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