Fructose corn syrup and sugar both contain the simple sugars of fructose and glucose. According to most manufacturers, there is no difference between the two. Fructose corn syrup is less expensive to use than sugar and extends the shelf-life of food products. Sugar is a byproduct from photosynthesis in plants. It is harvested for consumption in over 121 countries worldwide.
History
It is thought that sugar was first used in Polynesia about 510 B.C. and then spread to India. Over the centuries, sugar consumption has gone global. In the mid-1990s, worldwide sugar consumption was about 120 million tons and is growing at a rate of 2 million tons per year. Fructose corn syrup was originally developed in the 1950s and has been widely used in food products since the 1970s.
Chemistry
Fructose corn syrup is made up of about 55 percent fructose and 42 percent glucose; larger molecules of sugar (called higher saccharides) make up the other 3 percent. Sugar, scientifically known as sucrose, is made up of about 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose. Fructose corn syrup is composed of free-floating fructose molecules that are unbound and free for utilization. In sucrose, the fructose molecules are all attached to a corresponding glucose molecule and therefore must go through one more step to be metabolized.
Production
Fructose corn syrup is produced by first extracting cornstarch from corn. The starch is then processed with three chemically produced enzymes to break down the starch into fructose, glucose and higher saccharides. Sugar is refined by boiling raw sugar cane or sugar beets and recovering the sugar crystals.
Health
Fructose corn syrup is sweeter than sugar, and less fructose is needed to provide the same level of sweetness, which promotes a savings of calories. According to a 2010 study led by Professor Bart Hoebel at Princeton University, the excess fructose in the corn syrup is metabolized to produce fats while the glucose is used for energy or stored as glycogen in the muscles or liver.
Uses
Fructose corn syrup is found many widely available products. It is in sodas, juices, cereals, ice cream and even ketchup. For every product on the shelf that contains high-fructose corn syrup, there is an advocacy group protesting its use. Increased public concern has prompted some manufacturers to change their practices. Some companies are now providing products with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. ConAgra, for example, announced in 2010 that it is replacing the high-fructose corn syrup in Hunt's ketchup with sugar. Pepsi also created the limited-edition Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback beverages, which contain cane sugar instead of corn syrup.
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