Post on 21-Dec-2015
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Mark Schrimpf
Background Process Economics Health Implications Politics
Outline
Enzymatic conversion of glucose to fructose◦ Produces desired sweetness
Invented in 1957 by Richard O. Marshall and Earl R. Kooi◦ Not economically feasible for mass production
Dr. Yoshiyuki Takasaki 1965–1970 industrialized process◦ Began appearing in soft drinks by 1975
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
Products
Can you taste the difference?
C6H12O6
Liquid carbohydrates (advantage) Monosaccharide
Glucose and Fructose
glucose fructose
Solid Disaccharide of glucose and sucrose
monomers Found in Sugar Cane and Sugar Beets
Sucrose
HFCS 42◦ Enzymatic Product◦ Cereal and baked goods◦ 42% fructose, 53% glucose, 5% other sugars◦ Less sweet than sucrose (table sugar)
HFCS 90◦ Purified – liquid chromatography◦ Specialty◦ 90% fructose, 10% glucose◦ More sweet than sucrose
HFCS 55◦ Mixture◦ Soft drinks◦ 55% fructose, 42% glucose, 3% other sugars◦ Similar sweetness to sucrose
HFCS Compounds
What’s in corn?
Process Flow Diagram
Process Flow Diagram
3 enzymes:◦Alpha-amylase slurry Corn Starch Oligosaccharides
◦Glucoamylase slurry Oligosaccharides Glucose
◦Xylose isomerase Packed bed column ($) Glucose HFCS 42
Enzymatic Conversion
Corn Pricing Corn=$0.09/lb HFCS=$0.20/lb
Government Subsidies
USA leading consumerand producer
1,673 pounds per person in 2006
6x as much asEurope and China
58x as much asIndia
CornConsumption
Sugar Pricing
10.18 million metric tons consumed -7.18 million metric tons produced = Government Quota
Import Tariffs $3.86 billion in 2011
Sugar Pricing
Michigan and Minnesota Central America, Africa, Caribbean
Sugar and Sweetener Consumption
All Natural Product? Corn Syrup vs. Corn Sugar “Your body can’t tell the difference!” Lawsuits
Health Considerations
Are sugar and HFCS any different?
Rate at which body processes glucose High GI Food is rapidly absorbed
◦ Increased triglycerides◦ Spikes in insulin; drop in blood sugar◦ Stored as fat
Low GI Food is slowly absorbed◦ Used as fuel◦ Small insulin release
Table Sugar = 80 HFCS = 87
Glycemic Index
Rat Experiment
Rat experiments show HFCS to lead to higher body weight gain and a larger appetite.
However, similar experiments with human subjects has been inconclusive.
What does other data suggest?......
Is sucrose better for you?
Diabetes
Politics◦ Are large regulation and subsidies a good thing?◦ 2012 Farm Bill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSRRA2DfNe4 http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pCDc_vz-3U&feature=related Diet and Health
◦ Are the negative effects from HFCS or just bad overall diet and exercise?
Climate Change◦ 2012 drought◦ What is the effect on quality and pricing?◦ Will it be the new norm?
Other Questions?
Thoughts