Definition:

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SWEETEST®Fructose syrup Health Benefits:

SWEETEST®Fructose syrup is a sweetener produced from starch by a process involving enzymatic hydrolysis and isomerisation. Its core components are glucose and fructose, and it contains no sucrose. It is categorised into various grades based on its fructose concentration. Due to its high sweetness, low cost and functional properties, it is widely used in industries such as food and beverage production, and is one of the world's most popular sweeteners.

■ Source

The core raw material for SWEETEST®Fructose syrup is starch-rich grain, primarily maize (over 90% of global HFCS production uses maize), though other sources of starch, such as wheat, rice and potatoes, may also be used. The selected raw materials must meet requirements for a high starch content and minimal impurities. For example, maize typically contains 60-70% starch, making it the optimal choice for industrial production. When maize is used as the feedstock, the process begins with cleaning and impurity removal (i.e. eliminating soil, stones, weed seeds, etc.). Wet milling is then used to degerminate and extract the germ, which is used for corn oil production. The remaining corn endosperm is then ground and screened to produce a corn starch slurry. This slurry is then subjected to centrifugal separation, washing and drying to produce high-purity corn starch, which is used directly in the production of fructose syrup.

Particularities of SWEETEST®Corn syrup solid:

Product Specifications:

SWEETEST®Fructose syrup is available in the following specification and contents:

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☑ SWEETEST®Fructose syrup F42/F55/F60/F90

Product quality standards:

● GB/T 20882.4, Food grade, In-house

▶ Rapid energy supply

▶ Metabolic health

SWEETEST®Fructose syrup Applications:

The primary application domain for SWEETEST®Fructose syrup is food, spanning multiple categories including beverages, baked goods, and confectionery. It optimises palatability, enhances product stability and improves processing characteristics while meeting the efficiency demands of industrial production. In beverages, it is highly soluble, integrating quickly with beverage systems. Its aqueous solution remains transparent, preserving the colour of the drink. It is highly stable in acidic environments (such as carbonated drinks and fruit juices), resisting hydrolysis and deterioration following high-temperature processes such as UHT sterilisation, thereby extending the product's shelf life. It significantly lowers the freezing point, inhibiting ice crystal growth in frozen beverages and enhancing smoothness while preventing overly hard textures after freezing.

Its rapid energy-supplying properties make it ideal for sports drinks, replenishing energy while causing minimal blood sugar spikes through fructose metabolism. In baked goods, it delays moisture loss and texture hardening, extending shelf life. As a reducing sugar, its Maillard reaction activity exceeds that of sucrose, facilitating the rapid development of a uniform golden colour and rich baked flavour, and reducing the need for artificial colourings and flavourings. Its fermentability by yeast accelerates dough fermentation, shortens proving times and improves the volume and flavour complexity of bread. High fructose corn syrup exhibits anti-crystallisation properties, preventing 'sugar bloom' during the storage of confectionery and maintaining a uniform texture. Its moderate viscosity enables the hardness and chewiness of sweets to be adjusted. It is highly compatible with cocoa butter and milk powder, and incorporating it into chocolate improves its smoothness, reduces the bitterness of dark chocolate and enhances its thermal stability. In dairy products, it blends harmoniously with the flavours of milk fat without masking the natural creaminess. Its mild sweetness balances acidity and sweetness, thereby improving palatability. It is easily fermented by lactic acid bacteria, and its addition to yoghurt promotes probiotic growth, shortens fermentation time and extends shelf life. In ice cream, it optimises the structure of ice crystals for enhanced smoothness, and it exhibits strong low-temperature stability to prevent a coarse texture forming after freezing.

The rapid energy supply characteristics and processing compatibility of fructose-glucose syrup make it a vital excipient in dietary supplements, particularly suited for scenarios such as energy replenishment and nutritional support for specific populations. Energy-supplementing products primarily take the form of meal replacement powders, energy bars, fitness supplements, and emergency energy powders. Glucose and fructose are rapidly absorbed by the body, providing instant energy for fitness enthusiasts and those engaged in heavy physical labour. Its liquid form facilitates blending with other ingredients or incorporation into solid supplements, enhancing palatability and mitigating the unpleasant taste of raw materials like protein powders. Applications in post-operative nutritional supplements, specialised formula foods for individuals with compromised digestive function, and geriatric nutritional preparations leverage its readily absorbable carbohydrates to reduce digestive system burden, making it suitable for energy replenishment during recovery periods or for those with gastrointestinal disorders. Highly stable with excellent compatibility alongside proteins, vitamins, and minerals in formulations, without impairing nutrient absorption. In fermented supplements, fructose syrup readily undergoes fermentation by probiotics, supplying them with energy to maintain viability within the product. This enhances probiotic colonisation in the gut, improves the palatability of fermented supplements, and mitigates off-flavours arising from fermentation.

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The glucose in SWEETEST®Fructose syrup is absorbed and utilised directly by human cells, providing the body with energy swiftly without requiring additional hydrolysis. Although fructose is primarily metabolised in the liver, this process is relatively fast, making it an effective source of energy replenishment. It is ideal for quickly replenishing energy levels after exercise, strenuous physical labour or hunger, and alleviating fatigue. It can also be used as an ingredient in emergency energy supplements, such as energy drinks and instant foods.

