Sugar-containing ingredients

Now that you know that there is little difference between brown sugar vs white sugar, that added sugar consumption in Australia is higher than it should be and how to read food labels, it is time to put it all together by looking at sugar-containing ingredients.

What is sugar?

The term sugar “refers to all carbohydrates of the general formula C_n(H₂O)_n” (1). Single sugars such as glucose and fructose are known as monosaccharides. Two monosaccharides linked together (e.g. sucrose = glucose + fructose, lactose = glucose + galactose) are known as disaccharides. Many sugars linked together are known as polysaccharides.

Added and free sugars

As a reminder, added sugars are those that don’t occur naturally in foods and free sugars include added sugars and the sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates (1).

Also as a reminder, free sugars should be limited to 10% or less of your daily energy intake as recommended by the World Health Organisation (2).

The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend to limit the intake of added sugars with no specific target (3).

Sugar-containing ingredients

Sugar-containing ingredients can appear in food labels under lots of names. These include natural, added and free sugars. The way they are metabolised in our bodies might differ, so they are not necessarily 100% equivalent. Regardless, all contribute toward your total sugar intake.

There are a few reasons why manufacturers may include several types of sugar in a product. In some cases this is because different types of sweeteners contribute different physical properties in the finished product. This can also be a strategy to cut costs by using cheaper ingredients. Another reason to include multiple sweetener ingredients is so that they don’t appear early in the ingredients list (remember that ingredients on packages are listed in descending order by weight). The moral here is that you should read the full ingredients list instead of just the few first ingredients.

Note that the words “organic”, “non-GMO”, “natural”, “all natural”, “vegan”, etc. do not automatically make ingredients healthier.

I’ve put together the lists of sugar ingredients below using mostly the OpenFoodFacts.org ingredients file.

Sugars, honeys and syrups

Most of these can be immediately identified as sugars but some are a little obscure. Some enjoy a “healthy food halo” and some are demonised, but they all contribute to your energy intake and rise your blood sugar to some extent.

acacia honey
barley malt syrup
blackstrap molasses
blend of honeys
blonde cane sugar
blue agave nectar
blue agave syrup
brown rice syrup
brown rice syrup solids
brown sugar
brown sugar molasses
brown sugar syrup
burnt sugar syrup
cane and beet sugar
cane invert syrup
cane juice
cane juice solids
cane molasses
cane sugar
cane sugar syrup
cane syrup
cane syrups
caramel sugar syrup
caramel syrup
caramelised sugar
caramelised sugar syrup
caramelized sugar
caramelized sugar syrup
caster sugar
certified cane sugar
cinnamon sugar
clover honey
coconut nectar
coconut sugar
coconut syrup
confectioner sugar
confectioners sugar
confectioner’s sugar
corn and malt syrup
corn sugar
corn sweetener
corn syrup
corn syrup solids
crystalline fructose
cultured cane sugar
cultured corn sugar
cultured corn syrup solids
cultured sugar
dark brown sugar
date syrup
dehydrated cane juice
dehydrated glucose syrup
demerara sugar
dried cane syrup
dried sugar cane syrup
dry honey
dry molasses
evaporated cane juice
evaporated cane sugar
evaporated cane syrup
evaporated sugar cane
fancy molasses
fructose syrup
fructose-glucose syrup
glucose
glucose solids
glucose syrup
glucose syrup solids
glucose-fructose
glucose-fructose syrup
golden syrup
granulated sugar
grape sugar
high fructose
high fructose corn sweetener
high fructose corn syrup
high fructose syrup
high maltose corn syrup
honey
honey solids
icing sugar
invert cane sugar
invert evaporated cane syrup
invert sugar
invert sugar syrup
lactose
lactose powder
light amber honey
light brown sugar
light corn syrup
liquid brown sugar
liquid glucose
liquid invert sugar
liquid sucrose
liquid sugar
malt syrup
malted barley syrup
malted corn and barley syrup
maltose
maltose syrup
maple sugar
maple syrup
milk sugar
molasses
molasses solids
muscovado sugar
oat syrup solids
orange blossom honey
palm sugar
pineapple syrup
powdered sugar
pure cane sugar
pure honey
pure maple syrup
raw caster sugar
raw honey
raw sugar
raw white honey
real sugar
refined cane sugar
refined sugar
refiners syrup
refiner’s syrup
refinery syrup
rice syrup
rice syrup solids
sorghum syrup
starch syrup
sucrose
sugar
sugar beet syrup
sugar cane syrup
sugar corn syrup
sugar syrup
sugarcane molasses
syrup
syrup blend
tapioca syrup solids
thyme honey
trehalose
turbinado sugar
unrefined cane sugar
unrefined sugar
unsulphured molasses
wheat glucose syrup
wheat syrup
white cane sugar
white sugar
whole cane sugar
wildflower honey

