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Natural Nutrition
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Food basics

Cross-cutting food guides covering everyday questions, nutrition, cooking, safety and concepts that apply to more than one food family.

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Quinnoa currently groups 501 articles under Food basics.

Processing & production

Powdered and Microcrystalline Cellulose: What They Are and Why They Appear in Food

Powdered cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose are purified forms of cellulose, the major structural polysaccharide in plant cell walls. Powdered cellulose is produced mainly through fine mechanical pulverization of purified cellulose, while microcrystalline cellulose receives partial hydrolysis that removes more amorphous regions. Both are used for physical functionality such as anticaking, stabilization, bulking, and texture rather than sweetness.

4 min read
Processing & production

Glycerol or Glycerin in Food: What It Is and Why It Is Used as a Humectant

Glycerol and glycerin are two names for the same compound. It is a small three-carbon molecule that occurs naturally as the backbone of triglycerides in fats and oils. In foods it is especially useful because it is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts and holds water. This helps keep baked goods, bars, fillings, and confectionery soft. It can also function as a solvent, carrier, stabilizer, and nutritive sweetener.

4 min read
Comparisons

Isomalt: What It Is, How Many Calories It Has, and How It Differs From Isomaltulose

Isomalt is a bulk sugar alcohol used mainly in hard candy, decorative sugar work, and sugar-free confectionery. It is manufactured from sucrose: sucrose is first converted to isomaltulose and then hydrogenated into a mixture of polyols. FDA uses 2 kcal/g for U.S. labeling. Unlike isomaltulose, isomalt is not fully digested and larger amounts can produce laxative gastrointestinal effects.

4 min read
Nutrition concepts

Lactitol: What It Is, Why It Is Used as a Sweetener, and What It Does in the Gut

Lactitol is a sugar alcohol produced by hydrogenating lactose. It is much less sweet than sucrose and is poorly absorbed in the small intestine, making it useful as a lower-energy bulking sweetener. FDA uses 2 kcal/g for U.S. labeling. Most of the dose reaches the colon for fermentation, which explains both its lower energy value and its laxative potential at sufficiently high intake.

4 min read
Comparisons

Agave Syrup: Why It Is High in Fructose and Whether Its Glycemic Index Is Lower

Agave syrup is produced by converting fructans stored in the agave plant into smaller sugars and concentrating the resulting liquid. Many products end up particularly rich in fructose. Because fructose does not raise blood glucose immediately as much as glucose does, agave can have a lower glycemic index than sucrose. That difference does not remove its calories or make a high intake of concentrated sweetener metabolically advantageous.

4 min read
Nutrition concepts

Isomaltooligosaccharides (IMO): What They Are and Why They Do Not Always Count as Fiber

Isomaltooligosaccharides, or IMO, are mixtures of short glucose chains that commonly contain alpha-1,6 and alpha-1,4 linkages. Many commercial ingredients are produced from starch through hydrolysis and transglucosylation. Although part of an IMO mixture may resist digestion, another part can be hydrolyzed and absorbed as glucose. This is why different IMO syrups can have very different true fiber content and glycemic effects.

4 min read
Comparisons

Acacia Fiber: What It Is, How It Is Tolerated, and How It Differs From Inulin

Acacia fiber, also called gum arabic, is a plant exudate rich in complex polysaccharides obtained mainly from Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal. It dissolves readily, adds little viscosity at moderate concentrations, and largely reaches the colon for fermentation. Compared with inulin, it is generally described as fermenting more gradually, which can create a different gastrointestinal tolerance profile.

4 min read
Nutrition concepts

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS): What They Are, Where They Occur, and Why They Are Used as Prebiotics

Fructooligosaccharides, or FOS, are short-chain carbohydrates made mostly of fructose. Human digestive enzymes break them down poorly, so they reach the colon and become substrates for gut microbes. This is why FOS are widely used as prebiotic ingredients. Smaller amounts also occur naturally in chicory, onion, garlic, leek, asparagus, wheat, and selected fruits.

4 min read
Comparisons

Isomaltulose: What It Is, Why It Raises Glucose More Slowly, and How It Differs From Sugar

Isomaltulose is made from one glucose and one fructose molecule, just like sucrose, but the two sugars are connected by a different bond. Intestinal sucrase-isomaltase breaks that bond more slowly, so glucose and fructose enter circulation more gradually. Unlike low-calorie rare sugars, however, isomaltulose is absorbed almost completely and ultimately provides about the same energy as ordinary sugar.

4 min read