 1/2 times sweeter than regular sugar. It is often substituted for honey or sugar in recipes.

Other types of natural sugars:

• Glucose is found in fruits in small amounts. It is also a syrup made from corn starch.
• Lactose (milk sugar) is the carbohydrate that is in milk. It is made up of glucose and galactose.
• Maltose (malt sugar) is produced during fermentation. It is found in beer and breads.
• Maple sugar comes from the sap of maple trees. It is made up of sucrose, fructose, and glucose.
• Molasses is taken from the residue of sugar cane processing.