High-Fructose Corn Syrup

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a liquid sweetener commonly used in soft drinks and carbonated beverages as well as many commercial baked goods and processed foods. HFCS comes in several forms, but all are made by a procedure that begins with the conversion of corn starch into corn syrup. The unprocessed corn syrup contains approximately 90% glucose, and the name “high-fructose corn syrup” comes from the next step, which is an enzymatic process that raises the amount of fructose in the syrup by converting some of the glucose into fructose via an enzymatic process.

Many people have been led to believe that HFCS is higher in fructose than other sugars because of the name, and this has contributed to the debate over whether HFCS is different ...