Sugars & Natural Sweeteners
BasicOverview
Even "natural" sugars in ultra-processed foods undergo extensive refining including crystallization, decolorization, and purification that removes minerals, vitamins, and trace nutrients present in traditional sweeteners. Industrial sugar processing creates pure sucrose isolated from its natural food matrix.
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Products contain this
22,249
Ingredient variations
Common forms
Natural sugars including cane sugar, beet sugar, honey, maple syrup
Function
Refined sugars provide precise sweetness levels, consistent crystallization properties, and predictable fermentation substrates essential for standardized food manufacturing. Industrial processing enables specific particle sizes and dissolution rates required for automated production.
Sources
Sugar refining involves multiple crystallization stages, sulfitation or carbonation for purification, and bone char or ion exchange for decolorization. This contrasts with traditional sweeteners like jaggery or panela that retain natural molasses and minerals.
Health Considerations
Refined sugars lack the minerals, antioxidants, and trace nutrients found in traditional unrefined sweeteners. Industrial processing creates pure calories without the complementary nutrients that moderate sugar metabolism in whole foods.
Regulatory
FDA requires added sugar labeling on Nutrition Facts panels with Daily Value of 50g. No regulatory distinction exists between refined and less processed sugars despite significant compositional differences.
Common Variations (50 total)
Products Containing Sugars & Natural Sweeteners
Showing 12 of 1,015,224 products, sorted by processing level