Info about Sugar Substitutes
How/Why high fructose corn syrup is found in foods/drinks
• High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS):
It is basically the substitute of sugar used in beverages to maintain the desired sweetness. It was first used as a sugar substitute before 1970 and in the mid 70’s and 80’s it was most commonly used in beverages. It has different names in different regions. Is-glucose, maize syrup, or glucose-fructose syrup are the alternative names used for HFCS in UK and glucose/fructose in Canada.
• Formation:
It is produced by the enzymatic action on the corn syrup of any group to convert its glucose into fructose. It is then mixed with the pure corn syrup to get the desired sweetness. HFCS 55 is used as fructose in cold drinks and HFCS 42 is for the food and especially the baked products.
• Fructose existence in product:
Fructose mainly is used as a part of gradients. Most of the food products like beverages have mentioned there exact gradients used to make the product, in label form. These have different levels of quantities used in different product. On the basis of these quantities each product has different levels of sweetness required for the product.
• Purpose to use Fructose or HFCS as Sugar:
There are many reasons to mention HFCS as sugar.
• Health:
White sugar, ordinary table sugar is sucked through the digestive way very swiftly and causes pancreas to throw out the huge amount of insulin. This ends into sudden rise in the blood sugar level due to metabolism system of natural hormones. This is only because of rich amount of carbohydrates in it. The particular level of blood sugar that is risen up after availing some food is known as carbohydrates glycemic index.
Fructose, the natural fruit sugar has the glycemic rating of 20 which is five times lesser then the white sugar. One ounce fructose rises 1/3 level of blood sugar. While mashed potatoes rise five times than the fructose. Food with higher glycemic index results into the major problems for the body fat control program. Researches show that fructose is mostly the reason for obesity. It tends to boost the hormones, those causes into obesity.
• Different flavors:
Fructose is basically extracted from the fruits and it is highly concentrated form of sugar with lesser calories but higher sweetness. It is 6oo times sweeter than the white sugar. As it comes from fruits so it has different flavors depending upon the type of fruit. It is also used to make different other flavors by blending two flavors. HFCS-55 and HFCS-42 used to make HFCS-90 which is used for specialty applicants.
• Low price than the white sugar price:
Now day’s fructose has become as the regular usage product than the white Sugar. Its main reason is also the lesser price than the white sugar. Its main reason is its sweetening. It tends to sweeten the specific food more with lesser quantity and the white sugar is used more with greater quantity.