High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), also known as glucose–fructose syrup, and isoglucose, is a sweetener made from corn starch. As in the production of conventional corn syrup, the starch is broken down into glucose by enzymes. To make HFCS, the corn syrup is further processed with the enzyme D-xylose isomerase to convert some of its glucose into fructose. HFCS was first marketed in the early 1970s by the Clinton Corn Processing Company, together with the Japanese Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, where the enzyme was discovered in 1965. As a sweetener, HFCS is often compared to granulated sugar, but manufacturing advantages of HFCS over sugar include that it is cheaper, especially as it can be directly pumped with less labor involved. "HFCS 42" and "HFCS 55" refer to dry weight fructose compositions of 42% and 55% respectively, the rest being glucose. HFCS 42 is mainly used for processed foods and breakfast cereals, whereas HFCS 55 is used mostly for production of soft drinks. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that it is not aware of evidence showing that HFCS is less safe than traditional sweeteners such as sucrose and honey. As of 2022, there is no scientific consensus that fructose or HFCS has any impact on cardiometabolic markers when substituted for sucrose. Uses and exports of HFCS from American producers have grown steadily during the early 21st century.
Food In the United States, HFCS is among the sweeteners that have mostly replaced sucrose (table sugar) in the food industry. Factors contributing to the increased use of HFCS in food manufacturing include production quotas of domestic sugar, import tariffs on foreign sugar, and subsidies of U.S. corn, raising the price of sucrose and reducing that of HFCS, creating a manufacturing-cost advantage among sweetener applications. In spite of having a 10% greater fructose content, the relative sweetness of HFCS 55, used most commonly in soft drinks, is comparable to that of sucrose. HFCS provides advantages in food and beverage manufacturing, such as simplicity of formulation, stability, and enabling processing efficiencies. HFCS (or standard corn syrup) is the primary ingredient in most brands of commercial "pancake syrup," as a less expensive substitute for maple syrup. Assays to detect adulteration of sweetened products with HFCS, such as liquid honey, use differential scanning calorimetry and other advanced testing methods.
Production
Process In the contemporary process, corn is milled to extract corn starch and an acid–enzyme process is used, in which the corn-starch solution is acidified to begin breaking up the existing carbohydrates. High-temperature enzymes are added to further metabolize the starch and convert the resulting sugars to fructose. The first enzyme added is alpha-amylase, which breaks the long chains down into shorter sugar chains (oligosaccharides). Glucoamylase is mixed in and converts them to glucose (with some unconverted oligosaccharides). The resulting solution is filtered to remove protein using activated carbon. Then the solution is demineralized using ion-exchange resins. That purified solution is then run over immobilized xylose isomerase, which converts glucose into fructose, resulting in a mixture of ~50–52% glucose and 42% fructose; demineralized and again purified using activated carbon, the result is HFCS 42. Some is processed into HFCS 90 by liquid chromatography, and then mixed with HFCS 42 to form HFCS 55. The enzymes used in the process are made by microbial fermentation.
Composition and varieties HFCS is 24% water, the rest being mainly fructose and glucose with 0–5% unprocessed glucose oligomers. The most common forms of HFCS used for food and beverage manufacturing contain fructose in either 42% ("HFCS 42") or 55% ("HFCS 55") by dry weight, as described in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR 184.1866).
HFCS 42 (approx. 42% fructose if water were ignored) is used in beverages, processed foods, cereals, and baked goods. HFCS 55 is mostly used in soft drinks. HFCS 70 is used in filling jellies.
Commerce and consumption
The global market for HFCS is expected to grow from $5.9 billion in 2019 to a projected $7.6 billion in 2024.
China HFCS in China makes up about 20% of sweetener demand. HFCS has gained popularity due to rising prices of sucrose, while selling for a third the price. Production was estimated to reach 4,150,000 tonnes in 2017. About half of total produced HFCS is exported to the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and India. HFCS is known as Chinese: 果葡糖浆 (lit. 'glucose–fructose syrup') in Chinese ingredient labels and Chinese: 高果糖浆 (lit. 'high-fructose syrup') in the Chinese food industry.
European Union In the European Union (EU), HFCS is known as isoglucose or glucose–fructose syrup (GFS), which has 20–30% fructose content compared to 42% (HFCS 42) and 55% (HFCS 55) in the United States. While HFCS is produced exclusively with corn in the U.S., manufacturers in the EU use corn and wheat to produce GFS. GFS was once subject to a sugar production quota, which was abolished on 1 October 2017, removing the previous production cap of 720,000 tonnes, and allowing production and export without restriction. Use of GFS in soft drinks is limited in the EU because manufacturers do not have a sufficient supply of GFS containing at least 42% fructose content. As a result, soft drinks are primarily sweetened by sucrose, which has a 50% fructose content.
Japan In Japan, HFCS is also referred to as iseika-to (異性化糖, isomerized sugar). HFCS production arose in Japan after government policies created a rise in the price of sugar. Japanese HFCS is manufactured mostly from imported U.S. corn, and the output is regulated by the government. For the period from 2007 to 2012, HFCS had a 27–30% share of the Japanese sweetener market. Japan consumed approximately 800,000 tonnes of HFCS in 2016. The United States Department of Agriculture states that HFCS is produced in Japan from U.S. corn. Japan imports at a level of 3 million tonnes per year, leading 20 percent of corn imports to be for HFCS production.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
