Crystalline Fructose
Crystalline Fructose is a food-grade dry fructose ingredient used as a nutritive carbohydrate sweetener, soluble-solids contributor, humectant and formulation tool in beverages, bakery, confectionery, dairy desserts, nutrition products and processed foods. It is valued where manufacturers need high sweetness impact, rapid solubility, moisture-management contribution and clean dry handling compared with liquid fructose syrups.
For industrial sourcing, Crystalline Fructose should be specified by purity, moisture, particle size, bulk density, colour, dextrose and other sugar profile, microbiological limits, packaging, origin and application fit. This page is prepared for purchasing teams, R&D formulators, quality managers, regulatory teams and import coordinators who need a technical basis for supplier comparison and quotation requests.
Product identity
| Product | Crystalline Fructose |
|---|---|
| Common names | D-Fructose, fructose, levulose, fruit sugar |
| Category | Sweeteners & Carbohydrate Ingredients |
| Function | Nutritive sweetener, soluble carbohydrate, humectant, bulking ingredient, browning-support ingredient and sweetness optimiser |
| E / INS number | Usually handled as a food ingredient or carbohydrate sweetener rather than a single standard E-number additive; confirm by destination market and supplier documentation |
| CAS / identity | 57-48-7 |
| Molecular formula | C6H12O6 |
| Typical form | White crystalline powder, fine crystal, granule or agglomerated free-flowing grade |
| Main sourcing note | Specify application, particle size, flow requirement, purity, moisture, packaging, origin, halal/kosher requirements and destination-market label rules before quotation. |
Application fit
Potential use areas may include the following, subject to formulation trials, nutrition-label review, customer standards and destination-market rules:
- Powdered beverages, instant drink mixes, sports drinks and flavoured beverage bases
- Carbonated and still beverages where dry sweetener handling or syrup make-up is required
- Bakery products, cakes, soft cookies, snack cakes, fillings and sweet dough systems
- Confectionery, gummies, hard candy, jellies, syrups, fondants and chewing gum systems
- Dairy desserts, frozen desserts, yogurts, flavoured milk and plant-based alternatives
- Nutrition powders, meal replacements, protein drinks and supplement-style food products
- Fruit preparations, jams, sauces, dressings, marinades and sweet-savoury processed foods
- Dry premixes, flavour carriers and soluble solids adjustment systems
Technical overview for industrial buyers
Crystalline Fructose is a dry, high-purity fructose ingredient that can be used when formulators want sweetness, carbohydrate solids and functional sugar behaviour without handling a liquid syrup. It is different from high-fructose corn syrup because it is supplied as a crystalline dry ingredient rather than a liquid glucose-fructose syrup. This difference affects storage, dosing, water addition, solids calculation, packaging, transport economics and production workflow.
In many food systems, fructose provides stronger perceived sweetness than sucrose at similar solids, but sweetness perception depends on temperature, acidity, flavour system, concentration and product matrix. It is also a reducing sugar, so it can participate in browning reactions during heat processing. Its hygroscopic and humectant behaviour can be useful for softness and moisture retention, but it also requires careful packaging and warehouse humidity control.
Functional value in food systems
Sweetness optimisation
Crystalline Fructose can help formulators reach target sweetness with a different sweetness profile than sucrose, glucose or maltodextrin. It may be useful for sugar-system balancing, flavour enhancement and reducing total sweetener solids in selected applications.
Soluble solids contribution
As a dry carbohydrate ingredient, it contributes solids to beverages, syrups, fillings, confectionery and dairy systems. This makes it different from high-intensity sweeteners, which provide sweetness but little or no bulk.
Humectancy and softness
Fructose can bind moisture and help manage softness in bakery, confectionery, fruit preparations and sweet systems. This benefit must be balanced against caking risk, stickiness and package moisture control.
Browning and flavour development
Because fructose is a reducing sugar, it can support browning and flavour development during heating. This can be beneficial in bakery and cooked systems but must be controlled where colour stability or light shade is required.
