Fructose

Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a simple ketonic monosaccharide found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galactose, that are absorbed directly into the bloodstream during digestion. Fructose was discovered by French chemist Augustin-Pierre Dubrunfaut in 1847. The name "fructose" was coined in 1857 by the English chemist William Miller. Pure, dry fructose is a very sweet, white, odorless, crystalline solid and is the most water-soluble of all the sugars. Fructose is found in honey, tree and vine fruits, flowers, berries, and most root vegetables.

Commercially, fructose is frequently derived from sugar cane, sugar beets, and corn. Crystalline fructose is the monosaccharide, dried, ground, and of high purity. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a mixture of glucose and fructose as monosaccharides. Sucrose is a compound with one molecule of glucose covalently linked to one molecule of fructose. All forms of fructose, including fruits and juices, are commonly added to foods and drinks for palatability and taste enhancement, and for browning of some foods, such as baked goods.

Corn syrup

Corn syrup is a food syrup which is made from the starch of maize (called corn in some countries) and contains varying amounts of maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to soften texture, add volume, prevent crystallization of sugar, and enhance flavor. Corn syrup is distinct from high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is manufactured from corn syrup by converting a large proportion of its glucose into fructose using the enzyme D-xylose isomerase, thus producing a sweeter compound due to higher levels of fructose.

The more general term glucose syrup is often used synonymously with corn syrup, since glucose syrup is in the United States most commonly made from corn starch. Technically, glucose syrup is any liquid starch hydrolysate of mono-, di-, and higher-saccharides and can be made from any source of starch; wheat, tapioca and potatoes are the most common other sources.

Commercial preparation

Historically, corn syrup was produced by combining corn starch with dilute hydrochloric acid, and then heating the mixture under pressure. The process was invented by Gottlieb Kirchhoff in 1812. Currently, corn syrup is obtained through a multi-step bioprocess. First, the enzyme α-amylase is added to a mixture of corn starch and water. α-amylase is secreted by various species of the bacterium Bacillus and the enzyme is isolated from the liquid in which the bacteria were grown. The enzyme breaks down the starch into oligosaccharides, which are then broken into glucose molecules by adding the enzyme glucoamylase, known also as "γ-amylase". Glucoamylase is secreted by various species of the fungus Aspergillus; the enzyme is isolated from the liquid in which the fungus is grown. The glucose can then be transformed into fructose by passing the glucose through a column that is loaded with the enzyme D-xylose isomerase, an enzyme that is isolated from the growth medium of any of several bacteria.

High fructose corn syrup

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) (also called glucose-fructose,isoglucose and glucose-fructose syrup) is a sweetener made from corn starch that has been processed by glucose isomerase to convert some of its glucose into fructose. HFCS was first marketed in the early 1970s by the Clinton Corn Processing Company, together with the Japanese research institute where the enzyme was discovered.

As a sweetener, HFCS is often compared to granulated sugar. Advantages of HFCS over granulated sugar include being easier to handle, and being less expensive in some countries. However, there is also widespread debate concerning whether HFCS presents greater health risks than other sweeteners. Use of HFCS peaked in the late 1990s; demand decreased due to public concern about a possible link between HFCS and metabolic diseases like obesity and diabetes.

Apart from comparisons between HFCS and table sugar, there is strong scientific consensus that the over-consumption added sugar, including HFCS, is a major health problem. Consuming added sugars, especially in the form of soft drinks, is strongly linked to obesity. The World Health Organization has recommended that people limit their consumption of added sugars to 10% of calories, but experts say that typical consumption of empty calories in the United States is nearly twice that level.

Fat Chance

Fat Chance may refer to:

The Bitter Truth

The Bitter Truth is a German brand of concentrated cocktail bitters, liqueurs and flavored spirits, introduced in 2006.

History

The Bitter Truth was founded in Germany in 2006 by Munich-based bartenders Stephan Berg and Alexander Hauck. Berg and Hauck had prior experience creating bitters for their respective bars because of the difficulty they faced sourcing bitters in Germany. In founding the company, Berg and Hauck wanted to bring back long-defunct flavors of cocktail bitters.

In August 2006, The Bitter Truth was introduced with two flavors, Orange Bitters and Old Time Aromatic Bitters. The company's bitters are made with a blend of herbs, citrus peels and other aromatics, and soaked in alcohol. The Bitter Truth bitters are registered as a spirit, unlike most bitters, which are typically classified as a flavoring.

The company produces full-size 200 milliliter bottles of bitters, as well as the Cocktail Bitters Traveler's Set of five 20 milliliter bottles, which was introduced in 2010 and includes their Celery, Old Time Aromatic, Orange, Creole and Jerry Thomas bitters. The New Orleans-style Creole Bitters, combining flavors of anise, fennel and caraway, was released in the US in 2010. With notes of angostura bark, cloves, ginger, orange, cinnamon, tangerine and almonds, the Jerry Thomas Bitters are named after 19th-century American bartender Jerry Thomas, and based on one of his recipes. The Jerry Thomas Bitters won a Gold Medal and was voted Best in Class at the 2010 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition, while the Celery Bitters and Creole Bitters won Silver Medals at the same competition. The Celery Bitters was named Best Spirit of the Year at the 2008 Mixology Bar Awards in Germany, and Best New Product at the 2010 Tales of the Cocktail. In 2010, The Bitter Truth expanded its offerings to include liqueurs and flavored spirits.