Editing Sugar (section)

== Types ==

=== Monosaccharides ===

Fructose, galactose, and glucose are all simple sugars, monosaccharides, with the general formula {{chem2|C6H12O6}}. They have five hydroxyl groups (−OH) and a carbonyl group (C=O) and are cyclic when dissolved in water. They each exist as several [[isomer]]s with dextro- and laevo-rotatory forms that cause polarized light to diverge to the right or the left.<ref name=Manual>{{cite book |title=Manual of Nutrition; Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |last=Buss |first=David |author2=Robertson, Jean |year=1976 |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |location=London |pages=5–9 }}</ref>

* '''[[Fructose]]''', or fruit sugar, occurs naturally in fruits, some root vegetables, cane sugar and honey and is the sweetest of the sugars. It is one of the components of sucrose or table sugar. It is used as a [[High-fructose corn syrup|high-fructose syrup]], which is manufactured from hydrolyzed corn starch that has been processed to yield [[corn syrup]], with enzymes then added to convert part of the glucose into fructose.<ref>{{cite book |first=Norman |last=Kretchmer |author2=Claire B. Hollenbeck |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vFUYelP6ht0C |title=Sugars and Sweeteners |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-8493-8835-4 |publisher=CRC Press, Inc.}}</ref>
* '''[[Galactose]]''' generally does not occur in the free state but is a constituent with glucose of the disaccharide [[lactose]] or milk sugar. It is less sweet than glucose. It is a component of the antigens found on the surface of [[red blood cell]]s that determine [[ABO blood group system|blood groups]].<ref name="Raven and Johnson">{{cite book |title=Understanding Biology |edition=3rd |first=Peter H. |last=Raven |author2=George B. Johnson |name-list-style=amp |page=203 |isbn=978-0-697-22213-8 |year=1995 |editor=Carol J. Mills |publisher=WM C. Brown}}</ref>
* '''[[Glucose]]''' occurs naturally in fruits and plant juices and is the primary product of [[photosynthesis]]. [[Starch]] is converted into glucose during digestion, and glucose is the form of sugar that is transported around the bodies of animals in the bloodstream. Although in principle there are two [[enantiomer]]s of glucose (mirror images one of the other), naturally occurring glucose is D-glucose. This is also called '''dextrose''', or ''grape sugar'' because drying grape juice produces crystals of dextrose that can be [[sieve]]d from the other components.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Teller|first=George L.|date=January 1918|title=Sugars Other Than Cane or Beet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kynnAAAAMAAJ|journal=The American Food Journal|pages=23–24|access-date=19 March 2023|archive-date=15 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415074234/https://books.google.com/books?id=kynnAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> Glucose syrup is a liquid form of glucose that is widely used in the manufacture of foodstuffs. It can be manufactured from starch by [[enzymatic hydrolysis]].<ref>{{Ullmann |author=Schenck, Fred W. |title=Glucose and Glucose-Containing Syrups   |doi=10.1002/14356007.a12_457.pub2 }}</ref> For example, [[corn syrup]], which is produced commercially by breaking down [[maize starch]], is one common source of purified dextrose.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 |url=https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=184.1857 |access-date=12 September 2020 |website=AccessData, US Food and Drug Administration |archive-date=6 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200906163303/https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=184.1857|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, dextrose is naturally present in many unprocessed, [[whole food]]s, including [[honey]] and fruits such as grapes.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ireland |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uK5Gkzs-DfQC&q=dextrose+naturally&pg=PT280 |title=A Dictionary of Dentistry|date=25 March 2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-158502-9}}</ref>

=== Disaccharides ===

Lactose, maltose, and sucrose are all compound sugars, disaccharides, with the general formula {{chem2|C12H22O11}}. They are formed by the combination of two monosaccharide molecules with the exclusion of a molecule of water.<ref name=Manual/>

* '''[[Lactose]]''' is the naturally occurring sugar found in milk. A molecule of lactose is formed by the combination of a molecule of galactose with a molecule of glucose. It is broken down when consumed into its constituent parts by the enzyme [[lactase]] during digestion. Children have this enzyme but some adults no longer form it and they are unable to digest lactose.<ref>{{britannica|id=327315 |title=Lactase }}</ref>
* '''[[Maltose]]''' is formed during the germination of certain grains, the most notable being [[barley]], which is converted into [[malt]], the source of the sugar's name. A molecule of maltose is formed by the combination of two molecules of glucose. It is less sweet than glucose, fructose or sucrose.<ref name=Manual/> It is formed in the body during the digestion of starch by the enzyme [[amylase]] and is itself broken down during digestion by the enzyme [[maltase]].<ref>{{britannica|id=360586 |title=Maltase }}</ref>
* '''[[Sucrose]]''' is found in the stems of sugarcane and roots of sugar beet. It also occurs naturally alongside fructose and glucose in other plants, in particular fruits and some roots such as carrots. The different proportions of sugars found in these foods determines the range of sweetness experienced when eating them.<ref name=Manual/> A molecule of sucrose is formed by the combination of a molecule of glucose with a molecule of fructose. After being eaten, sucrose is split into its constituent parts during digestion by a number of enzymes known as [[sucrase]]s.<ref>{{britannica|id=571354 |title=Sucrase }}</ref>