Crystalline Fructose versus related sweetener systems
| Ingredient | Industrial difference | Purchasing implication |
|---|---|---|
| Crystalline Fructose | Dry, crystalline, high-fructose ingredient with strong sweetness, high solubility and low moisture. | Useful where dry handling, high purity, accurate dosing and low incoming water are required. |
| High-fructose corn syrup | Liquid syrup containing water, fructose and glucose; requires tanks or drums and changes water balance. | Compare solids, transport cost, storage tank requirements, microbiological control and syrup handling. |
| Sucrose | Disaccharide sugar with different sweetness profile, crystallisation behaviour and browning response. | One-for-one replacement may change sweetness, texture, browning, water activity and nutrition labeling. |
| Dextrose / glucose | Reducing sugar with lower sweetness than fructose and different crystallisation and fermentation behaviour. | Useful comparison point in bakery, fermentation, confectionery and powdered beverage systems. |
| Polyols | Bulk sweeteners such as sorbitol, maltitol, erythritol and xylitol with different caloric and digestive profiles. | Do not treat fructose as a polyol; regulatory, nutrition and digestive labeling requirements differ. |
| High-intensity sweeteners | Sweeteners such as sucralose, acesulfame-K or stevia provide sweetness with little or no bulk. | When replacing fructose with high-intensity sweeteners, separate bulking and texture systems may be needed. |
Application matrix
| Food or process area | Typical technical objective | Key questions before sourcing |
|---|---|---|
| Beverages and beverage powders | Provide sweetness, rapid dissolution and soluble carbohydrate solids. | What dissolution speed, clarity, pH, sweetness target, powder flow and packaging humidity protection are required? |
| Sports drinks and nutrition beverages | Support carbohydrate delivery, sweetness and flavour balance in liquid or powdered products. | Will the product claim energy, carbohydrate blend, reduced sugar or specific nutritional positioning? |
| Bakery and soft baked goods | Support sweetness, moisture retention, browning, softness and flavour development. | Will fructose affect dough stickiness, proofing, browning rate, water activity and shelf-life softness? |
| Confectionery and syrups | Adjust sweetness, soluble solids, crystallisation behaviour, humectancy and texture. | What final Brix, water activity, crystallisation target, cooking temperature and packaging format are used? |
| Dairy desserts and frozen desserts | Provide sweetness, solids and freezing-point effect in selected systems. | How will fructose affect freezing behaviour, sweetness at serving temperature and texture during storage? |
| Fruit preparations and jams | Support sweetness, fruit flavour lift, soluble solids and moisture control. | What pH, Brix, pectin system, heat process and final water activity are required? |
| Sauces, dressings and marinades | Balance sweetness, acidity, viscosity, browning and flavour release. | Will fructose interact with salt, acid, hydrocolloids, heat treatment, colour or flavour stability? |
| Dry premixes and flavour systems | Provide a soluble carrier, sweetness and solids in powder blends. | What particle size, density, dust level, caking resistance and segregation control are required? |
Grade selection considerations
Crystalline Fructose grades can differ by crystal size, moisture, colour, source, sugar profile and handling performance. Industrial buyers should select a grade based on factory use, not only on chemical name. A fine powder may dissolve quickly but create more dust or caking risk; a granular or agglomerated grade may improve handling but dissolve differently.
| Selection factor | Why it matters in production |
|---|---|
| Assay / fructose purity | Controls sweetness strength, solids calculation, sugar profile, label declaration and lot-to-lot consistency. |
| Dextrose and other sugar profile | Influences sweetness, browning, crystallisation, nutrition calculation and comparison with current material. |
| Particle size | Affects dissolution, dusting, segregation, flow, blending, sachet filling and automatic dosing accuracy. |
| Bulk density | Important for bag volume, dosing equipment, hopper flow, premix scale-up and container loading. |
| Moisture | Controls caking risk, shelf life, powder flow, microbial robustness and warehouse stability. |
| Colour and clarity | Important for clear beverages, light-coloured foods, syrups and customer visual standards. |
| Ash and acidity | Support purity review and can affect pH-sensitive beverages, dairy systems and confectionery. |
| Flowability and caking tendency | Critical for dry premixes, silos, feeders, sachets, high-humidity plants and tropical export destinations. |
| Origin and raw material source | May affect customer acceptance, country-of-origin declarations, GMO review, halal/kosher status and supply continuity. |
Specification parameters to compare
Before approving a new Crystalline Fructose source, compare supplier specifications side by side and test the material in the intended process. The following parameters are commonly useful for purchasing, QA and R&D review.
