Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
---|---|
Energy | 1,176 kJ (281 kcal) |
76 g
|
|
Dietary fiber | 0 g |
0 g
|
|
0 g
|
|
Vitamins | |
Riboflavin (B2) |
(2%)
0.019 mg |
Niacin (B3) |
(0%)
0 mg |
Pantothenic acid (B5) |
(0%)
0.011 mg |
Vitamin B6 |
(2%)
0.024 mg |
Folate (B9) |
(0%)
0 μg |
Vitamin C |
(0%)
0 mg |
Minerals | |
Calcium |
(1%)
6 mg |
Iron |
(3%)
0.42 mg |
Magnesium |
(1%)
2 mg |
Phosphorus |
(1%)
4 mg |
Potassium |
(0%)
0 mg |
Sodium |
(0%)
2 mg |
Zinc |
(2%)
0.22 mg |
Other constituents | |
Water | 24 g |
|
|
|
|
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database |
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) (also called glucose-fructose, isoglucose and glucose-fructose syrup) is a sweetener made from corn starch that has been processed by glucose isomerase to convert some of its glucose into fructose. HFCS was first marketed in the early 1970s by the Clinton Corn Processing Company, together with the Japanese Agency of Industrial Science and Technology where the enzyme was discovered in 1965.
As a sweetener, HFCS is often compared to granulated sugar, but manufacturing advantages of HFCS over sugar include that it is easier to handle and more cost-effective. The United States Food and Drug Administration has determined that HFCS is a safe ingredient for food and beverage manufacturing. There is debate over whether HFCS presents greater health risks than other sweeteners. Uses and exports of HFCS from American producers have continued to grow during the early 21st century.
Apart from comparisons between HFCS and table sugar, there is some evidence that the overconsumption of added sugar in any form, including HFCS, is a major health problem, especially for onset of obesity. Consuming added sugars, particularly as sweetened soft drinks, is strongly linked to weight gain. The World Health Organization has recommended that people limit their consumption of added sugars to 10% of calories, but experts say that typical consumption of empty calories in the United States is nearly twice that level.
In the U.S., HFCS is among the sweeteners that mostly replaced sucrose (table sugar) in the food industry. Factors in the rise of HCFS use include production quotas of domestic sugar, import tariff on foreign sugar, and subsidies of U.S. corn, raising the price of sucrose and lowering that of HFCS, making it cheapest for many sweetener applications. The relative sweetness of HFCS 55, used most commonly in soft drinks, is comparable to sucrose. HFCS (and/or standard corn syrup) is the primary ingredient in most brands of commercial "pancake syrup", as a less expensive substitute for maple syrup.