High-fructose Syrup Consumption

Expanded US production and consumption of two major com refinery products, high-fructose syrup and fuel alcohol, probably contributed positively to the US trade balance... 

Sucrose occupies a unique position in the sweetener market (Table 3). The total market share of sucrose as a sweetener is 85%, compared to other sweeteners such as high fructose com syrup (HFCS) at 7%, alditols at 4%, and synthetic sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame-K, saccharin, and cyclamate) at 4%. The world consumption of sugar has kept pace with the production. The rapid rise in the synthetic sweetener market during 1975—1995 appears to have reached a maximum. 

Table 35.2 shows the per capita consumption of selected areas.80 Sugar usage patterns, particularly in developed countries, have not changed markedly over the years except in the United States, where high fructose com syrup (HFCS) has replaced sugar in the manufacture of beverages (see Table 35.3). Nonfood uses of sucrose constitute a small portion of total use.81...

American society arguably treats pharmaceuticals as consumables, and the marketing and consumption of them follow similar patterns to those of soft drinks or fast food. Most people surely know that obesity especially in the United States can be correlated with the massive increase in consumption of, for example, high-fructose corn syrup, but the concern about obesity does not correlate with a decrease in its use in food manufacture. Drugs are treated as consumables by seller and buyer, and even prescription drugs are marketed in the United States in a way that prospective patients can assume they ll feel better and be better if they take them. 

Food-processing wastes are often used as food for animals. Corn gluten meal, left from the preparation of high-fructose corn syrup, can be used as food for fish in aquaculture.284 Dietary fiber for consumption by humans can be recovered from pear and kiwi wastes.285 Tomato skins can be removed by steam and abrasion in a process that eliminates the traditional use of sodium hydroxide for peeling. The waste can be fed to animals. Brewer s spent grain has been used to make bread.286... 

The average American consumes 54 gal of soft drinks each year. This is more than the amount of water that he or she drinks. For comparison, the average American drank 20.4 gal of coffee in 1996 352 and also consumed 152 lb of sugars each year. About one-third of this comes from soft drinks, which use sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup or both. Both promote dental caries.353 A typical soft drink contains 10-14% sugar, 0.37% flavoring, and 0.185-0.74% citric acid in water saturated with carbon dioxide.354 It may also contain color, caffeine, and preservatives, such as sodium benzoate. Phosphoric acid and other acids may be used instead of citric acid. The pH before carbonation is 2.35-2.66. It contains no vitamins, minerals, protein (usually), fiber, or complex carbohydrates. Its consumption at such levels raises serious nutritional questions. If other beverages were substituted for it, container waste would drop. 

High-fructose corn syrup has become one of the great success stories in the recent history of food processing in the United States. It has replaced sucrose in many applications, including nearly all soft drinks and fruit beverages, and in many jams and jellies, cookies, gum, baked goods, and other processed foods. Consumption of HFCS in the United States has increased from about 2 million metric tons (2.2 million short tons) in 1980 to just over 8 million metric tons (8.8 million short tons) in 2000. 

In 2007, about 98% of the world com production was consumed as food or feed (USDA-FAS, 2008). The majority of the com grown in the United States is used as feed. Nearly 43% of the 2009 US com production was used as feed or left as residue on the field (NCGA, 2010). The same year biofuel, particularly the ethanol production industry, utilized almost 32% of the com grown in United States. The shares of food/cereal and high fructose com syrup production in com consumption were relatively low, 5 and 12 million tonnes, respectively. The high fructose com syrup production industry takes up about 3 % of total United States com production. 

---