Richard Marshall and Earl Kooi created high fructose corn syrup in 1957. However, a mass production of the product didn’t begin until 1965 when Japanese industries devised the technology needed.
In the 1970s, the U.S. government imposed taxes upon imported sugar. The rising cost of using sugar influenced food manufacturers to find cheaper alternative sweeteners. The continual low price of corn encouraged mass production of high fructose corn syrup for use as a sugar substitute.
With successful mass production technology developed, the easily creatable product eventually supplemented beet and cane sugar as a sweetener in processed foods. Baked goods, cereals and yogurt are only a small fraction of the foods sweetened with corn syrup.
By 1984, major soft drink companies along with other food manufacturers altered product recipes by using corn syrup. Studies conducted in 2008 suggest that Americans consume around 38 pounds of corn syrup annually.
Manufacturing Process
The production of high fructose corn syrup, also called HFCS, begins as dried corn ground into powdery starch. Consisting of almost all glucose, manufacturers then convert the substance into a syrup and fructose by adding enzymes.
Alpha amylase first creates smaller sugar chains called oligosaccharides. Glucoamylase derived from mold shortens the chains further into simple sugars. The mixture then passes over xylose isomerase repeatedly. The resulting syrup contains 42 percent fructose.
Using chromatography, companies create HFCS at concentrations of 90 percent fructose. Manufacturers then blend the 90 percent product with the 42 percent product until arriving at a fructose content of 55 percent. The final syrup product contains sugar combined with approximately 24 percent water.
HFCS 42 and HFCS 55 are the most common forms used as sweeteners in processed foods. This concentration then undergoes purification by passing through carbon, which removes any contaminants.
Are There Any Health Risks Involved with HFCS?
In recent years, individuals advocating natural foods expressed concerns about the processes used in making high fructose corn syrup. Some believe that consuming the substance may cause adverse effects leading to undesirable medical conditions that include diabetes. However, research does not indicate that high fructose corn syrup poses any greater risk of acquiring health problems than table sugar or other natural sugars.
Studies performed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicate that in fact the consumption of corn syrup is continually decreasing while diabetes and obesity levels continue rising. Research conducted in countries outside of the U.S. indicate the same problem. Studies suggest that obesity caused by societal lifestyle changes that include decreased levels of physical activity accompanied by an unhealthy diet are factors most commonly correlated with health problems.
HFCS Can Cause Weight Gain and Other Health Problems
Nevertheless, health care experts agree that consuming high fructose corn syrup, or any sugar, in excess may lead to cavities, obesity and increased triglycerides, which increases the risk of suffering from a heart attack or stroke. The American Heart Association suggests that women should not consume more than 100 calories of sugar per day, which equates to about 6 teaspoons. Men should not consume more than 150 calories of sugar per day or approximately 9 teaspoons.
Women in general experience a difficulty in maintaining a healthy weight to a much greater degree than men. Researchers suggest that part of the reason for this lies in anthropological factors that date back to the beginning of human existence. In hunter/gatherer societies, men typically provided food for the family and community by hunting. This activity naturally burned a great amount of calories. Women, on the other hand, spent their days having and raising children along with performing daily tasks that included gathering and maintaining a home.
Long before the advent of infant formula, women breastfed babies. Childbirth and breastfeeding required that women have greater fat stores. Fat cells found in women are typically larger than fat cells found in men. These differences in the sexes have not evolved over time.
No comments:
Post a Comment