High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

[Patrick S]

There appears to be another peculiarity with Chi-Tang Ho et al's line of reasoning, at least as it is being presented by the media. The line of reasoning seems to be that since sucrose itself does not contain carbonyls, then soft drinks sweetened with sucrose can not contain carbonyls. The idea is that since glucose and fructose are bound together in sucrose, there is no unbound glucose and fructose available to participate in the forming of carbonyls.

However, this overlooks a simple fact that has been known for many years now -- when a soft drink is sweetened with sucrose, over time the acid in the soft drink will actually hydrolyze  sucrose into its glucose and fructose components. In fact, according to Marov and Dowling (1990), at typical storage times and temperatures, more than 90% of the sucrose in soft drinks can be hydrolyzed. Therefore, even if a soft drink is sweetened with sucrose, unbound sucrose and fructose will start to appear immediately and be available to participate in carbonyl forming reactions.

Marov, G.J., Dowling, J.F., 1990. Sugar in beverages. In: Pennington,

N.L., Baker, C.W. (Eds.), Sugar: A User’s Guide to Sucrose, vol. 13.

Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, pp. 189–211

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Just to add a note in proof of the above:

"The sugar inversion process takes place under acidic conditions and speeds up with a decrease in pH. Soft drinks are flavored with acids to achieve the sourness notes essential for their taste profiles. They are therefore acidic drinks, usually in the pH+3 range. This is especially true of the sour fruit flavors, such as lemon and other citrus fruit species. Cola beverages that often use phosphoric acid as the acidulant are at even lower pH values. In carbonated soft drinks, the dissolved carbon dioxide is converted to carbonic acid, which further adds to the acidification of these drinks. Regardless of the exact acid content of such beverages, they can all be considered, to a lesser or greater degree, as acidic solutions. As such, some inversion of the sucrose in these beverages will take place."

The Soft Drinks Companion: A Technical Handbook for the Beverage Industry, Maurice Shachman, pp. 81-82.

As pointed out above, the degree of inversion can be greater than 90% by the time the drink is consumed. In the ScienceDaily article discussing this research, it was stated:

In the current study, Chi-Tang Ho, Ph.D., conducted chemical tests among 11 different carbonated soft drinks containing HFCS. He found 'astonishingly high' levels of reactive carbonyls in those beverages. These undesirable and highly-reactive compounds associated with "unbound" fructose and glucose molecules are believed to cause tissue damage, says Ho, a professor of food science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. By contrast, reactive carbonyls are not present in table sugar, whose fructose and glucose components are "bound" and chemically stable, the researcher notes.

Depending upon how you interpret that last sentence, it is either simply false or astonishingly misleading. Table sugar sitting in a bag in the cabinet is indeed quite stable. Leave it alone for years and it'll still be sucrose. But wait a minute! Aren't we're talking about carbonated soft drinks, which are all acidic solutions, precisely the type of conditions in which sucrose is "unbounded" into glucose and fructose? Furthermore, it is kind of silly to point out that reactive carbonyls are not present in sucrose. The relevant question is whether reactive carbonyls form in the drink itself as sucrose is hydrolyzed and unbound fructose and glucose become available to participate in reactive carbonyl forming reactions.

Edited November 10, 2007 by Patrick S (log)

[Patrick S]

. . .when a soft drink is sweetened with sucrose, over time the acid in the soft drink will actually hydrolyze  sucrose into its glucose and fructose components. In fact, according to Marov and Dowling (1990), at typical storage times and temperatures, more than 90% of the sucrose in soft drinks can be hydrolyzed. Therefore, even if a soft drink is sweetened with sucrose, unbound sucrose and fructose will start to appear immediately and be available to participate in carbonyl forming reactions.

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Another follow-up.

I was curious what types of sweetener soft drink manufacturers might use instead of HFCS, and it appears that some are, somewhat ironically, using invert sugar. Inverted cane sugar is effectively the exact same thing as HFCS -- equal or nearly equal mixtures of "unbound" fructose and glucose. Though they happen to be created from different precursors, there should be little or no difference in terms of their effect on reactive carbonyl formation, or their physiological effects in people. For instance, Jones Pure Cane Soda Products, which have labels proudly proclaiming that their "good old soda [is] made with pure cane sugar" and contains no high fructose corn syrup, is sweetened with inverted cane sugar.

Edited November 11, 2007 by Patrick S (log)

[ghostrider]

Another follow-up.

I was curious what types of sweetener soft drink manufacturers might use instead of HFCS, and it appears that some are, somewhat ironically, using invert sugar. Inverted cane sugar is effectively the exact same thing as HFCS -- equal or nearly equal mixtures of "unbound" fructose and glucose. Though they happen to be created from different precursors, there should be little or no difference in terms of their effect on reactive carbonyl formation, or their physiological effects in people. For instance, Jones Pure Cane Soda Products, which have labels proudly proclaiming that their "good old soda [is] made with pure cane sugar" and contains no high fructose corn syrup, is sweetened with inverted cane sugar.

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Thanks for all those additional details & clarifications of the state of the research on this subject.

I suspect that not many folks know anything about invert sugar; I didn't until just now.

[Toliver]

Has anyone else seen the recent spate of commercials from the HFCS industry touting HFCS as a natural ingredient just like sugar and other sweetners and, in moderation, it's just fine to consume? They even have a website: SweetSurprise.com

The key word, of course, is moderation. It's a little difficult to consume it in moderation when it seems to be in everything these days.

[viva]

I'm glad you posted this, because I thought I was crazy and dreamt the whole thing up, like it was straight out of Oryx and Crake or some other dystopian novel. (e.g. "Try our ChickieNobs: genetically engineered, modified to be nothing but breasts or drumsticks! 12 to a chicken! Chemically it is exactly the same as a regular chicken! Only better!")

Edited September 5, 2008 by viva (log)

[Poffertjes]

Has anyone else seen the recent spate of commercials from the HFCS industry touting HFCS as a natural ingredient just like sugar and other sweetners and, in moderation, it's just fine to consume? They even have a website: SweetSurprise.com

The key word, of course, is moderation. It's a little difficult to consume it in moderation when it seems to be in everything these days. 

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Notice they say Corn Syrup.

Not High Frutose Corn Syrup. There is a difference between the two.

They can't win any arguement with HFCS in moderation is okay. Just like sugar.

[Shel_B]

Sure, maybe in small quantities heated, chemically modified tapioca starch isn't fatal or highly detrimental to your health - but then neither is antifreeze in the right quantity - and I'm told it's sweet and tastes really good - perhaps we should start allowing it as a sweetener in desserts?

Propylene glycol is used as an antifreeze, it is also used in our food and cosmetics.

scb

[jayt90]

Antifreeze has been added to wine, resulting in serious scandals in two European countries, as recently as 15 years ago. It is not to be trifled with.