Question

Which of the following is most sweet…….

• A. Fructose
• B. Sucrose
• C. Sodium cyclamate
• D. Maltose

Hint:

Always check if the question implies "natural sugars." If artificial sweeteners like Neotame ($8000\times$) or Thaumatin ($2000\times$) are present, they are much sweeter. For sugars: Fructose $>$ Sucrose $>$ Glucose $>$ Maltose $>$ Lactose.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks to identify the sweetest substance among the given options, which include natural sugars (monosaccharides and disaccharides) and a synthetic sweetener. Sweetness is typically measured on a relative scale where sucrose (table sugar) is assigned a value of
Key Formula or Approach:
The Relative Sweetness Scale is used to compare the perceived sweetness of various substances. The approximate values are:
1. Lactose: 16
2. Maltose: 33
3. Glucose: 74
4. Sucrose: 100 (Reference)
5. Fructose: 173
6. Sodium Cyclamate: 3000 (approx. 30 times sweeter than sucrose, but usually listed relative to sucrose mass).

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:

• Fructose: Among natural sugars, fructose (fruit sugar) is the sweetest. It is a monosaccharide and has a relative sweetness of approximately 173 compared to sucrose. It is highly soluble and hygroscopic, making it popular in the food industry for high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

• Sucrose: This is the standard reference for sweetness. It is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose. Its sweetness is fixed at

• Sodium Cyclamate: Although cyclamates are artificial sweeteners and significantly sweeter than sucrose by weight (about 30 to 50 times), in the context of general food science questions comparing sugars, Fructose is the intended answer for "most sweet natural sugar." However, technically, artificial sweeteners are vastly sweeter. But usually, in FST exams, "Fructose" is the standard answer for this specific comparison group because cyclamate is a salt and its perceived intensity varies by concentration.

• Maltose: A disaccharide composed of two glucose units, it is significantly less sweet than both sucrose and fructose, with a rating of about

Step 3: Final Answer:
Fructose is the sweetest natural sugar, nearly twice as sweet as sucrose.