Difference between glucose and fructose

In the food industry, it is common to use substances that are quite similar in chemical and physical properties - glucose and fructose. But the difference between them is very significant. What is it?

What is glucose?

Glucose is a monosaccharide that is found in large quantities in many fruits, berries, and juices. It is especially abundant in grapes. Glucose as a monosaccharide is part of the disaccharide - sucrose, which is also found in fruits, berries, especially in large quantities - in beets and cane.

Glucose is formed in the human body as a result of the breakdown of sucrose. In nature, this substance is formed by plants as a result of photosynthesis. But to isolate from the corresponding disaccharide or through chemical processes similar to photosynthesis, the substance in question on an industrial scale is unprofitable. Therefore, not fruits, berries, leaves or ready-made sugar are used as raw materials for the production of glucose, but other substances - most often cellulose and starch. The product we study is obtained by hydrolysis of the appropriate type of raw material.

Pure glucose looks like a white, odorless substance. It has a sweet taste (although it is significantly inferior in this property to sucrose), it dissolves well in water.

Glucose is of great importance for the human body. This substance is a valuable source of energy that is needed for metabolic processes. Glucose can be used as an effective drug for digestive system disorders.

Above, we noted that due to the degradation of sucrose, which is a disaccharide, the monosaccharide glucose is formed, in particular. But this is not the only product of the breakdown of sucrose. Another monosaccharide that is formed as a result of this chemical process is fructose.

Consider its features.

What is fructose?

Fructose, like glucose, is also a monosaccharide. In fruits and berries, it is found both in pure form and in the composition, as we already know, of sucrose. It is present in large quantities in honey, which is about 40% fructose. As in the case of glucose, the substance in question is formed in the human body due to the breakdown of sucrose.

It is worth noting that fructose, in terms of molecular structure, is the isomer of glucose. This means that in terms of atomic composition as well as molecular weight, both substances are identical. However, they differ in the arrangement of the atoms.

One of the most widespread methods of industrial production of fructose is the hydrolysis of sucrose, which is obtained by isomerization, in turn, of starch hydrolysis products.

Pure fructose, unlike glucose, is a transparent crystal. It also dissolves well in water. It can be noted that the melting point of the substance in question is lower than that of glucose. In addition, fructose is sweeter - this property is comparable to sucrose.

Comparison

Despite the fact that glucose and fructose are very close substances (as we noted above, the second monosaccharide is an isomer of the first), it is possible to distinguish more than one difference between glucose and fructose in terms of for example, their taste, appearance, production methods in industry. Of course, the substances under consideration have a lot in common.

Having determined what is the difference between glucose and fructose, as well as fixing a large number of their common properties, we will consider the relevant criteria in a small table.

Table