High Fructose Corn Syrup 

As many of you know, last semester I explored a range of interesting topics. With the majority of my research centered on plants – allelopathy and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) – unfortunately, not much of my research actually resulted in any valuable findings, and I was not very enthusiastic at the prospect of continuing.  

But, then on Wednesday, October 8, 2013, Arizona State University’s Barrett, The Honors College presented the Flinn Foundation Centennial Lecture featuring Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food: An Eaters Manifesto, The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation.

One of the controversial topics he discussed was high fructose corn syrup. I found myself wondering about this pervasive ingredient in many – if not most – of the foods we consume and I consulted my mentor Dr. Scarbrough about the prospect of researching HFCS from a chemistry perspective. 

Background:

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) did not exist until 1957 when Marshall and Kooi  converted d-glucose to d-fructose, this process was later refined in the 1970’s by Japanese researchers.

In my research found that in 1970 Americans consumed about 0.5 pounds of HFCS per year. By 2002 conservative USDA estimates suggest Americans consumed 62.9 pounds of HFCS per year, however by 2008 we have seen a decline to “only” 53.1 pounds per year (USDA).

Source:



"USDA ERS - Sugar & Sweeteners." USDA ERS - Sugar & Sweeteners. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2013.