Questions & Answers

Find Answers to Your Questions about High Fructose Corn Syrup

Thank you for visiting SweetSurprise.com. We value your questions and comments and have posted responses to several of the comments we have received.

While we regret that we cannot reply to all of the questions submitted due to the volume received, each submission is reviewed and taken into consideration.

Please use the contact form to submit questions or comments or send your comments directly to comments@sweetsurprise.com.

Moderation
Question: Have you ever considered that while you may be telling the truth that high fructose corn syrup is fine in moderation, it is impossible to consume it in moderation when it is put in everything we eat?

Answer: There has been significant confusion about just how much high fructose corn syrup is contained in everyday foods. It is true that this highly versatile ingredient performs numerous functions besides sweetening that make it useful in many food preparations. But it does so in most cases using very small amounts. How small? Well, taking bran cereal as an example, Americans would need to eat 87 bowls in a single day to reach the recommended daily allowance of added sugars from high fructose corn syrup. For bread, they would need to eat 39 slices. For spaghetti sauce - 20 servings. For salad dressing - 50 servings. These out-sized quantities show that many foods contain only small amounts of high fructose corn syrup.

So why is high fructose corn syrup even used in these foods? In bran cereals, for instance, high fructose corn syrup helps retain moisture and makes bran cereal palatable. In spaghetti sauce, high fructose corn syrup reduces the acidity and tartness of cooked tomatoes. In baked goods, high fructose corn syrup offers excellent browning characteristics and acts as an energy source to create yeast-raised bread. High fructose corn syrup also enhances fruit and spice flavors in yogurts, and marinades. High fructose corn syrup is a safe ingredient that is used in many different ways in many foods – sometimes in very small amounts with a limited effect on total calories.

If you're concerned about the calories in a particular food or beverage, the best place to look is the calorie statement on food labels.

Mercury
Question: On National Public Radio this past month, we heard a show regarding mercury in high fructose corn syrup. They said that because of the processes it is put through, HFCS can, but doesn't always, leach mercury into the finished product. Can you please tell me about these studies, and their viability?

Answer: No mercury or mercury-based technology is used in the production of high fructose corn syrup in North America.

The American public can rest assured that high fructose corn syrup is safe. Safety is the highest priority for our industry, which is why we immediately commissioned external testing as well as an independent expert review of claims concerning mercury and our corn sweetener. All high fructose corn syrup-producing plants in the United States and Canada were included in the mercury testing.

No quantifiable levels of mercury were found according to the independent lab Eurofins Central Analytical Laboratory, whose work and results were reviewed by Woodhall Stopford, MD, MSPH, of Duke University Medical Center, one of the nation’s leading experts in mercury contamination.

Please visit http://duketox.mc.duke.edu/recenttoxissues.htm and click on the link under the Mercury heading for Dr. Stopford’s analysis and conclusions.

HFCS in the European Union
Question: Why are your products only used primarily in Canada and the US, if they are so useful and beneficial? How do you account for the obesity rates skyrocketing only in the places where HFCS is used (relatively speaking)? Where can I find more information about the EU's acceptance/nonacceptance of your products?

Answer: The European Union does not ban high fructose corn syrup. However, since 1977, the EU sugar policy regime has employed national production quotas to protect domestic sugar producers by limiting the supply of competitive sweeteners including “high fructose syrup” (sometimes referred to as isoglucose) on the EU market. The goal of the EU sugar policy regime in this respect is to regulate competition afforded by other sweeteners. It is not intended to address other policy issues. For more information concerning the European Union’s import restrictions on isoglucose, please see the following press release which indicates that the EU quota for sugar and isoglucose has been lowered to 14 million tons (of which 13.3 million tons is for sugar): http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/366&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

In addition, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that high fructose corn syrup is uniquely responsible for people becoming obese. Obesity results from an imbalance of calories consumed and calories burned. U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows that per capita consumption of high fructose corn syrup is actually on the decline, yet obesity and diabetes rates continue to rise. In fact, obesity rates are rising around the world, including in Mexico, Australia and Europe, even though the use of high fructose corn syrup outside of the United States is limited. Around the world, high fructose corn syrup accounts for about 8% of caloric sweeteners consumed.

Manufacturing Process
Question: How many different processes does corn have to go through in order to be turned into pure high fructose corn syrup? Are any chemicals used to change it?

Answer: Most sweeteners undergo processing to make the final sweetener. High fructose corn syrup is made from corn starch, which is separated from other kernel components through multiple grinding and screening steps, centrifugation and washing. The high fructose corn syrup refining process utilizes multiple enzymes and magnesium and consists of numerous steps including: multiple refining steps using membrane filters, carbon filters and ion-exchange columns; centrifugation; chromatographic separation; and multiple evaporation steps. For a more detailed explanation, please see http://www.sweetsurprise.com/learning-center/hfcs-vs-sugar/manufacturing. (See generally White PJ and Johnson LA. 2003. “Corn Sweeteners,” in Corn Chemistry and Technology, 2nd Edition; Alexander RJ. 1998. “Production and Description,” in Sweeteners: Nutritive; and Corn Refiners Association. 2006. “Manufacture,” in Nutritive Sweeteners from Corn, 8th Edition.)

The sugar refining process consists of numerous steps and process aids including: multiple clarifying steps with heat and lime, polymer flocculent and phosphoric acid; multiple evaporation steps; centrifugation; washing with pressure filtration or chemical treatment; and decolorization with carbon or bone char. Hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide, or enzymes are added to liquid sucrose to break the bond between glucose and fructose to make invert sugar. Sucrose from sugar beets is processed by similar methods. (See generally Environmental Protection Agency, AP 42, Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors, Vol. 1, § 9.10.1.1 Sugarcane Processing (5th ed.); Galloway JH. December 1996. History of sugar – Domestication to the 17th Century, abstracted from Annals of the Ass’n of Am. Geographers., Vol. 86, No. 4, at 682-706; Chou CC. 2000. Sugar refining processes and equipment, in Handbook of Sugar Refining: A Manual for the Design and Operation of Sugar Refining Facilities.)

Fruit juice concentrates are purified through heat and enzyme processing and filtered to remove fiber, flavor components and impurities. The end product is almost identical (in calories, sugars and nutrients) to sugar, honey or HFCS. (See generally Nobigrot T, Chasalow FI, Lifshitz F. 1997. Carbohydrate absorption from one serving of fruit juice in young children: age and carbohydrate composition effects. J Am Coll Nutr 16:152-158; Chaplin M, Bucke C. 1990. Enzymes in the fruit juice, wine, brewing and distilling industries, in Enzyme Technology. Cambridge Univ. Press.)

Advertisements
Comment: I just wanted to let you know that the ads you have about "corn syrup didn't make you fat, the third portion you took did" are great. Right on! People are so unwilling to take responsibility for their own actions.

Response: Thank you for contacting the Corn Refiners Association regarding our magazine advertisements. We’re glad that you enjoyed them.

Approximately one year ago, we launched a multi-media advertising and public relations campaign to change the conversation about high fructose corn syrup, which has been the subject of considerable attention and misinformation. There are so many myths, inaccuracies and untruths associated with this sweetener that we felt it was necessary to set the record straight. We hope to provide balanced information about high fructose corn syrup to allow consumers to make informed decisions based on science.