High fructose corn syrup, as of 2010, is as common a sweetening ingredient in processed foods as cane sugar is. You can find it in baked, canned, bottled and dry package goods, mainly as a flavor enhancing or preservative ingredient. Although HFCS and cane sugar share similar qualities, the process and equipment for making high fructose corn syrup is much different from cane sugar.
Process Identification
HFCS production occurs in two stages. The first stage is a preparation stage that produces cornstarch, which is the building block of HFCS. The second stage is a conversion stage that results in the production of a product that, according to SweetSurprise.com, can be either 42 percent or 55 percent fructose, with the remainder being mainly glucose.
Equipment
Each piece of equipment plays a specific role in the production of HFCS. In the first stage, equipment consists mainly of large storage and processing equipment such as elevators, a weight scale, storage bins, cleaners, steep tanks, degerminating mills, screens, a centrifugal separator and a dryer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The second stage uses refining equipment such as hydroclones, a centrifuge, carbon filtrator, chromotographic separator and an evaporator, according to SweetSurprise.com.
Processing Features
During the initial phase of processing, elevators move the corn from the receiving area to a weight scale and then to an initial cleaning. Here, cleaning equipment removes dust and debris from the corn before sending it to storage to wait further processing. When processing begins, the corn goes through one more round of cleaning and then moves to steep tanks where, according to the University of Minnesota Animal Science Department, soaking for about 30 to 50 hours softens the corn kernels. Degerminating mills then crack the kernel and remove the germ, screening equipment removes the bran and centrifugal separators spin the mixture to separate the gluten protein from the starch. After drying, the resulting cornstarch is ready for conversion.
Refinement Features
During the refinement process, the cornstarch goes through a series of large, pressure-filled centrifuges called hydroclones, where the addition of enzymes breaks down the cornstarch in a series of steps. This process creates a syrup that, according to SweetSurprise.com, is about 42 percent fructose, 53 percent glucose and 5 percent higher sugars. A centrifuge and carbon filtrator clarifies and filters the mixture after the addition of each enzyme. To create a 55 percent HFCS, the manufacturer uses a chromotographic separator to reduce a portion of the original mixture and create a 90 percent fructose syrup, which he then combines with the 42 percent fructose mixture to create the second variety. After a final spin in the centrifuge, the syrups go to evaporating equipment until they reach 77 percent solids.
Environmental Impact
The EPA monitors HFCS production plants to control their effects on the environment. The EPA notes that from start to finish, more than 100 emission points in the processing and production process have air pollution potential. Among the most bothersome, according to the EPA, are air particulates that result from storage and handling, organic emissions released during production and the combustion potential of grain during storage and drying. As a result, emission control regulations require manufacturers to install emission control devices on equipment used in the manufacturing process as well as provide ventilation, capture and collection systems to ensure emissions do not rise above EPA acceptable levels.
References
- Sweet Surprise: What is HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup)
- Sweet Surprise: Sweetener Manufacturing Process
- University of Minnesota Department of Animal Science/Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles: Corn Milling, Processing and Generation of Co-Products
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Corn Wet Milling
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