At a Glance

	Sugar*1	Honey2	High Fructose Corn Syrup3	Xylitol4	Saccharin5
How many calories?	4/gram (dry solids basis)	4/gram (dry solids basis)	4/gram (dry solids basis)	2.4/gram (dry solids basis)	0/gram (dry solids basis)
How sweet is it?	benchmark	as sweet as sugar	HFCS-55 as sweet as sugar; HFCS-42 about 92% as sweet	as sweet as sugar	300-500 times sweeter than sugar
What's in it?	50% fructose 50% glucose	48% fructose 52% glucose	HFCS-55: 55% fructose 45% glucose HFCS-42: 42% fructose 58% glucose	100% xylitol	100% saccharin
Is it natural?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
How is it used?	sweetener, preservative, flavor enhancer, texturizer, bulking agent, fermentation agent, humectant (retains moisture)	sweetener, preservative, flavor enhancer, texturizer, fermentation agent	sweetener, preservative, flavor enhancer, texturizer, bulking agent, fermentation agent, humectant (retains moisture)	sweetener, calorie reducer, preservative, flavor enhancer, bulking agent, humectant (retains moisture), non-cariogenic (does not promote cavities)	sweetener, calorie reducer
What are the benefits?	maintains flavor when heated, excellent creaming agent, gives cookies a crunchy top	lends a distinct floral note to products, contains antioxidant compounds	enhances fruit and spice flavors, keeps foods fresh, improves texture of high fiber products	reduces plaque formation and aids in the repair of damaged tooth enamel	provides sweetness without calories
What is it made from?	domestic and imported sugar cane and sugar beets	nectar from a variety of flowers and trees; most honey is now imported from China	yellow dent corn primarily grown in the United States	glucose primarily derived from the corn wet milling process or xylan from hardwood trees	methyl anthranilate
How is it made?	pulping sugar cane (slicing sugar beets); milling to separate juice from fiber (diffusion to extract sugar from beets); removal of impurities; evaporation; crystallization; separation of crystals via centrifugation; decolorization; evaporation; separation	extracting honey from the comb by centrifugal force, gravity or straining; heat pasteurization; high pressure filtration	steeping corn; physical separation of the kernel; break down starch to glucose; use of enzymes to invert glucose to fructose; removal of impurities; and blending of glucose and fructose	disintegration of xylan-rich materials; hydrolysis of recovered xylan to xylose; chromatographic purification of xylose; hydrogenation of xylose to xylitol via nickel catalyst; crystallization	diazotization of methyl anthranilate to 2-carbomethoxybenzene-diazonium chloride; sulfonation followed by oxidation to 2-carbomethoxybenzene-sulfonyl chloride; amidation followed by acidification to form insoluble acid saccharin; addition of sodium or calcium hydroxide to produce soluble sodium and calcium saccharin

* Sugar is synonymous with the term sucrose, a disaccharide of 50% fructose and 50% glucose linked by a chemical bond. (C12H22O11)

1. See generally Alexander RJ. 1998. Sweeteners: Nutritive. Eagan Press; Coulston AM, Johnson RK. 2002. Sugar and sugars: Myths and realities. J Am Diet Assoc 102(3):351-353; Environmental Protection Agency, AP 42, Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors, Vol. 1, § 9.10.1.1 Sugarcane Processing (5th ed.). Galloway JH. 1996. History of sugar - Domestication to the 17th Century, abstracted from Annals of the Ass'n of Am. Geographers, Vol. 86, No. 4, at 682-706 (Dec. 1996); Chou CC. 2000. Sugar refining processes and equipment, in Handbook of Sugar Refining: A Manual for the Design and Operation of Sugar Refining Facilities.

2. See generally Alexander RJ. 1998. Sweeteners: Nutritive. Eagan Press; National Honey Board. 2007. Honey: A Reference Guide to Nature's Sweetener.

3. See generally Alexander RJ. 1998. Sweeteners: Nutritive. Eagan Press; Hanover LM, White JS. 1993. Manufacturing, composition, and applications of fructose. Am J Clin Nutr 58(suppl 5):724S-732S; White JS. 1992. Fructose syrup: production, properties and applications, in FW Schenck & RE Hebeda, eds, Starch Hydrolysis Products - Worldwide Technology, Production, and Applications. VCH Publishers, Inc. 177-200.

4. See generally Olinger P, Pepper T. 2001. Xylitol, in O'Brien Nabors L, ed. Alternative Sweeteners. 3rd ed. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. 335-366; Calorie Control Council. 2007. Questions & Answers About Polyols.

