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Similarities of HFCS & Sugar
John S. White, Ph.D., Caloric Sweetener Expert and President, White Technical Research discusses the differences and similarities between high fructose corn syrup and sugar.
Experts on HFCS
Experts from a variety of backgrounds, ranging from health professional organizations to consumer advocacy groups, talk about high fructose corn syrup.
In the News
A variety of media outlets have reported on high fructose corn syrup.
High Fructose Corn Syrup Benefits
Food companies formulate products to create foods
and beverages that appeal to consumer needs and
preferences. What matters most to consumers beyond
assurance of basic safety? Taste tops the list, with nutrition, convenience and cost as close runners up. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is often the sweetener of choice because it provides many consumer benefits, including:
Sweetness
High fructose corn syrup provides sweetness intensity equivalent to sugar. High fructose corn syrup can replace sugar in one-for-one proportions.
Flavor Enhancement
The sweetness profile of high fructose corn syrup enhances many fruit, citrus and spice flavors in beverages, bakery fillings and dairy products.
Freshness
High fructose corn syrup promotes freshness in several ways. High fructose corn syrup actually inhibits microbial spoilage by reducing water activity and extends shelf life through superior moisture control. Foods also taste fresher because HFCS protects the firm texture of canned fruits and reduces freezer burn in frozen fruits.
Soft Texture
Chewy cookies, snack bars and other baked goods derive their soft and moist texture from high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup retains moisture and resists crystallization after baking.
Browning
High fructose corn syrup is a "reducing sugar" that gives superior browning and flavor to baked goods such as breads, dinner rolls, cakes, cookies and breakfast cereals.
Stability
Over time, high fructose corn syrup-sweetened products maintain sweetness and flavor with no change in sweetness or flavor quality due to storage temperature fluctuations or low product acidity. With high fructose corn syrup, this product stability maintains the quality of carbonated and still beverages, as well as condiments such as ketchup and fruit preserves.
Pourability
High fructose corn syrup has a lower freezing point, so "frozen" beverage concentrates have the added convenience of being pourable straight from the freezer and easier for consumers to thaw and mix with water.
Fermentability
About 96 percent of the sugars in high fructose corn syrup are fermentable. This is important in bread-baking because high fructose corn syrup is thus more economical to use than sucrose. An often overlooked benefit of high fructose corn syrup is that yeast "prefers" glucose and ferments it first, and as a result, the slight sweetness that consumers prize is accentuated.