High Fructose Corn Syrup

High-fructose corn syrup HFCS 160 also called isoglucose, 1 maize syrup, or glucose-fructose syrup 2 3 in the UK, and glucose fructose 4 in Canada 160 comprises any of a group of corn syrups that has undergone enzymatic processing to convert its glucose into fructose and has then been mixed with pure corn syrup 100 glucose to produce a desired sweetness. In the United States, consumer foods and products typically use high-fructose corn syrup as a sugar substitute. In the United States, it has become very common in processed foods and beverages, including breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments.

The most widely used varieties of high-fructose corn syrup are HFCS 55 mostly used in soft drinks , approximately 55 fructose and 42 glucose and HFCS 42 used in many foods and baked goods , approximately 42 fructose and 53 glucose. 6 HFCS-90, approximately 90 fructose and 10 glucose, is used in small quantities for specialty applications, but primarily is used to blend with HFCS 42 to make HFCS 55.

In the U.S., HFCS is among the sweeteners that have partially replaced sucrose table sugar , due to governmental subsidies of U.S. corn and an import tariff on foreign sugar, raising the price of sucrose to levels above those of the rest of the world, making HFCS cost-efficient for many sweetener applications. Critics of the extensive use of HFCS in food sweetening argue that the highly processed substance is more harmful to humans than regular sugar, contributing to weight gain by affecting normal appetite functions, and that in some foods HFCS may be a source of mercury, a known neurotoxin. 8 9 10 The Corn Refiners Association disputes these claims and maintains that HFCS is comparable to table sugar. 11 Studies by The American Medical Association suggest "it appears unlikely that HFCS contributes more to obesity or other conditions than sucrose" but call for further independent research on the subject. 12 HFCS was classified as generally recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1976. 13 Most corn grown in the U.S. is genetically modified corn.

Since its introduction, HFCS has begun to replace sugar in various processed foods in the United States. 15 16 The main reasons for this switch are