5. See generally Pearson RL. 2001. Saccharin, in O'Brien Nabors L, ed. Alternative Sweeteners. 3rd ed. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. 147-165; Calorie Control Council. 2007. Low-Calorie Sweeteners: Saccharin.

	Sugar* 1	Honey 2	High Fructose Corn Syrup 3	Fruit Juice Concentrate 4	Glucose 5
How many calories?	4/gram (dry solids basis)	4/gram (dry solids basis)	4/gram (dry solids basis)	4/gram (dry solids basis)	4/gram (dry solids basis)
How sweet is it?	benchmark	as sweet as sugar	HFCS-55 as sweet as sugar; HFCS-42 about 92% as sweet	as sweet as sugar	67% as sweet as sugar
What sugars are in it?	50% fructose 50% glucose	48% fructose 52% glucose	HFCS-55: 55% fructose 45% glucose HFCS-42: 42% fructose 58% glucose	Grape juice: 50% fructose 50% glucose	100% glucose
Is it natural?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
How is it used?	sweetener, preservative, flavor enhancer, texturizer, bulking agent, fermentation agent, humectant (retains moisture)	sweetener, preservative, flavor enhancer, texturizer, humectant (retains moisture)	sweetener, preservative, flavor enhancer, texturizer, bulking agent, fermentation agent, humectant (retains moisture)	sweetener, preservative, flavor enhancer, humectant (retains moisture)	preservative, flavor enhancer, texturizer, bulking agent
What are the benefits?	maintains flavor when heated , excellent creaming agent, gives cookies a crunchy top	lends a distinct floral note to products, contains antioxidant compounds	enhances fruit and spice flavors, keeps foods fresh, improves texture of high fiber products	similar benefits to HFCS and honey; provides a consumer-friendly label	improves textures and enhances colors without masking natural flavors
What is it made from?	domestic and imported sugar cane and sugar beets	nectar from a variety of flowers and trees; most honey is now imported from China	yellow dent corn primarily grown in the United States	juices from a variety of domestic and imported fruits, primarily apple, grape and pear	yellow dent corn primarily grown in the United States
How is it made?	pulping sugar cane (slicing sugar beets); milling to separate juice from fiber (diffusion to extract sugar from beets); removal of impurities; evaporation; crystallization; separation of crystals via centrifugation; decolorization; evaporation; separation	extracting honey from the comb by centrifugal force, gravity or straining; heat pasteurization; high pressure filtration	steeping corn; physical separation of the kernel; break down starch to glucose; use of enzymes to invert glucose to fructose; removal of impurities; blending of glucose and fructose	heating fruit juices to remove water; treating with enzymes; filtering	steeping corn; physical separation of the kernel; break down starch to glucose; removal of impurities

*Sugar is synonymous with the term sucrose, a disaccharide of 50% fructose and 50% glucose linked by a chemical bond. (C12H22O11)

1. See generally Alexander RJ. 1998. Sweeteners: Nutritive. Eagan Press; Coulston AM, Johnson RK. 2002. Sugar and sugars: Myths and realities. J Am Diet Assoc 102(3):351-353. Environmental Protection Agency, AP 42, Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors, Vol. 1, § 9.10.1.1 Sugarcane Processing (5th ed.). Galloway JH. History of sugar - Domestication to the 17th Century, abstracted from Annals of the Ass'n of Am. Geographers., Vol. 86, No. 4, at 682-706 (Dec. 1996); Chou CC. 2000. Sugar refining processes and equipment, in Handbook of Sugar Refining: A Manual for the Design and Operation of Sugar Refining Facilities.

2. See generally Alexander RJ. 1998. Sweeteners: Nutritive. Eagan Press; National Honey Board. 2007. Honey: A Reference Guide to Nature's Sweetener.

3. See generally Alexander RJ. 1998. Sweeteners: Nutritive. Eagan Press; Hanover LM, White JS. 1993. Manufacturing, composition, and applications of fructose. Am J Clin Nutr 58(suppl 5):724S-732S; White JS. 1992. Fructose syrup: production, properties and applications, in FW Schenck & RE Hebeda, eds, Starch Hydrolysis Products - Worldwide Technology, Production, and Applications. VCH Publishers, Inc. 177-200.

4. See generally Nobigrot T, Chasalow FI, Lifshitz F. 1997. Carbohydrate absorption from one serving of fruit juice in young children: age and carbohydrate composition effects. J Am Coll Nutr 16:152-158; Chaplin M, Bucke C. 1990. Enzymes in the fruit juice, wine, brewing and distilling industries, in Enzyme Technology. Cambridge Univ. Press.

