All the sweeteners hiding in your food

Manufacturers add many sweeteners—both natural and artificial—to almost every kind of food and beverage. This can make identifying or cutting back on added sweeteners challenging. To help, here is a list of over 400 sweetener ingredients and brand names (excluding variations like “raw”, “pure”, “local”, or “organic”).

Full-calorie sweeteners

Anything with “sugar” in the name

Sugar (Table sugar, White sugar, Granulated sugar)

Liquid sugar

Caramelized Sugar

Coffee sugar crystals

Palm Sugar (Arenga sugar)

Beet sugar

Cane sugar, Brown cane sugar (Brand: Sun Crystals)

Castor sugar (Caster sugar, Superfine sugar, Ultrafine sugar, bar sugar)

Icing sugar (Confectioner’s sugar, Powdered sugar, 6X sugar, 10X sugar, 12X sugar, Glazing sugar)

Sanding sugar (Sugar sand)

Sugar cane extract

Sparkling sugar

Rock sugar

Date sugar (Date powder)

Demerara sugar

Invert sugar (Inverted sugar, Invert cane sugar, Simple syrup, Sugar syrup, Sugar water, Bar syrup, Syrup USP, or Sucrose inversion)

White sugar

Brown sugar

Yellow sugar

Grape sugar

Golden sugar

Pearl sugar (Hail sugar, Nib sugar)

Coconut sugar, Coconut palm sugar, Coconut blossom sugar (Brands: Madhava coconut sugar, Nutiva coconut sugar)

Treacle sugar

Corn sugar (HFCS)

Decorative sugar

Fondant sugar

Maple sugar

Unrefined cane sugar, Whole cane sugar (Rapadura, Panela sugar, Piloncillo, Panocha, Penuche, Raspadura, Jaggery, Kokuto, Raw sugar, Barbados sugar, Muscovado, Muscovado sugar, Sucanat)

Simple sugars ending in “-ose”

Fructose (Levulose, Crystalline fructose) (Brand: Whey Low [also contains sucrose and lactose])

Glucose (Dextrose, Anhydrous dextrose) (Brand: Stevia in the Raw [also contains stevia])

Glucose solids

Galactose

Sucrose (Saccharose) (Brand: Whey Low [also contains fructose and lactose])

Lactose (Brand: Whey Low [also contains fructose and sucrose])

Maltose

Ribose (D-ribose)

Trehalose (Mycose, Tremalose) (Brands: SweetT, Treha, NewSweet [also contains stevia])

Lactulose (Galactofructose)

Cellobiose (Brand: Sun Cellobio)

Isomaltulose (Brand: Palatinose)

Xylose (D-Xylose, Wood sugar)

Any form of juice or concentrated fruit

Any evaporated juice (e.g. fruit, cane, beet)

Any dehydrated juice (e.g. apple, pear, orange)

Any juice concentrate (e.g. fruit, cherry, carrot, lemon)

Any fruit purée (e.g. strawberry)

Fruit sugar

Any fruit paste (e.g. raspberry)

Cane juice, Evaporated cane juice, Dehydrated cane juice

Any kind of syrup

Syrup

High fructose corn syrup (Isoglucose, Glucose fructose, Glucose fructose syrup, Fructose glucose, Fructose glucose syrup, HFCS, HFCS-42, HFCS-55, HFCS-90)

High maltose corn syrup (HMCS)

Golden syrup (Light treacle)

Buttered syrup

Carob syrup

Maple syrup

Refiner’s syrup, Refiners syrup, Refinery syrup

Beet syrup, Sugar beet syrup

Sorghum syrup (Sweet sorghum)

Brown sugar syrup

Corn syrup (HFCS, Corn syrup solids)

Corn syrup butter

Fructose glucose syrup (HFCS)

Fructose syrup

Glucose syrup, Glucose syrup solids

Rice syrup, Rice syrup solids, Brown rice syrup, Rice bran syrup, Rice malt syrup