The metabolism of fructose does not rely on insulin mediation. Compared to glucose and sucrose, fructose has a lower initial impact on blood glucose levels, with a glycemic index (GI) value of around 20-30. This is lower than the GI values of sucrose (65) and glucose (100). Under medical or nutritional supervision, diabetic patients may benefit from partially substituting sucrose with fructose in measured quantities to reduce abrupt blood glucose fluctuations. However, total intake must be strictly controlled, as excess fructose is still converted into glycogen via the liver and can therefore indirectly affect blood sugar levels.

▶ Gut health

The glucose and fructose in SWEETEST®Fructose syrup are easily fermented by microorganisms such as yeast and lactic acid bacteria. When added to products such as bread, yoghurt and fermented beverages, it accelerates the fermentation process, shortening fermentation time and enhancing flavour complexity (for example, the nutty aroma in bread and the sweet-tart notes in yoghurt). In the case of fermented dairy products such as yoghurt, the appropriate addition of high-fructose corn syrup provides energy for probiotics, helping to maintain their viability and indirectly supporting gut health when combined with suitable probiotic strains.

■ Physical and chemical properties

At ambient temperatures, SWEETEST®Fructose syrup is a transparent or translucent viscous liquid ranging in colour from pale yellow to colourless. The lighter the colour, the higher the fructose content. It exhibits strong hygroscopicity, which increases with fructose content. F90 fructose syrup demonstrates the most pronounced hygroscopicity, readily absorbing moisture in environments with a relative humidity exceeding 60%. Consequently, it requires sealed, moisture-proof storage. It is stable at conventional food processing temperatures (80-120°C). Heating above 150°C gradually induces caramelisation, resulting in darkening and the development of a toasted aroma. It exhibits a pronounced freezing point depression effect, outperforming sucrose. When used in frozen foods, it lowers the freezing point to prevent excessive hardness and enhance texture smoothness. As it contains both glucose and fructose as reducing sugars, it exhibits strong reducing properties and reacts with Fehling's reagent. Its Maillard reaction activity surpasses that of sucrose, enabling the rapid formation of uniform colouration and a rich flavour during baking and thermal processing. It is highly stable in acidic (pH 2-5) and neutral environments and resists hydrolysis, even after high-temperature sterilisation (e.g. UHT pasteurisation of beverages). However, prolonged heating in strongly alkaline conditions (pH>9) triggers decomposition, yielding small-molecule sugars and organic acids. It is readily fermented by microorganisms such as yeast and lactic acid bacteria, making it suitable for fermented foods such as bread and yoghurt. Here, it promotes fermentation and enhances the flavour of the final product.

■ Production technology characteristics

SWEETEST®Fructose syrup is produced using refined starch as a raw material. Key processes include liquefaction, saccharification, isomerisation, purification and concentration. The core step is the conversion of starch into glucose, followed by an isomerisation reaction that transforms some of the glucose into fructose. Initially, a starch slurry is prepared by adding α-amylase at a concentration of 0.05-0.1% of the starch mass and maintaining the mixture at a temperature of 90-100 °C for 30-60 minutes. This breaks down long starch chains into shorter dextrin chains, reducing the viscosity of the slurry. Once liquefaction is complete, the mixture is heated to 120°C for 10 minutes to deactivate the α-amylase and terminate the liquefaction reaction. The pH of the liquefied solution is then adjusted to between 4.2 and 4.5, after which the solution is cooled to between 60 and 65 °C. Saccharifying enzymes are introduced at a concentration of between 0.1% and 0.3% of the starch mass. The mixture is then maintained at this temperature for 12-24 hours. The saccharifying enzymes further hydrolyse the dextrins into glucose, raising the DE value of the sugar solution above 90 and yielding high-purity glucose syrup. Once saccharification is complete, heat to 80-90°C and maintain for 15 minutes to inactivate the saccharifying enzymes. The glucose syrup pH is then adjusted to 7.5-8.0, the temperature is raised to 60-65°C and glucose isomerase is added. Glucose isomerase catalyses the conversion of some of the glucose into fructose. At reaction equilibrium, the glucose conversion rate is approximately 42-45%, yielding F42 fructose syrup with a fructose content of around 42%. To increase the fructose content further, the F42 fructose syrup can be subjected to chromatographic separation to extract high-fructose fractions. These fractions can then be blended with additional F42 syrup to produce F55 (55% fructose) or F90 (90% fructose) syrups.Once the reaction has finished, the glucose isomerase is deactivated by adjusting the pH level or applying heat.

The isomerised sugar solution is then filtered through plate-and-frame filters or ceramic membranes to remove impurities, such as incompletely hydrolysed starch granules, proteins and residual enzyme preparations. Activated carbon adsorption is then used to remove colourants and trace organic impurities, after which the carbon is filtered out. The decolourised syrup then passes through a mixed bed of cation and anion exchange resins to eliminate any remaining electrolytes, heavy metal ions and trace colourants, thus enhancing its purity and clarity. Vacuum concentration is then employed to reduce the refined syrup to a finished fructose-glucose syrup with a concentration of 75%-80% and lower the moisture content to extend the product's shelf life. Finally, once it has passed inspection, the product is packaged and stored.