5. See generally Alexander RJ. 1998. Sweeteners: Nutritive. Eagan Press; Hebeda RE. 1987. Corn Sweeteners, in Watson SA & Ramstad PE, eds Corn Chemistry & Technology, 2nd Edition. American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 501-534.

	Sorbitol	Xylitol	Maltitol	Erythritol	Lactitol
How many calories?	2.6/gram	2.4/gram	2.1/gram	0.2/gram	2.0/gram
How sweet is it?	60% as sweet as sugar	equally sweet as sugar at 10% solids	90% as sweet as sugar	65% as sweet as sugar	40% as sweet as sugar
What's in it?	100% sorbitol	100% xylitol	100% maltitol	100% erythritol	100% lactitol
How is it used?	sweetener, humectant (retains moisture), texturizing agent and anti-crystallizing agent	sweetener	sweetener, fat replacer	sweetener	sweetener, preservative
What are the benefits?	provides bulk and sweetness with a cool taste	reduces plaque formation and aids in the repair of damaged tooth enamel	has physical, chemical and organoleptic (sensory) properties similar to sucrose	low in calories and high digestive tolerance	promotes growth of beneficial bacteria in the colon, such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli
What is it made from?	glucose primarily derived from the corn wet milling process	glucose primarily derived from the corn wet milling process or xylan from hardwood trees	maltose primarily derived from the corn wet milling process	glucose primarily derived from the corn wet milling process	lactose from milk
How is it made?	hydrogenation of glucose	hydrogenation of xylose	hydrogenation of maltose	fermentation of glucose	hydrogenation of the glucose part of lactose (milk sugar)

1. See generally O'Brien Nabors L, ed. 2001. Alternative Sweeteners. 3rd ed. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc.; Calorie Control Council. 2007. Questions & Answers About Polyols; International Food Information Council. December 2006. Sugar Alcohols Fact Sheet.

	Acesulfame Potassium	Aspartame	Neotame	Sucralose	Saccharin
How many calories?	0/gram	4/gram	4/gram	0/gram	0/gram
How sweet is it?	200 times sweeter than sugar	200 times sweeter than sugar	7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar	600 times sweeter than sugar	300 times sweeter than sugar
What is it?	6-Methyl-1,2,3- oxathiazine- 4(3H)-one 2,2- dioxide, potassium salt	L-α-Aspartyl-L- phenylalanine 1-methyl ester	N-[N-(3,3- dimethylbutyl)- L-α-aspartyl]-L- phenylalanine 1- methyl ester	1,6-dichloro-1,6- dideoxy-ß-D- fructofuranosyl-4- chloro-4-deoxy-ß-D- galactopyranoside	1,2-Benzisothiazol- 3(2H)-one 1,1-dioxide
Is it natural?	No	No	No	No	No
How is it used?	sweetener, calorie reducer	sweetener, calorie reducer	sweetener, calorie reducer	sweetener, calorie reducer	sweetener, calorie reducer
What are the benefits?	highly stable sweetener, does not contribute to tooth decay	enhances citrus and other fruit flavors, does not contribute to tooth decay	highly stable sweetener, enhances mint flavors, does not contribute to tooth decay	highly stable sweetener that can be used almost anywhere sugar is used, does not contribute to tooth decay	highly stable sweetener, does not contribute to tooth decay
What is it made from?	acetoacetamide-N-sulfonic acid	aspartic acid and phenylalanine	aspartame	sucrose	methyl anthranilate
How is it made?	cyclization of acetoacetamide-N-sulfonic acid with sulphur trioxide and then neutralization with potassium hydroxide	L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine are chemically combined with a methyl ester group	reductive alkylation of aspartame and 3,3-dimethylbutyraldehyde followed by purification, drying and milling	chlorine atoms are chemically substituted for hydroxyl groups on the sugar molecule	diazotization of methyl anthranilate to 2-carbo- methoxybenzene- diazonium chloride; sulfonation followed by oxidation to 2-carbomethoxybenzene- sulfonyl chloride; amidation followed by acidification to form insoluble acid saccharin; addition of sodium or calcium hydroxide to produce soluble sodium and calcium saccharin

1.See generally O'Brien Nabors L, ed. 2001. Alternative Sweeteners. 3rd ed. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc.; Calorie Control Council. 2007. Low-Calorie Sweeteners; International Food Information Council. May 2006. Facts about Low-Calorie Sweeteners.

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