Agave syrup

Birch syrup

Cane refinery syrup

Grape syrup

Cane syrup, Sugar cane syrup, Invert cane syrup, Invert sugar cane syrup, Invert sugar syrup, Invert syrup, Dried cane syrup

Caramelized sugar syrup

Date syrup

Cane juice syrup, Evaporated cane juice syrup

Malt syrup (Malt sugar)

Oat syrup, Oat syrup solids

Coconut syrup

Tapioca syrup, Tapioca syrup solids

Pear syrup

Pineapple syrup

Wheat glucose syrup

Barley syrup, Barley malt syrup, Malt syrup

Any kind of nectar

Agave nectar (Brands: Nectavé, Madhava Agave, Bluava, Agave in the raw)

Date nectar

Raisin nectar

Coconut nectar, Coconut palm nectar, Coconut blossom nectar

Any kind of honey or molasses

Honey

Honey powder

Molasses (Black treacle)

Molasses powder

Molasses granules

Blackstrap molasses

Cane molasses

Sugarcane molasses

Sorghum molasses

Carob molasses

Pomegranate molasses

Any kind of dextrin

Dextrin (Brand: Nutriose)

Tapioca dextrin

Wheat dextrin

Corn dextrin (Brand: Nutriose)

Maltodextrin (Brands: Equal [also contains aspartame and acesulfame potassium], Cologran [also contains cyclamate and saccharin], Maltotame [also contains neotame])

Corn maltodextrin

Rice maltodextrin

Tapioca maltodextrin

Other

Malt extract (Honey Malt extract)

Barley malt, Barley malt extract

Diastatic malt (Diastatic malt powder)

Caramel

Corn sweetener (HFCS)

Turbinado

Florida crystals

Date crystals

Cane crystals

Sorghum extract

 

Reduced-calorie sweeteners

Sugar alcohols

Erythritol (E968) (Brands: C*Eridex, Lakanto [also contains monk fruit extract], Truvia, Zerose, ZSweet, Sugar Twin Stevia, Swerve [also contains oligosaccharides], Pyure Stevia [also contains stevia extract], Monk Fruit In The Raw [also contains monk fruit extract])

Isomalt (Isomaltitol, Hydrogenated isomaltulose, E953) (Brands: ClearCut, Decomalt, DiabetiSweet)

Lactitol (E966) (Brand: Lacty)

Maltitol (Maltitol syrup, Maltitol powder, Hydrogenated glucose syrup, Hydrogenated high maltose content glucose syrup, Hydrogenated maltose, E965) (Brands: Maltisweet, Maltisorb, SweetPearl, Lycasin, Lesys)

Mannitol (D-mannitol, E421) (Brand: Pearlitol)

Sorbitol (Glucitol, D-glucitol, D-glucitol syrup, Sorbitol syrup, D-sorbitol, E420) (Brand: Neosorb)

Xylitol (E967) (Brands: Ideal, Polysweet, Xylosweet, Smart Sweet, Xylipure, Xyla, Xylisorb, Zint Xylitol)

Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH, Polyglycitol syrup)

Glycerol (Glycerin, Glycerine, E422)

Inositol (Myo-inositol)

Sugar fibers

Fructan

Inulin (Beta(2-1)fructans, Chicory extract, Chicory inulin, Chicory root inulin, Chicory fiber, Chicory root fiber, Chicory root extract, Dahlia extract, Dahlia inulin, Inulina, Oligosaccharides) (Brands: Just Like Sugar, SomerSweet, Sweet Fiber, SweetPerfection, Swerve [also contains erythritol], Frutafit inulin, Oliggo–Fiber)

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS, Fructo Oligo Saccharides, Partially hydrolyzed inulin, Chicory Inulin Hydrolysate, Inulin Hydrolysate, Oligofructan, Oligofructose, Oligosaccharide Complex, Oligosaccharides, Short Chain Fructo-Oligosaccharides, SC-FOS) (Brand: Frutalose oligofructose)

Isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMO) (Brands: VitaClassic, VitaFiber Plus, Sukrin Fiber Syrup)

Maltooligosaccharides (Maltodextrin oligosaccharides)

