.Fast Facts about . High-Fructose Corn Syrup . Whether the menu calls for glazed ham, hot oatmeal or blueberry pancakes, the home cook has a repertoire of sweeteners to choose from. Sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, and corn syrup all have a place on the pantry shelf depending on the recipe and what roles the sweetener needs to play. The food manufacturer has a similar catalog of sweeteners on hand, with some additions – high-fructose corn syrups or HFCS for short. These sweeteners came of age during the Functions of HFCS 1970s when the food industry began to look for alternatives to traditional cane sugar and in Foods beet sugar that would provide similar sweetness, taste, and quality, but at a more economical cost. Today, HFCS syrups and sugar are the most common sweeteners found • Provides sweetness intensity equivalent in a wide variety of products on supermarket shelves. to sugar. • Enhances many fruit, citrus and spice very similar to the roles flavors in beverages, bakery fillings, and 1 What is High-Fructose Corn Syrup? that sugar plays in food dairy products. preparation. As a liquid, Corn processors make high-fructose corn • Preserves and protects food by reducing syrup from corn starch. The first step in pro - HFCS offers the addi - water activity in products such as jams cessing is to make syrup from corn starch, tional advantages of which is nearly 100 percent glucose. blending easily with and jellies. other ingredients and • Preserves texture of canned fruits and All the forms of HFCS are mixtures of two easy pouring and mixing reduces freezer burn in frozen fruits. common sugars, glucose and fructose, and in beverages. have no artificial or synthetic ingredients. • Provides soft, moist texture allowing HFCS-55 is the production of chewy cookies, snack bars, HFCS typically used 3 Consumption Facts in most beverages and other baked goods. As methods for producing HFCS improved, and foods. It is very food and beverage companies replaced sugar • Provides body and texture in beverages. similar to table with HFCS on a nearly one-for-one basis. The sugar (sucrose) in • Imparts browning and flavor to baked U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that composition— goods, including breads, cakes, cookies, today Americans consume approximately equal about half glucose amounts of HFCS and sugar (note that total and breakfast cereals. and half fructose— consumption has gone down) (See chart). 1 which explains why they are comparable in taste and sweet - Per Capita Consumption of Calorie Sweeteners: =HCFS =Sugar ness. HFCS is known by other names, such as HFCS and Sugar (Pounds, dry weight) isoglucose, in other countries. TOTAL 1985 32.2 44.7 76.8* HFCS Uses in Food TOTAL 2 1990 35.3 45.8 81.1 Consumers will find high-fructose corn TOTAL 46.2 syrups in numerous products, including yo - 1995 41.0 87.2 gurts, baked goods, canned and packaged TOTAL 2000 44.6 46.7 foods, candies, jams, condiments, many bev - 91.3 TOTAL erages, and other sweetened foods. HFCS has 2005 42.2 44.9 many functional properties that improve 87.1 foods and beverages. It enhances fruit and TOTAL 2010 34.8 47.0 81.8 spice flavors, prolongs product freshness, aids in fermentation, provides product stability, 0 20 40 60 80 100 and promotes cooked flavors and surface (*) is due to rounding browning in baked goods. These functions are USDA estimates adjusted for losses (non-edible food parts and food lost through spoilage, plate waste, and other losses in the home and marketing system) Americans recom - 4 Health and Nutrition Facts mends that Ameri - Tips on Moderation a. Safety – The Food and Drug Administra - cans give priority to tion (FDA) has approved HFCS as a safe in - ensuring that their . gredient for use in foods and beverages. diets provide enough • Read food labels to learn about calories nutrients while not The FDA based its decision in part on the and nutrient content, including the substantial similarity between HFCS and overdoing calories. amount of total sugars. table sugar (sucrose). Once an adequate diet is assured, individuals • Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods, b. Calories – HFCS and table sugar contain should use balance including whole grain products, fruits, the same number of calories – 4 calories per and moderation in vegetables, dairy products, and meat, gram or 16 calories per teaspoon. In fact, as choosing sweetened carbohydrates, most nutritive sweeteners foods and beverages or other caloric foods. poultry, fish, and other protein foods. provide approximately the same number of • Consume moderate portions of foods calories per gram. IFIC has developed extensive consumer in - formation on the subjects of carbohydrates and beverages that allow you to c. Metabolism – This term refers to how the and nutritive sweeteners, including high- maintain a healthy weight. Include body converts food into nutrients that can fructose corn syrup. For further information, moderate amounts of your favorite be used by the body’s cells to sustain life please see: and growth. Tests have shown that HFCS, foods. table sugar, and honey all are digested and IFIC Sugars and Health Resources. • Balance your food choices over time. metabolized similarly. This is not surpris - http://www.foodinsight.org/Resources/Detail.a ing since their compositions are similar. spx?topic=Sugars_and_Health_Resource_Page • Both sweetened and unsweetened beverages contribute to hydration. d. Obesity – Excess body fat results when The Science of Sugars. people do not balance their energy Schorin M, Sollid K, Smith Edge M, Bouchoux Choosing from a variety of unsweetened (caloric) input with energy output. No sin - A. A Closer Look at Sugars. Nutrition Today . and sweetened beverages can help gle food or ingredient is the sole cause of 2012;47(3);96–101. moderate calorie intake. obesity. Rather, the doi: 10.1097/NT.0b013e3182435de8 combination of too many calories and References: too little exercise is 1. USDA, ERS Briefing Rooms, Sugar and Sweeteners Yearbook Tables. the primary cause. http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Sugar/Data.htm Extra calories can Table 51-52. Accessed April 20, 2012. come from all caloric 2. Forshee, R.A., et. al. (2007) A critical examination of nutrients—proteins, fats, alcohol, and car - the evidence relating high fructose corn syrup and bohydrates, including starches and sugars, weight gain. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 47:561-582. such as HFCS. 3. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Some researchers have noted a correlation be - Use of Nutritive and Nonnutritive Sweeteners. tween increased consumption of HFCS and http://download.journals.elsevierhealth.com/pdfs/ journals/2212-2672/PIIS2212267212003255.pdf the rise in obesity over the last 30 years. How - ever, in 2007 a group of experts from the Cen - ter for Food, Nutrition, and Agriculture of the University of Maryland examined all the evi - dence and concluded that HFCS is not uniquely fattening and does not contribute to overweight or obesity any differently than All sugars, including other caloric foods. 2 HFCS, can be included 5 The Bottom Line in a health promoting diet High-fructose corn syrup is a safe and impor - if eaten in moderation. tant functional ingredient in many foods. All sugars, including HFCS, can be included in a health promoting diet if eaten in moderation. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ad - 1100 Connecticut Avenue, NW, vises consumers that they can safely enjoy nu - Suite 430 tritive sweeteners when they are consumed as Washington, DC 20036 part of an overall diet that meets government . recommendations. 3 The Dietary Guidelines for www.FoodInsight.org.