Sweeteners in Food
Sweeteners add sweetness to foods and drinks. This list covers sugars and syrups as well as low- and no-calorie sweeteners such as sugar alcohols and high-intensity sweeteners.
Sugar
Sugar, specifically sucrose, is a common carbohydrate found naturally in many plants. It is primarily extracted and refined from sugarcane …
What is Sugar? →
Corn Syrup
Corn syrup is a thick, sweet liquid made from corn starch. It is produced by breaking down corn starch into …
What is Corn Syrup? →
Dextrose
Dextrose is a simple sugar, chemically identical to glucose. It is commonly produced from corn starch through a process called …
What is Dextrose? →
High Fructose Corn Syrup
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a liquid sweetener made from corn starch. The starch is first broken down into glucose, …
What is High Fructose Corn Syrup? →
Cane Sugar
Cane sugar is a common type of sugar, chemically known as sucrose, that is derived from the sugarcane plant. It …
What is Cane Sugar? →
Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is a type of sugar that gets its characteristic brown color and flavor from molasses. It can be …
What is Brown Sugar? →
Honey
Honey is a sweet, thick, liquid food produced by honey bees. Bees collect nectar from flowers, which they then process …
What is Honey? →
Molasses
Molasses is a thick, dark syrup that is a byproduct of refining sugar cane or sugar beets into sugar. It …
What is Molasses? →
Corn Syrup Solids
Corn syrup solids are a dried form of corn syrup, produced by removing most of the water from liquid corn …
What is Corn Syrup Solids? →
Sucralose
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that is about 600 times sweeter than sugar. It is made by chemically modifying sucrose, …
What is Sucralose? →
Organic Cane Sugar
Organic cane sugar is a sweetener derived from sugarcane plants. It is produced by crushing sugarcane stalks to extract the …
What is Organic Cane Sugar? →
Invert Sugar
Invert sugar is a syrup made from sucrose (table sugar) that has been broken down into its two component sugars: …
What is Invert Sugar? →
Acesulfame Potassium
Acesulfame potassium, also known as Ace-K, is an artificial, calorie-free sweetener. It is a synthetic compound derived from acetoacetic acid …
What is Acesulfame Potassium? →
Fructose
Fructose is a simple sugar, also known as a monosaccharide, naturally found in fruits, vegetables, and honey. It is often …
What is Fructose? →
Sorbitol
Sorbitol is a type of sugar alcohol found naturally in fruits like apples, pears, peaches, and prunes. It is also …
What is Sorbitol? →
Glucose Syrup
Glucose syrup is a thick, sweet liquid made by breaking down starches, typically from corn, potatoes, or wheat. This process, …
What is Glucose Syrup? →
Apple Juice Concentrate
Apple juice concentrate is made by pressing fresh apples to extract their juice, then removing most of the water through …
What is Apple Juice Concentrate? →
Aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial, low-calorie sweetener. It is made by combining two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, which are …
What is Aspartame? →
Organic Sugar
Organic sugar is a type of sugar produced from sugarcane or sugar beets that have been grown and processed according …
What is Organic Sugar? →
Tapioca Syrup
Tapioca syrup is a liquid sweetener made from tapioca starch, which comes from the cassava root. It is produced by …
What is Tapioca Syrup? →
Erythritol
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol, a type of carbohydrate that tastes sweet but has very few calories. It is found …
What is Erythritol? →
Vegetable Glycerin
Vegetable glycerin is a clear, odorless, and sweet-tasting liquid. It is a sugar alcohol derived from plant oils, such as …
What is Vegetable Glycerin? →
Glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar, also known as a monosaccharide, and is a fundamental source of energy for the body. …
What is Glucose? →
Stevia Leaf Extract
Stevia leaf extract is a natural, calorie-free sweetener derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant. The sweet compounds, …
What is Stevia Leaf Extract? →
Brown Rice Syrup
Brown rice syrup is a sweetener made from brown rice. It is produced by cooking brown rice and then using …