Galactooligosaccharides (GOS, oligogalactosyllactose, oligogalactose, oligolactose, transgalactooligosaccharides, TOS)

Yacon syrup [contains both fructose and FOS] (Brands: Alovitox yacon syrup, Zint yacon syrup, Yacona Natural Yacon Sweetener)

Polydextrose

Resistant maltodextrin (Resistant dextrin, Soluble corn fiber, Resistant wheat dextrin, Soluble wheat fiber, Wheat dextrin, Soluble vegetable fiber) (Brand: Fibersol)

Sweet proteins

Brazzein (Brand: Cweet)

Curculin

Miraculin (Miracle fruit extract, Miracle fruit powder, Miracle fruit pulp, Miracle fruit protein) (Brands: WandaTaste MiracleBerry Fruit Powder, Mberry)

Monellin

Mabinlin

Pentadin

Thaumatin (E957) (Brand: Talin)

Other

Tagatose (Brands: Tagatesse, Natrulose)

DouxMatok Sugar (Brand: Incredo Sugar)

Allulose (D-allulose, Psicose, D-Psicose) (Brands: Dolcia Prima, Astraea Allulose, Color Me Keto Allulose)

Non-caloric sweeteners

Acesulfame potassium (Acesulfame K, AceK, Ac, E950) (Brands: Sunett, Sweet One)

Advantame (E969) [No brand names as of 2022]

Alitame (E956) (Brand: Aclame)

Aspartame (APM, Aspartyl-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester, E951) (Brands: Equal, NutraSweet, AminoSweet, Canderel, NatraTaste Blue)

Aspartame-Acesulfame Salt (E962) (Brands: Equal, TwinSweet)

Cyclamate (Calcium cyclamate, Sodium cyclamate, Cyclamic acid, E952) (Brands: Sugar Twin, Sucaryl, Cologran, Assugrin, Chuker, Hermesetas, Huxol, Novasweet, Rio, Sugromax)

Ethyl maltol (E637)

Glycyrrhizin (Glycyrrhizic acid, Glycyrrhizinic acid, E958)

Maltol (E636)

Monatin [Not yet commercially available as of 2022]

Monk fruit extract (Mogroside, Luo Han Guo, Lo Han Kuo, Monk fruit juice concentrate, Monk juice concentrate, Monk fruit powder, Swingle fruit extract, Siraitia grosvenorii fruit extract, SGFE, Reb M) (Brands: Purefruit, PureMonk, Sweet Sensation, Purisure, Monk Fruit In The Raw [also contains erythritol], Lakanto [also contains erythritol], Bestevia, Avansya)

Neohesperidin DC (Neohesperidine dihydrochalcone, NHDC, E959)

Neotame (E961) (Brands: Newtame, Maltotame [also contains maltodextrin])

Saccharin (Sodium saccharin, Potassium saccharin, Calcium saccharin, E954) (Brands: Sucaryl, Cologran, Heremesetas, Necta Sweet, Sweet’N Low, Sweet Twin, Equal Saccharin)

Stevia (Stevioside, Rebaudioside A, Steviol glycosides, Stevia leaf extract, Stevia leaf powder, E960) (Brands: NuStevia, PureVia, Truvia, Rebiana, Sugar Twin Stevia, SweetLeaf, Sun Crystals, SteviaSweet, Enliten, NewSweet [also contains trehalose], Nevella Stevia, Stevia in the Raw [also contains dextrose], Pyure Stevia [also contains erythritol])

Sucralose (1′,4,6′-Trichlorogalactosucrose, Trichlorosucrose, E955) (Brands: Splenda, EZ-Sweetz, Nevella, Sweetzfree, Equal Sucralose, NatraTaste Gold, Cafe Delight, FreeKal, N’Joy, Natural Mate, NuSweet, SucraDrops, ZeroCal sucralose, SucraPlus, CandyS, Cukren, Sukrana)

(The above list is based on dozens of sources. Please let me know if you notice any mistakes or omissions. Thank you!)