| Parameter | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Identity and CAS number | Confirms D-fructose identity and supports supplier qualification, customs review and documentation matching. |
| Fructose content | Controls sweetness, carbohydrate calculation and consistency between lots. |
| Glucose/dextrose content | Helps evaluate sugar profile, browning, crystallisation and comparison to high-fructose syrups or sucrose systems. |
| Loss on drying / moisture | Important for caking, shelf life, microbiological stability and free-flowing performance. |
| pH or acidity of solution | Supports beverage, dairy, syrup, confectionery and acidified-food compatibility review. |
| Colour in solution | Important for clear drinks, syrups and products with strict visual specifications. |
| Particle size distribution | Controls powder flow, dissolution speed, dusting, segregation and blending uniformity. |
| Bulk density / tapped density | Supports packaging design, dosing equipment setup and transport-volume planning. |
| Ash / conductivity | Indicates inorganic residue and helps compare purity between sources. |
| Sulfur dioxide or process residues where applicable | Relevant for sensitive customers, allergen-like declaration concerns and regulatory limits in some markets. |
| Heavy metals and contaminants | Required for food-grade compliance, import clearance and customer supplier approval. |
| Microbiological specification | Important for beverage powders, nutrition products, dairy systems and dry blends. |
| Shelf life and storage conditions | Supports warehouse planning, export timing, quality retention and customer audits. |
Formulation and processing notes
- Confirm whether the project requires dry Crystalline Fructose or whether liquid fructose syrup is more appropriate for the production line.
- Adjust water addition when replacing syrup with crystalline material or replacing crystalline material with syrup.
- Recalculate sweetness, total sugars, carbohydrate, calories, Brix, soluble solids and nutrition declaration after substitution.
- Validate browning behaviour in bakery, cooked fillings, sauces, syrups and heat-treated products because fructose is a reducing sugar.
- Check caking risk and powder flow in high-humidity factories, tropical destinations and long export shipments.
- For beverages, test dissolution speed, clarity, sediment, pH, flavour release and microbiological control of syrup make-up tanks.
- For dry premixes, evaluate particle-size match, segregation risk, dust control and flow through feeders or sachet lines.
- For confectionery, review crystallisation behaviour, water activity, stickiness, glass transition and final texture.
- For frozen desserts, validate freezing-point effect, scoopability, sweetness at low temperature and storage stability.
Moisture, caking and warehouse control
Crystalline Fructose can be sensitive to humidity because of its hygroscopic nature. This is useful in some foods where moisture retention and softness are desired, but it creates operational risk if the powder is exposed to humid air. Open bags, poor pallet wrapping, condensation, warm containers, damaged liners and slow warehouse rotation can increase caking and flow problems.
For dry factories, use closed handling practices and avoid long exposure in open hoppers. For export shipments, request moisture-resistant packaging, good pallet protection, clear lot coding and container-loading practices that reduce condensation risk. In humid destinations, buyers should check whether agglomerated or better-flowing grades are available.
Sweetener-system design
Crystalline Fructose is rarely selected only for sweetness. In many formulations, it is part of a complete carbohydrate system that may include sucrose, dextrose, glucose syrup solids, maltodextrin, polyols, fibres, fruit solids or high-intensity sweeteners. The final system should be designed for sweetness curve, solids, water activity, mouthfeel, browning, cost and label requirements.
