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Comparison of Sweeteners
The food, drink and health products you buy and use every day get their sweet taste from a variety of sweeteners. In bran cereals, for instance, high fructose corn syrup helps retain moisture and
makes bran cereal palatable. In spaghetti sauce, high fructose corn syrup reduces the acidity and
tartness of cooked tomatoes. In baked goods, high fructose corn syrup offers excellent browning characteristics and provides fermentable sugars necessary for yeast-raised products. It also enhances fruit and spice flavors in yougurts and marinades. Here's a quick, side-by-side look at some of the most common types of sweeteners you'll see on nutrition labels.
| Sugar (1) | Honey (2) | HFCS (3) | Xylitol (4) | Saccharin (5) | |
| How sweet is it? | Sugar is the benchmark | Honey is as sweet as sugar | There are two types: HFCS-55 as sweet as sugar; HFCS-42 about 92% as sweet | Xylitol is as sweet as sugar | Saccharin is 300-500 times sweeter than sugar |
| How many calories per gram? | 4/gram (dry solids basis) | 4/gram (dry solids basis) | 4/gram (dry solids basis) | 2.4/gram (dry solids basis) | 0/gram (dry solids basis) |
| What's in it? | 50% fructose 50% glucose (saccharides, dry solids basis) | 48% fructose 52% glucose (saccharides, dry solids basis) | HFCS-55: 55% fructose 45% glucose HFCS-42: 42% fructose 58% glucose (saccharides, dry solids basis) | 100% xylitol | 100% saccharin |
| Is it natural? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| How is it used? | Sugar is a sweetener, preservative, flavor enhancer, texturizer, bulking agent, fermentation agent, and it retains moisture. | Honey is a sweetener, preservative, flavor enhancer, texturizer, fermentation agent, and it retains moisture. | High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener, preservative, flavor enhancer, texturizer, bulking agent, fermentation agent, and it retains moisture. | Xylitol is a sweetener, calorie reducer, preservative, flavor enhancer, bulking agent. It retains moisture and does not promote cavities. | Saccharin is a sweetener and calorie reducer. |
| What are some benefits of it? | Sugar maintains flavor when heated, is an excellent creaming agent and gives cookies their crunchy top. | Honey lends a distinct floral note to products and contains antioxidant compounds. | High fructose corn syrup enhances fruit and spice flavors, keeps foods fresh and improves texture of high fiber products. | Xylitol reduces plaque formation and aids in the repair of damaged tooth enamel. | Saccharin provides sweetness without calories. |
| What's it made from? | Domestic and imported sugar cane and sugar beets | Nectar from a variety of flowers and trees. In 2008, approximately 59% of honey consumed in the U.S. was imported. (6) | Yellow dent corn primarily grown in the United States. | Glucose primarily derived from the corn wet milling process or xylan from hardwood trees. | Methyl anthranilate |
1. See generally Alexander RJ. 1998. Sweeteners: Nutritive. Eagan Press; Coulston AM, Johnson RK. 2002. Sugar and sugars: Myths and realities. J Am Diet Assoc 102(3):351-353; Environmental Protection Agency, AP 42, Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors, Vol. 1, § 9.10.1.1 Sugarcane Processing (5th ed.). Galloway JH. 1996. History of sugar - Domestication to the 17th Century, abstracted from Annals of the Ass'n of Am. Geographers, Vol. 86, No. 4, at 682-706 (Dec. 1996); Chou CC. 2000. Sugar refining processes and equipment, in Handbook of Sugar Refining: A Manual for the Design and Operation of Sugar Refining Facilities.
2. See generally Alexander RJ. 1998. Sweeteners: Nutritive. Eagan Press; National Honey Board. 2007. Honey: A Reference Guide to Nature's Sweetener.
3. See generally Alexander RJ. 1998. Sweeteners: Nutritive. Eagan Press; Hanover LM, White JS. 1993. Manufacturing, composition, and applications of fructose. Am J Clin Nutr 58(suppl 5):724S-732S; White JS. 1992. Fructose syrup: production, properties and applications, in FW Schenck & RE Hebeda, eds, Starch Hydrolysis Products - Worldwide Technology, Production, and Applications. VCH Publishers, Inc. 177-200.
4. See generally Olinger P, Pepper T. 2001. Xylitol, in O'Brien Nabors L, ed. Alternative Sweeteners. 3rd ed. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. 335-366; Calorie Control Council. 2007. Questions & Answers About Polyols.
5. See generally Pearson RL. 2001. Saccharin, in O'Brien Nabors L, ed. Alternative Sweeteners. 3rd ed. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. 147-165; Calorie Control Council. 2007. Low-Calorie Sweeteners: Saccharin.
6. U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2009. Table 46—U.S. honey production, imports, exports, stocks, and average price, by calendar year. Sugar and Sweeteners Yearbook.