While you can press sugar out of sugarcane and beets yourself, you need extensive enzymatic processing to convert corn into sugar, specifically high-fructose co

While you can press sugar out of sugarcane and beets yourself, you need extensive enzymatic processing to convert corn into sugar, specifically high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS): https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/modern-foods/the-murky-world-of-high-fructose-corn-syrup/ https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/modern-foods/the-... (grain of salt: link contains some GMO fearmongering) So no, added sugars typically aren't synthesized de novo from chemical elements. But the industrial production of HFCS from corn feedstock is artificial in every sense of the word.