When used for sugar reduction, the key question is whether the product is reducing total sugar grams, replacing sucrose with a sweeter carbohydrate, or combining fructose with high-intensity sweeteners. Each strategy has different implications for nutrition labeling, ingredient declaration, taste, texture, processing and consumer communication.
With sucrose
Blends with sucrose may balance sweetness, crystallisation, cost and texture. Trials should compare sweetness, browning, water activity, product spread, softness and shelf-life behaviour.
With dextrose
Fructose-dextrose blends can adjust sweetness and reducing-sugar behaviour. This is relevant for bakery, confectionery, fermentation and beverage systems.
With maltodextrin or fibres
When reducing sugar, maltodextrin or fibres may help replace bulk, solids and mouthfeel. Compatibility and nutrition labeling must be reviewed.
With high-intensity sweeteners
High-intensity sweeteners can reduce caloric sweetener usage, while fructose can supply body and flavour lift. Sensory and label review are essential.
Trial and validation recommendations
Laboratory screening
- Check appearance, odour, taste, solubility, clarity, particle size and flow against the current reference material.
- Prepare bench formulas at multiple dosage levels to compare sweetness, texture, browning and flavour release.
- Measure pH, Brix, water activity and viscosity where relevant to the product category.
Pilot production
- Run the grade through real weighing, dry blending, syrup make-up, cooking, baking, freezing or filling conditions.
- Track dissolution time, hopper flow, caking, dust, segregation and dosing accuracy.
- Compare finished product texture, colour, sweetness, shelf-life softness and package stability.
Shelf-life testing
- Monitor caking, stickiness, browning, moisture migration, crystallisation and sensory changes during storage.
- Test final product under intended warehouse, retail and consumer-use conditions.
- Confirm whether packaging humidity barrier or formula water-activity adjustment is needed.
Commercial approval
- Approve the exact supplier, product code, origin, specification, particle size, packaging and shelf life.
- Define incoming QC tests, retained sample procedure, lot traceability and change-notification requirements.
- Keep approved COA, specification, trial results and nutrition-label calculations for audit records.
Documents to request
- Product specification or technical data sheet clearly identifying Crystalline Fructose / D-Fructose
- Certificate of analysis for available batch or representative lot
- Safety data sheet where applicable
- Food-grade declaration and compliance statement for the intended destination market
- Assay, sugar profile, moisture, colour, ash, acidity and particle-size data
- Origin statement, manufacturer information, shelf-life statement and recommended storage conditions
- Raw material source declaration, including corn, beet, cane or other source where required
- Allergen, GMO, vegan/vegetarian, irradiation and residual solvent statements when applicable
- Halal, kosher, ISO, HACCP, FSSC, BRCGS or other certification copies when required
- Heavy-metal, contaminant and microbiological declarations where required by buyer or regulation
- Sulfur dioxide or process-residue declaration where relevant to the supplier process and market
- Packaging specification, bag size, pallet configuration and container loading information
- Market-specific nutrition, sugar-labeling, import or customs declarations required by the destination country
Packaging, storage and logistics
Crystalline Fructose should normally be stored in original, tightly closed packaging in a clean, dry, cool and odour-free warehouse. Powder and crystal grades should be protected from moisture, condensation, damaged pallets, strong odours and direct exposure to humid air. Opened bags should be resealed immediately and used according to the supplier's storage guidance.
Common industrial packaging may include multi-wall paper bags with inner liners, PE-lined bags, big bags or palletised export configurations depending on supplier and customer volume. For container shipments, buyers should consider route climate, transit time, container condensation, pallet wrapping, desiccant use where appropriate and receiving-warehouse humidity.
Regulatory and labeling review
Crystalline Fructose is generally handled as a carbohydrate sweetener or food ingredient, but local rules may affect ingredient naming, nutrition labeling, total sugars declaration, added sugar declaration, country-of-origin marking, GMO labeling, allergen statements and claim wording. The same ingredient may have different label implications in different markets.
Buyers should confirm whether the final product uses fructose for sweetness, carbohydrate delivery, sugar reduction, energy positioning, sports nutrition or texture. Any reduced-sugar, no-added-sugar, diabetic-positioned, low-calorie, natural, non-GMO or clean-label claims should be checked by qualified regulatory support before commercial launch.