Juice and fruit concentrates

I’ve used apple as an example, many other juices and purees are used in food manufacturing. According to the Australian Dietary Guidelines, 1/2 cup of 100% fruit juice counts as one serve of fruit (3), however eating the whole fruit is best.

apple concentrate
apple juice concentrate
apple juice from concentrate
apple puree concentrate
apple puree from concentrate
concentrated apple juice
concentrated fruit and vegetable juice
concentrated juice
fruit and vegetable concentrates
fruit and vegetable juice concentrate
fruit concentrates
fruit juice concentrate

Dried fruits

Dried fruits are not inherently unhealthy but they are a concentrated source of sugar. According to the Australian Dietary Guidelines, small amounts of dried fruit can count towards your daily fruit intake (3), however fresh is best.

black raisins
currants
date*
dried apple
dried apple pieces
dried banana
dried cranberries
dried dates
dried fruit and nut blend
dried fruits
dried goji berries
dried raspberries
dried tart cherries
evaporated apples
freeze dried raspberries
freeze dried strawberries
golden raisins
medjool dates*
sultana raisins
sultanas

* Although dates can be found fresh, they are very high in natural sugars.

Chemical compounds

These are non-naturally occurring substances that are used as sweeteners and contribute to energy intake.

anhydrous dextrose
cerelose
corn dextrin
corn dextrose
corn maltodextrin
cultured dextrose
cultured dextrose and maltodextrin
dextrose
dextrose monohydrate
D-glucose
isomaltulose
maltodextrin
maltodextrine
maltodextrins
potato maltodextrin
rice dextrin
rice dextrins
rice maltodextrin
short chain fructo oligosaccharides
sucromalt
tapioca dextrin
tapioca dextrose
tapioca maltodextrin
vegetable glycerine
vegetable glycerol

Other

The following are examples of ingredients that might show up in packages and should be considered as sources of sugar.

apricot jam
banana chips
caramel paste
caramel sauce
caramel swirl
caramel topping
condensed milk
condensed semi skimmed milk
crystallized ginger
date paste
fig paste
raisin paste
raspberry jam
sweetened condensed semi skimmed milk
sweetened condensed whole milk

Summary and recommendations

Sugar-containing ingredients have many names, some of which can be hard to identify. Statistics show that average added sugar intake is higher than recommended, so it’s important to be aware what are those sources of sugar in products, particularly in foods that you eat on a regular basis. Finally, quantity matters. A food product with added sugars is not inherently evil if the amount of sugar within the serving size you are eating is relatively low (check my article on how to read food labels for more tips).

Finally, a reminder that if you are an athlete, you are eating for performance and not only for health. Speak to your sports dietitian if you are concerned about your added sugar intake.

References

Clarke MA, Singh RP. Sugar: Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.; [cited 2020 09/08/2020]. Available from: https://www.britannica.com/science/sugar-chemical-compound.
Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2015.
National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian Dietary Guidelines. Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council; 2013.

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Sugar-containing ingredients

What is sugar?

Added and free sugars