What is Brown Rice Syrup? →
Barley Malt Extract
Barley malt extract is a thick, sweet syrup made from malted barley grains. To make it, barley grains are first …
What is Barley Malt Extract? →
Powdered Sugar
Powdered sugar, also known as confectioners' sugar or icing sugar, is granulated sugar that has been finely ground into a …
What is Powdered Sugar? →
Pure Cane Sugar
Pure cane sugar is a common sweetener derived from sugar cane plants. It is primarily composed of sucrose, a disaccharide …
What is Pure Cane Sugar? →
Maltitol
Maltitol is a sugar alcohol, which is a type of carbohydrate. It is produced from maltose, a sugar found in …
What is Maltitol? →
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is a natural sweetener made from the sap of maple trees, primarily sugar, red, or black maple trees. …
What is Maple Syrup? →
Organic Honey
Honey is a sweet, viscous food substance made by honey bees from the nectar of flowers. Bees collect nectar and …
What is Organic Honey? →
Monk Fruit Extract
Monk fruit extract is a natural sweetener derived from the monk fruit, a small, round fruit native to Southeast Asia. …
What is Monk Fruit Extract? →
Polydextrose
Polydextrose is a soluble fiber made from glucose. It is produced by heating a mixture of dextrose (glucose), sorbitol, and …
What is Polydextrose? →
Sucrose
Sucrose is a common sugar found naturally in plants like sugarcane and sugar beets. It is a disaccharide made of …
What is Sucrose? →
Stevia Extract
Stevia extract is a high-intensity sweetener derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant. The sweet compounds, called steviol …
What is Stevia Extract? →
Liquid Sugar
Liquid sugar is a syrup made by dissolving sugar (sucrose) in water. It is typically produced from sugar cane or …
What is Liquid Sugar? →
Barley Malt
Barley malt is a sweetener made from sprouted barley grains. The grains are steeped in water, allowed to sprout, and …
What is Barley Malt? →
Organic Tapioca Syrup
Organic tapioca syrup is a sweetener made from the starch of the cassava root, also known as the tapioca plant. …
What is Organic Tapioca Syrup? →
Malt Syrup
Malt syrup is a sweetener made from barley malt. The grains are sprouted, then mashed with water to create a …
What is Malt Syrup? →
Organic Brown Rice Syrup
Organic brown rice syrup, also called rice malt or rice syrup, is a sweetener made from organic brown rice. The …
What is Organic Brown Rice Syrup? →
Icing Sugar
Icing sugar, also known as powdered sugar or confectioners' sugar, is a very finely ground form of granulated sugar. It …
What is Icing Sugar? →
Stevia
Stevia is a high-intensity sweetener derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant, native to South America. The sweet …
What is Stevia? →
Maltitol Syrup
Maltitol syrup is a sugar alcohol produced from maltose, which is a sugar found in starch. It is made by …
What is Maltitol Syrup? →
Xylitol
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that occurs naturally in small amounts in many fruits and vegetables. It is commercially produced …
What is Xylitol? →
Glucose-fructose Syrup
Glucose-fructose syrup is a liquid sweetener made from corn starch. The corn starch is broken down into glucose, which is …
What is Glucose-fructose Syrup? →
Glycerol
Glycerol, also known as glycerin, is a simple sugar alcohol. It is a clear, colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is …
What is Glycerol? →
Turbinado Sugar
Turbinado sugar is a type of raw cane sugar. It is made by crushing sugarcane to extract the juice, which …
What is Turbinado Sugar? →
Dried Cane Syrup
Dried cane syrup is a sweetener made from the juice of sugarcane. The juice is evaporated to remove water, leaving …
What is Dried Cane Syrup? →
Rice Syrup
Rice syrup, also known as rice malt or rice sweetener, is a liquid sweetener made from cooked rice that has …
What is Rice Syrup? →
Granulated Sugar
Granulated sugar, also known as sucrose, is a common type of sugar made from sugar cane or sugar beets. It …
What is Granulated Sugar? →
Other ingredient types
Note:
This site presents label data from USDA FoodData Central for general information. It is not medical advice.
Check the package label; formulations change.