Technical purchasing notes
When reviewing Crystalline Fructose, compare the supplier specification against the intended food application, process conditions, target sweetness, texture expectations, packaging environment, label requirements and local rules. For industrial purchasing, the most useful inquiry normally includes target grade, purity, particle size, packaging size, quantity, destination and document requirements.
If the target is beverage use, include whether the product is dry mix, syrup make-up or ready-to-drink production, plus pH, Brix, clarity requirement and heat process. If the target is bakery or confectionery, include moisture, water activity, heating profile, browning target, texture goal and packaging format. If the target is nutrition products, include sugar declaration, carbohydrate target and claim requirements.
How to request this product
Send the product name, target grade or reference specification, particle-size preference, quantity, destination country, packaging preference, expected shipment date and required documents. If you already purchase Crystalline Fructose, attach or describe your existing specification, label, certificate of analysis, particle-size requirement or supplier product code so alternative sources can be compared more accurately.
Useful answers
What is Crystalline Fructose used for in food manufacturing?
Crystalline Fructose is used as a food-grade carbohydrate sweetener and functional sugar ingredient. It is commonly reviewed for beverages, bakery, confectionery, dairy desserts, nutrition powders, fruit preparations, sauces, dry premixes and products that need sweetness, soluble solids, humectancy or browning contribution.
Is Crystalline Fructose the same as high-fructose corn syrup?
No. Crystalline Fructose is a dry crystalline ingredient, while high-fructose corn syrup is a liquid syrup containing water, fructose and glucose. They have different handling, storage, solids calculation, water balance, packaging and dosing requirements.
Is Crystalline Fructose an artificial sweetener?
No. Crystalline Fructose is a nutritive carbohydrate sweetener. It contributes calories, carbohydrate and solids, unlike high-intensity sweeteners such as sucralose, acesulfame-K, aspartame, saccharin or steviol glycosides.
Can Crystalline Fructose replace sucrose directly?
Not always. Crystalline Fructose can change sweetness intensity, browning, humectancy, water activity, crystallisation, freezing behaviour and texture. Replacement should be confirmed through formulation trials and nutrition-label review.
Which grade should be used for beverages?
Beverage applications usually require a grade selected for rapid dissolution, low colour, clean taste, low insoluble matter, appropriate particle size and reliable microbiological quality. For dry drink mixes, powder flow and caking resistance are also important.
Which grade should be used for bakery?
Bakery applications should evaluate sweetness, browning rate, dough handling, moisture retention, stickiness, water activity and finished-product softness. The best grade depends on crystal size, moisture, blending process and packaging conditions.
Does Crystalline Fructose cake during storage?
It can cake if exposed to moisture or humid air. Buyers should request suitable packaging, store the product in dry conditions, reseal opened bags and evaluate free-flowing or agglomerated grades for humid climates or automated dosing systems.
Can Global Food Additives source Crystalline Fructose?
Global Food Additives can review sourcing options for Crystalline Fructose according to target specification, particle size, quantity, destination, packaging and required documentation.
Which documents should be requested?
Buyers commonly request a technical data sheet, specification, certificate of analysis, safety data sheet, food-grade statement, origin statement, sugar profile, moisture, microbiological data, shelf-life information, label and packing details, plus halal, kosher, allergen, GMO or vegan statements when required.
Is Crystalline Fructose permitted in every country?
Use as a food ingredient or nutritive sweetener depends on destination-market rules, food category, nutrition labeling, sugar declaration, claim wording and buyer responsibility. Always verify current local requirements and final product suitability before commercial use.
Tell us which Crystalline Fructose grade or carbohydrate sweetener you need.
Send product names, target specifications, particle-size preference, application, quantity, destination country, packaging preference, delivery term and document requirements. Our team will review your inquiry and respond from orders@foodgradeadditives.com.
Your message has been received. You will be redirected to the home page.