In the United States, most non-diet soft drinks are sweetened with either sucrose (table sugar), high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or a mixture of the two. Sucrose is made from sugar cane or sugar beets. HFCS is a liquid sweetener which is similar to sucrose in chemical composition, calories and sweetness, but is made from corn. HFCS is used in products ranging from cereals and beverages to meat products and condiments. While sucrose is the most common sweetener used in foods and beverages in the United States, HFCS is a popular nutritive sweetener as well.
History Developed in the 1950s, HFCS became commercially available as a liquid replacement for sucrose beginning in the 1970s. The transition from using sucrose as a sweetener to using HFCS continued to take place through the 1980s.
Ingredients The name is really a misnomer. HFCS is not fructose nor is it high in fructose. HFCS is simply a liquid sweetener made from corn with a similar composition to sucrose (table sugar). In fact, sucrose is made up of the two simple sugars, glucose and fructose, in equal amounts. Like sucrose, HFCS also is composed primarily of glucose and fructose, with trace amounts of some other simple sugars. Further, absorption and metabolism of HFCS are also similar to that of sucrose.
The type of HFCS most frequently used in beverages, HFCS-55, has been formulated to have a similar sweetness to table sugar and has a ratio of 55 percent fructose to 45 percent glucose. Some beverages may contain HFCS-42, which is composed of 42 percent fructose to 58 percent glucose. Neither type used in beverages, however, is actually high in fructose.
Comparison of Sweetener Compositions
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) listed HFCS as a safe ingredient for use in food in 1983 and reconfirmed its position in 1996. Found in most non-diet soft drinks, ready-to-drink teas, juice drinks, sports drinks and other non-diet sweetened beverages, it is also a key sweetening ingredient in many food products. HFCS is used in the manufacturing process because of its ability to easily mix together with other food and beverage ingredients. In addition to providing sweetness, HFCS is attractive to food and beverage products because it provides texture and acts as a preservative.
Role in a Balanced Diet
The key to achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is to consume a variety of foods and beverages in moderation and get regular exercise or physical activity. All beverages, including refreshment beverages, can fit in a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
Calories HFCS has the same calories as sucrose (table sugar)—approximately 4 kilocalories per gram.
Uses and Benefits of HFCS
Sweetness High fructose corn syrup provides sweetness intensity equivalent to sugar. High fructose corn syrup can replace sugar in one-for-one proportions.
Flavor Enhancement
The sweetness profile of high fructose corn syrup enhances many fruit, citrus and spice flavors in beverages, bakery fillings and dairy products.
Freshness High fructose corn syrup promotes freshness in several ways. High fructose corn syrup actually inhibits microbial spoilage by reducing water activity and extends shelf life through superior moisture control. Foods also taste fresher because HFCS protects the firm texture of canned fruits and reduces freezer burn in frozen fruits.
Soft Texture
Chewy cookies, snack bars and other baked goods derive their soft and moist texture from high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup retains moisture and resists crystallization after baking.
Browning High fructose corn syrup is a “reducing sugar” that gives superior browning and flavor to baked goods such as breads, dinner rolls, cakes, cookies and breakfast cereals.
Stability Over time, high fructose corn syrup-sweetened products maintain sweetness and flavor with no change in sweetness or flavor quality due to storage temperature fluctuations or low product acidity. With high fructose corn syrup, this product stability maintains the quality of carbonated and still beverages, as well as condiments such as ketchup and fruit preserves.
Pourability High fructose corn syrup has a lower freezing point, so “frozen” beverage concentrates have the added convenience of being pourable straight from the freezer and easier for consumers to thaw and mix with water.
Fermentability About 96 percent of the sugars in high fructose corn syrup are fermentable. This is important in bread-baking because high fructose corn syrup is thus more economical to use than sucrose. An often overlooked benefit of high fructose corn syrup is that yeast “prefers” glucose and ferments it first, and as a result, the slight sweetness that consumers prize is accentuated.
Q&A
Q: Is HFCS the same as frustose?
A: Absolutely not. Fructose is a monosaccharide, or simple sugar, while HFCS is a combination of both glucose and fructose. Contrary to its name, the most commonly used compositions of HFCS in beverages are not high in fructose.
Q: Does HFCS cause obesity?
A: Weight gain is a result of regularly eating more calories than the number of calories expended through normal living, physical activity and exercise. This is true regardless of the calorie source (i.e. proteins, fats, alcohol, carbohydrates or sugars). Peer-reviewed studies show no evidence supporting a causal link between HFCS and obesity. No one sweetener or single food can be blamed for causing obesity. To avoid or manage weight gain, balancing the number of calories consumed with the number of calories expended is essential. Moderation and variety, while maintaining adequate nutrient intakes, are key to a balanced diet.
Q: Is there a scientific link between increased use of HFSC and rising obesity rates?
A: No. HFCS is not a unique contributor to obesity. In fact, a review article on the health effects of HFCS shows that “ ... causality is very definitive and indicates that a change in one event always leads to a change in the second. Because so many concomitant factors changed between the mid-1970s and 2003, it is scientifically unjustifiable to blame one commodity for a problem like obesity, which is multifactorial.” Furthermore, rates of obesity have increased dramatically across the globe, even in countries where HFCS is not a commonly used sweetener, such as England, Egypt and Australia.
Q: Does HFCS cause type 2 diabetes?
A: The Women’s Health Study shows no association between sugars and type 2 diabetes, further corroborating the American Diabetes Association’s position that moderate intake of sugars can be a part of a healthy lifestyle.8,9 People with diabetes must pay attention to the amount of all carbohydrates—sugars and starches—they consume. Being overweight or obese, lack of physical activity and genetic predisposition increase the risk for type 2 diabetes
Q: Is metabolic syndrome a result of consuming HFCS?
A: Metabolic syndrome is characterized by a group of symptoms that all relate to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance results from the body ineffectively using the insulin it produces. Excess body fat, lack of physical activity and genetic predisposition are thought to be the primary drivers for developing insulin resistance.
Q: Why is HFCS useed in foods and beverages?
A: Taste along with nutrition, convenience and cost are often factors that influence consumer food purchases. As noted in the HFCS chart, HFCS provides numerous consumer benefits, such as sweetness, shelf stability and pourability. For manufacturers, HFCS is easy to process and transport due to its liquid nature.
Q: Is HFCS safe?
A: Yes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration listed HFCS as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (known as GRAS status) in 1983 for use in food, and the FDA reconfirmed that ruling in 1996. In the 1996 GRAS ruling, the FDA noted that “the saccharide composition (glucose to fructose ratio) of HFCS-55 is approximately the same as that of honey, invert sugar and the disaccharide sucrose (or table sugar).”4 According to the American Dietetic Association, “Consumers can safely enjoy a range of nutritive and nonnutritive sweeteners when consumed in a diet that is guided by current federal nutrition recommendations...as well as individual health goals.”
Q: Does the body process HFCS and sucrose differently?
A: High fructose corn syrup, a mixture of glucose and fructose, goes through the same absorptive process as sucrose, with the only difference of the action of sucrase in sucrose metabolism. Both HFCS and sucrose are broken down into the simple sugars glucose and fructose during digestion. Whether the source of the simple sugars is sucrose or HFCS, the body still processes them in the same way.
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