Geschatte leestijd: 2 minutenGlucose fructose syrup, also known as High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) in English, has been widely used as a sweetener in the food industry since the 1980s. Now, this sweetener is seen as one of the possible causes of obesity.
Table of Contents
Carbohydrates in Glucose Fructose Syrup
First, a brief description of different carbohydrates, also called sugars or saccharides. Carbohydrates are the main sources of energy for the body, and there are simple and complex carbohydrates.
Fructose falls under the monosaccharides, or simple carbohydrates. Examples of monosaccharides are:
- Glucose (grape sugar) (blood sugar)
- Fructose (fruit sugar)
- Galactose (found in dairy products)
Disaccharides are a combination of 2 Monosaccharides. Examples include:
- Sucrose (table sugar) : Glucose + Fructose
- Lactose (milk sugar) : Glucose + Galactose
- Maltose (malt sugar): Glucose + Glucose
Oligosaccharides consist of 3 to 9 linked sugar molecules. Examples include:
- Inulin
- Raffinose
- Maltodextrins
Polysaccharides are long chains of linked sugar molecules. Examples include:
- Starch
- Glycogen (the stored form of glucose in muscles and liver)
- Dietary fibers (fiber) (indigestible carbohydrates)
Why is there so much HFCS in our food?
The American government subsidizes corn production, allowing farmers to produce corn below cost. This leads to large-scale production and surplus, resulting in low prices.
By processing corn with acids and enzymes, glucose fructose syrup can be made. It consists of 55% fructose and 45% glucose. It is as sweet as sucrose (table sugar) but less expensive. Therefore, major soft drink manufacturers such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola have started using this sweetener.
There are many short films about the malpractices of the American food industry. The documentaries; King Corn and Food Inc provide a good insight and are interesting to watch.
Disadvantages of Glucose Fructose Syrup
For us as consumers, there are disadvantages to using HFCS. This sweetener contains a high fructose content. Previously, we only consumed fructose by eating fruit, but now many processed foods contain glucose fructose syrup.
Our body isn’t equipped to digest so much fructose, and therefore, much of this substance is stored as body fat. A newer discovery is that it probably also causes less satiety hormone (leptin) to be released. These hormones create a feeling of fullness, increasing the risk of overeating.
Products containing glucose fructose syrup
Pay attention and check food labels for HFCS. This substance is mainly found in; soft drinks, jams, cookies, cereals, yogurts, salad dressings, and many more processed products.
It’s also good to know that many fruit juices, such as apple juice, consist of a large percentage (65%) of fructose. This percentage is thus higher than the glucose fructose syrup concentration of 55% fructose in many soft drinks.
Conclusion
Glucose fructose syrup is seen as one of the contributors to obesity in America. Many products we consume also come from there. It thus also relates to our food consumption. Advice is to carefully read food labels and when glucose fructose syrup is listed, you know it’s HFCS.
A product containing HFCS isn’t necessarily always very bad, but if you consume a number of products containing this sweetener every day, you will ingest a considerable amount of fructose.
It is always good to choose fresh products, as they do not contain glucose fructose syrup.
