What is High Fructose Corn Syrup?
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) comes from corn starch, and is very similar in composition, taste and sweetness to table sugar (sucrose). Table sugar is called sucrose, which is a combination of two basic sugars: glucose and fructose. All high fructose corn syrups are also a mixture of glucose and fructose. The typical High Fructose Corn Syrup used in beverages and foods (HFCS 55), contains about equal amounts of glucose and fructose – similar to table sugar (sucrose) 1. High Fructose Corn Syrup is used in many products such as yogurts, baked goods, canned and packaged foods, candies, beverages and other sweetened foods, not only as a sweetener, but for a variety of other functions described below.
Why is High Fructose Corn Syrup Used?
High Fructose Corn Syrup has many functions that help improve qualities of food and beverages. In addition to enhancing the flavor of foods and beverages, high fructose corn syrup also provides shelf stability, promotes browning in baked goods, improves texture, and helps protect and preserve food longer1. High fructose corn syrup is commonly used in place of table sugar because of ease of use in product applications and cost effectiveness.
To learn more about High Fructose Corn Syrup, visit: Internal Food Information Council Foundation
Is High Fructose Corn Syrup Safe?
Confectionery companies consider the safety and quality of their products as their utmost priority. All ingredients used in candies must meet or exceed U.S. government standards established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA). The FDA has recognized high fructose corn syrup as safe, in part because of its similarity to table sugar (sucrose). Most people are surprised to find out that our bodies metabolize high fructose corn syrup in the same way we metabolize table sugar and honey1.
Sources:
1What is High-Fructose Corn Syrup (2020, October 16).
In Food Insight – Your Nutrition and Food Safety Resource. Retrieved June 17, 2022 from https://foodinsight.org/what-is-high-fructose-corn-syrup