Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Fruits and honey
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Carbohydrates are important energy sources in the human diet, and they can be classified into simple sugars and complex carbohydrates. Fructose is a simple sugar, or monosaccharide, that occurs naturally in certain foods. Understanding where fructose is commonly found helps in reading nutrition labels, managing energy intake, and understanding the composition of various foods. This question asks you to identify the main natural food sources of fructose.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Fructose is a monosaccharide that is naturally present in many fruits and in honey. It is sometimes called “fruit sugar” for this reason. In the human diet, fructose commonly appears either as free fructose or as part of sucrose, which is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose. Breads and cereals mainly contain starch, which is a complex carbohydrate made of glucose units. Milk and cheese primarily contain lactose (milk sugar), which is formed from glucose and galactose, not fructose. Beer and liquor derive their alcohol from yeast fermentation of sugars and starches, but they are not considered primary natural sources of fructose itself. Therefore, fruits and honey are the correct answer.
Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Recall that fructose is well known as fruit sugar and is commonly found in many sweet fruits.2. Consider fruits such as apples, grapes, and mangoes, which contain significant amounts of fructose, either alone or combined with glucose.3. Honey is a natural sweet substance produced by bees. It consists largely of glucose and fructose, making it a rich source of fructose.4. Breads and cereals are based mainly on grains and contain complex carbohydrates, especially starch, which is made from glucose units rather than fructose.5. Milk and cheese contain lactose as their primary sugar, composed of glucose and galactose, with little or no natural fructose.6. Beer and liquor contain alcohol produced by fermentation but are not primary dietary sources of fructose.7. Therefore, the best answer for major natural sources of fructose is fruits and honey.
Verification / Alternative check:
If you check nutritional composition tables for common foods, you will see that fruits have significant quantities of fructose and sometimes sucrose, while honey is specifically identified as a mixture of fructose and glucose. Grain products like bread and cereal usually list starch as the major carbohydrate and have relatively low naturally occurring fructose. Dairy products such as milk and cheese list lactose as their main sugar. Alcoholic beverages do not serve as a recommended carbohydrate source and do not appear in lists of natural fructose rich foods. These data confirm that fruits and honey are the correct choice.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, “Breads and cereals,” is incorrect because their carbohydrates are mainly starch and some glucose, not fructose. Option B, “Beer and liquor,” is wrong because these drinks derive alcohol from fermentation and are not considered natural fructose sources in nutrition science. Option C, “Milk and cheese,” is incorrect since they contain lactose rather than fructose as their primary sugar. Only Option D, “Fruits and honey,” accurately describes major natural sources of fructose.
Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes assume that any carbohydrate rich food, such as bread or cereal, must contain all types of sugars, including fructose, but the specific type of carbohydrate matters. Another pitfall is thinking of honey only as “sugar” without recalling that its main components are fructose and glucose. It is also important not to confuse lactose (milk sugar) with fructose just because both are sugars. Remembering that fructose is particularly associated with fruits and honey will help you avoid these mistakes in exams.
Final Answer:
Major natural sources of the simple sugar fructose in the human diet are fruits and honey.
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