History of high fructose corn syrup

Good morning! While on my hunt for fructose free recipes I found some interesting facts about the history of high fructose corn syrup. Now my son is fructose intolerant- which we all know means ALL FORMS OF FRUCTOSE. I wish it was just hfcs! But still the history of a chemical that is in so many of our foods (like breads, juices, crackers, frosting,ice-cream...) is interesting.


Fructose Consumption Increases

A century ago, the average daily consumption of fructose was around 15 grams, a far cry from the typical 73 gram dose we receive today. More importantly, the small amount eaten by our ancestors was largely from fruit, where the fructose is bound to fiber and isn’t released to the bloodstream as quickly. By contrast, today we consume mostly high fructose corn syrup which has been artificially produced in a laboratory, and exerts a much higher degree ofmetabolic dysfunction in this ultra concentrated form.

1. Creating High Fructose Corn Syrup

   • Until 1957, no one believed corn could be sweet. As for high fructose corn syrup, how could that be? Corn has glucose not fructose. Researchers created an enzyme called glucose isomerase in 1957. It rearranged the composition of glucose in corn syrup and made it into fructose. It turned a mildly sweet corn syrup into the highly sweet high fructose corn syrup. It began being produced on an industrial scale in the 1970s.

   Sugar Prices Rise

   • In 1977, importing sugar became expensive because of new tariffs and sugar quotas. Those manufacturers who used sugar began searching for a cheap alternative sweetener. Even before this happened, sugar was beginning to lose market share to high fructose corn syrup. The quotas and tariffs only made it more attractive since it was cheaper to produce and transport. To make it, powdery corn starch is processed into glucose, which is then processed into the clear syrup fructose. Corn prices were much lower than sugar prices because of government subsidies and overproduction.
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   • High Fructose Corn Syrup Gains Acceptance
   • High fructose corn syrup took a big jump in general acceptance in 1984 when soft drink makers began using it in Coca-Cola and Pepsi, while foreign formulations still used sugar. Production grew from about 3 million short tons in 1980 to about 8 million short tons in 1995.

   High Fructose Corn Syrup Today

   • Nowadays, you can find high fructose corn syrup in ketchup, canned vegetables and jams. In 2005, Americans consumed a per-person average of 28.4 kg of high fructose corn syrup each year. It is now consumed in greater quantities than regular sugar. Some critics say that because high fructose corn syrup is a man-made substance that isn't entirely understood, it is causing the obesity problem in the United States. There are also worries that life-threatening results in animal tests could do the same thing to people.

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Read more: The History of High Fructose Corn Syrup | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5106547_history-high-fructose-corn-syrup.html#ixzz1xaAwp0dv