High Fructose Corn Syrup

What is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)?

High fructose corn syrup, for example, was introduced into the food supply in the 1970s. It comes from Bai, a corn starch that can be broken down and produced by enzymatic action. Fructose is then mixed with glucose to achieve the desired ratio.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is made up of either 42% or 55% fructose (depending on the type of HFCS and the sweetness required). The name high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) gives the mistaken impression that high fructose corn syrup is high in fructose. In fact, HFCS contains a similar amount of fructose to that found in table sugar, which is made up of 50% fructose and 50% glucose (see table below). Each gram of sucrose and HFCS provides 16 kilojoules (or 4 calories).

Sucrose differs from HFCS in its binding bond. Sucrose is disaccharide, in which glucose and fructose are bonded by chemical bonds; High fructose corn syrup does not combine with glucose. Once absorbed, the metabolism of the two sweeteners appears to be similar.

High fructose corn syrup was classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1983 as a food generally considered safe (GRAS). The FDA reaffirmed this distinction in 1996. In the United States, this sweetener is used in many different foods and beverages because of its unique flavor. High fructose corn syrup also reduces the activity of water while sweetening foods, which inhibits microbial spoilage and helps extend shelf life. High fructose corn syrup helps brown baked goods and improves the texture of those products. HFCS is used in everything from tomato sauce to non-alcoholic beverages and biscuits to breads. HFCS also helps to reduce the cost of food production because it is cheaper than table sugar and is often used as a substitute for table sugar in food and drinks.

Clinton's high fructose corn syrup, "Isosaccharide 100," is milky Bai-colored. A 71% solid syrup contains about 42% fructose, 50% glucose, and a very small amount of polysaccharide. The representative analysis data showed that the syrup had better fermentability, higher moisture absorption, lower viscosity, refreshing, no peculiar smell and other characteristics in addition to higher sweetness. Due to its low viscosity, it is difficult to crystallize, easy to transport and store, and easy to mix with other syrups. When kept at a temperature of 27 ~ 32℃, it is easily transported by pump and can be stored for a long time without crystallization or fermentation.

In fact, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) can be used as a substitute for table sugar and invert sugar in many foods, except in cases where solid sweeteners are required and unsatisfactory in some foods. High fructose corn syrup's hygroscopic properties make it unsuitable for hard candy because it is too sticky. When high-fructose corn syrup is used to make high-protein foods, they are heated to higher temperatures, resulting in a reduction in sugar and nitrogen content due to the darker color of the reaction. These limitations apply to invert sugar, but sucrose has none of these disadvantages.

In addition, high acidity food during processing and storage, will cause the sucrose contained in the conversion. In this case, high fructose corn syrup can be used to minimize the conversion. In addition, since HFCS is a low-molecular-weight monosaccharide, it penetrates the cell walls of fruits or vegetables more quickly than sucrose. Therefore, HFCS can be used in the production of sweet kimchi and related foods for better results. Because low-molecular-weight sugars block fruit and other fragrances less than high-molecular-weight sugars, high-fructose corn syrup can reduce the number of flavors used in some foods.

In some converted products, mixing 50% sucrose and 50% high-fructose corn syrup does not actually change the composition of sweetness.