Which simple sugars are most common in fruits, grapes, and honey?

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The simple sugars, or monosaccharides, most commonly found in fruits, grapes, and honey are glucose and fructose.123

  • Fruits and Grapes: These contain varying quantities of both glucose and fructose. While glucose is naturally present in many fruits, fructose is also found in uncombined form in items such as apples and tomatoes.21
  • Honey: Honey is composed primarily of these two sugars. During the production of honey, bees invert the sucrose found in flower nectar into its constituent parts: glucose (also known as dextrose) and fructose (also known as levulose). Because honey often contains a higher proportion of fructose—which is sweeter than both glucose and sucrose—it generally tastes sweeter than common table sugar.45