HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP: The New Killer

[Guest guest]

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

By Joyce Forristal, CCP, MTA

Think of sugar and you think of sugar cane or beets. Extraction of sugar from

sugar cane spurred the colonization of the New World. Extraction of sugar from

beets was developed during the time of Napoleon so that the French could have

sugar in spite of the English trading blockade. Nobody thinks of sugar when they

see a field of corn. Most of us would be surprised to learn that the larger

percentage of sweeteners used in processed food comes from corn, not sugar cane

or beets.

The process for making the sweetener high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) out of corn

was developed in the 1970s. Use of HFCS grew rapidly, from less than three

million short tons in 1980 to almost 8 million short tons in 1995. During the

late 1990s, use of sugar actually declined as it was eclipsed by HFCS. Today

Americans consume more HFCS than sugar. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is

produced by processing corn starch to yield glucose, and then processing the

glucose to produce a high percentage of fructose. It all sounds rather

simple-white cornstarch is turned into crystal clear syrup. However, the process

is actually very complicated. Three different enzymes are needed to break down

cornstarch, which is composed of chains of glucose molecules of almost infinite

length, into the simple sugars glucose and fructose.

First, cornstarch is treated with alpha-amylase to produce shorter chains of

sugars called polysaccharides. Alpha-amylase is industrially produced by a

bacterium, usually Bacillus sp. It is purified and then shipped to HFCS

manufacturers. Next, an enzyme called glucoamylase breaks the sugar chains down

even further to yield the simple sugar glucose. Unlike alpha-amylase,

glucoamylase is produced by Aspergillus, a fungus, in a fermentation vat where

one would likely see little balls of Aspergillus floating on the top.

The third enzyme, glucose-isomerase, is very expensive. It converts glucose to a

mixture of about 42 percent fructose and 50-52 percent glucose with some other

sugars mixed in. While alpha-amylase and glucoamylase are added directly to the

slurry, pricey glucose-isomerase is packed into columns and the sugar mixture is

then passed over it. Inexpensive alpha-amylase and glucoamylase are used only

once, glucose-isomerase is reused until it loses most of its activity.

There are two more steps involved. First is a liquid chromatography step that

takes the mixture to 90 percent fructose. Finally, this is back-blended with the

original mixture to yield a final concentration of about 55 percent

fructose-what the industry calls high fructose corn syrup. HFCS has the exact

same sweetness and taste as an equal amount of sucrose from cane or beet sugar

but it is obviously much more complicated to make, involving vats of murky

fermenting liquid, fungus and chemical tweaking, all of which take place in one

of 16 chemical plants located in the Corn Belt. Yet in spite of all the special

enzymes required, HFCS is actually cheaper than sugar. It is also very easy to

transport-it's just piped into tanker trucks. This translates into lower costs

and higher profits for food producers.

The development of the HFCS process came at an opportune time for corn growers.

Refinements of the partial hydrogenation process had made it possible to get

better shortenings and margarines out of soybeans than corn. HFCS took up the

slack as demand for corn oil margarine declined. Lysine, an amino acid, can be

produced from the corn residue after the glucose is removed. This is the modus

operandi of the food conglomerates-break down commodities into their basic

components and then put them back together again as processed food.

Today HFCS is used to sweeten jams, condiments like ketchup, and soft drinks. It

is also a favorite ingredient in many so-called health foods. Four companies

control 85 percent of the $2.6 billion business-Archer s Midland, Cargill,

Staley Manufacturing Co. and CPC International. In the mid-1990s, ADM was the

object of an FBI probe into price fixing of three products-HFCS, citric acid and

lysine-and consumers got a glimpse of the murky world of corporate manipulation.

There's a couple of other murky things that consumers should know about HFCS.

According to a food technology expert, two of the enzymes used, alpha-amylase

and glucose-isomerase, are genetically modified to make them more stable.

Enzymes are actually very large proteins and through genetic modification

specific amino acids in the enzymes are changed or replaced so the enzyme's

" backbone " won't break down or unfold. This allows the industry to get the

enzymes to higher temperatures before they become unstable.

Consumers trying to avoid genetically modified foods should avoid HFCS. It is

almost certainly made from genetically modified corn and then it is processed

with genetically modified enzymes. I've seen some estimates claiming that

virtually everything-almost 80 percent-of what we eat today has been genetically

modified at some point. Since the use of HFCS is so prevalent in processed

foods, those figures may be right. But there's another reason to avoid HFCS.

Consumers may think that because it contains fructose-which they associate with

fruit, which is a natural food-that it is healthier than sugar. A team of

investigators at the USDA, led by Dr. Meira Field, has discovered that this just

ain't so.

Sucrose is composed of glucose and fructose. When sugar is given to rats in high

amounts, the rats develop multiple health problems, especially when the rats

were deficient in certain nutrients, such as copper. The researchers wanted to

know whether it was the fructose or the glucose moiety that was causing the

problems. So they repeated their studies with two groups of rats, one given high

amounts of glucose and one given high amounts of fructose. The glucose group was

unaffected but the fructose group had disastrous results. The male rats did not

reach adulthood. They had anemia, high cholesterol and heart hypertrophy-that

means that their hearts enlarged until they exploded. They also had delayed

testicular development.

Dr. Field explains that fructose in combination with copper deficiency in the

growing animal interferes with collagen production. (Copper deficiency, by the

way, is widespread in America.) In a nutshell, the little bodies of the rats

just fell apart. The females were not so affected, but they were unable to

produce live young. " The medical profession thinks fructose is better for

diabetics than sugar, " says Dr. Field, " but every cell in the body can

metabolize glucose. However, all fructose must be metabolized in the liver. The

livers of the rats on the high fructose diet looked like the livers of

alcoholics, plugged with fat and cirrhotic. "

HFCS contains more fructose than sugar and this fructose is more immediately

available because it is not bound up in sucrose. Since the effects of fructose

are most severe in the growing organism, we need to think carefully about what

kind of sweeteners we give to our children. Fruit juices should be strictly

avoided-they are very high in fructose-but so should anything with HFCS.

Interestingly, although HFCS is used in many products aimed at children, it is

not used in baby formula, even though it would probably save the manufactueres a

few pennies for each can. Do the formula makers know something they aren't

telling us? Pretty murky!

About the author

Weston A. Price Foundation Board Member Forristal is the author of Ode to

Sucanat (1993) and Bulgarian Rhapsody (1998). Visit her website at

www.motherlindas.com.

DAVI JOSEPH <zebulon1877@...> Wrote:

Artificial Colors

So, the FDA says it's okay, what's the problem? What's the big deal? Colors

Certified by the US Food and Drug Administration are derived from petroleum,

acetone or coal tars! You think it's just a little bit here and there.

Artificial colorings can be found in everything as wholesome as yogurt to, of

course, candy. Petroleum and Tar do not qualify as something you could label as

food at all. And, every little bit adds up. See what colors are in your foods

and you decide how much tar and petroleum is okay to ingest.

There are studies that suggest artificial color have an affect on our children's

behavior and of course, they can have an affect on our health and how our bodies

function. Some people are allergic to some artificial colors. And other

studies link tumors to certain colors. How do you keep it all straight and

avoid the wrong colors? Best to just skip the artificial colors since data on

tumors or carcinogenic side-effects don't come out until it's too late. Unsafe

colors in personal care products add health risks to our lives every day. Some

contain impurities like lead acetate, toxic to the nervous system. Some

commonly-used colors and dyes are allergens, irritants, and some are known

carcinogens.