Hands up all those out there who know what high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is. Any takers? It’s not surprising not too many know, since there hasn’t been a huge amount of publicity surrounding it, at least not in the UK. On the other hand, it is extraordinary that this is so, since HFCS is in many processed foodstuffs and its use as a sweetener is widespread in the soft drinks industry, including Coke Cola.
So, what is it and where does it come from? A few decades ago, food scientists in Japan discovered a way to process a very sweet product out of corn. They called it HFCS. To the food manufacturer it has many attributes… a high level of sweetness; low costs; retention of moisture; gives products a longer shelf life; gives baked goods a freshly baked appearance; controls crystallization in ice cream and has a low viscosity.
Essentially, HFCS has revolutionized the fast and processed food industries, and enabled it to sell the inexpensive food we see today. Although it’s sweeter than sucrose, proportionately more of the product is required to provide a good ‘mouth-feel’, and that means more calories.
There is great debate as to whether this new product is good or bad for our health. Manufacturers say there is no difference between it and sugar, while some studies say HFCS favours lipogenesis, which to you and me means the deposition of fat.
The worrying aspect of HFCS is that its increased use in the United States exactly mirrors the rise in obesity. This may be coincidence … or not. If there’s a slight possibility that HFCS is contributing towards enhanced calorie consumption, more money should be put forward to research this product.
Bray 2004 Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic obesity, Am. J Clinical Nut.
Critser 2003 Fat Land
Oregon State University 2004