Food News

The Scientific Committee of AESAN has analysed the risks associated with hereditary fructose intolerance and fructose malabsorption, emphasising the importance of accurate and reliable food information.

Fructose is a type of sugar that is found naturally in fruit, vegetables and honey. It is also present in many processed foods, either as an ingredient or in the form of sweeteners and syrups. While most people can metabolise fructose without difficulty, consuming it can pose significant health risks for certain individuals. For this reason, the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) published a report on hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI) and intestinal fructose malabsorption. The report clearly distinguishes between these two conditions. Hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI) is a rare genetic disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme aldolase B, which is essential for fructose metabolism. Ingesting fructose can lead to the accumulation of toxic metabolites and trigger severe symptoms including hypoglycaemia, liver and kidney dysfunction, growth retardation and life-threatening complications. In contrast, fructose malabsorption is a more common intestinal disorder characterised by impaired fructose absorption, mainly presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence and diarrhoea. The report also highlights the difficulty of identifying all dietary sources of fructose in today's food supply. As well as occurring naturally in certain foods, fructose can be found in sucrose, glucose-fructose syrups, honey, dietary products, beverages and a wide range of processed foods. This situation underscores the importance of having accurate analytical information available to ensure the safety of affected individuals and support appropriate dietary management.

In this context, accurately determining fructose levels is becoming increasingly important for food manufacturers and distributors. Knowing the exact level of fructose in a product makes it possible to verify formulations, control raw materials, validate claims and provide consumers and healthcare professionals with more reliable information. AGROLAB laboratories offer accredited fructose analysis by ion chromatography in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025. This analytical technique provides high sensitivity, precision and selectivity for sugar quantification, delivering reliable, traceable results across a wide range of food matrices.

YOUR PLUS: AGROLAB can analyse fructose by an accredited method in all types of food. Our technical experts can support you in characterising raw materials, finished products and manufacturing processes to ensure the highest level of analytical reliability and compliance with market requirements.

Author: Dr Isabel Gómez, AGROLAB Iberica