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GLUCOSE IN FOODSTUFFS.
During the year a special investigation was made of foodstuffs
which claimed the presence of glucose. The foods examined were
soft drinks (5 samples), sugar confectionery (6 samples), and one
sample of custard powder.
There is a general misconception that glucose is a substance
that is superior to any other form of sugar as a source of immediately
available energy and manufacturers' advertising appears to encourage
that view. In fact all types of sugar have approximately the same
energy value i.e. 4 calories per gram. and all types of sugar are
rapidly absorbed by the body. In this connection it is interesting
to note the comments made by the Food Standards Committee of
the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in their Report on
Soft Drinks (1959):
"Glucose beverages are at present widely advertised as a
source of energy with the inference that they provide energy in
a special form that is quickly and readily available to the body.
If account is taken of the amounts likely to be consumed
in a normal diet, no soft drink at present on the market can in
our view be regarded as a sufficient source of carbohydrate to
justify special claims relating to energy value. For this reason
also it would be misleading to promote the sale of glucose
beverages or any other soft drink by advertisements of a medical
or pseudo-medical character based on recommendations from
the medical and nursing professions or testimonials from
individual purchasers."
Pure glucose (dextrose monohydrate) is what its name impliesglucose
and nothing else, but other substances added to foods under
various names e.g. liquid glucose, corn syrup, hydrolised starch
syrup, are the resultant products of the acid hydrolysis (i.e. splitting
up) of starch and have a glucose content in the region of 20%-30%
only.
Common sugar—sucrose —occurs naturally in the sap of sugar
cane and in sugar beet and on eating the stomach acid quickly converts
the sugar into equal amounts of glucose and fructose (another