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Invention of high fructose corn syrup
Effect of fructose corn syrup on human body
Pros and cons of high fructose corn syrup
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The Bittersweet Truth to High Fructose Corn Syrup
This paper is about high fructose corn syrup, a widely used sweetener made from corn. It discusses the history behind it and explains the process through which it is made and why it is used so widely. It also discusses the link between high fructose corn syrup and obesity. This research paper provides and in-depth explanation of the consumer advantages of high fructose corn syrup as well as the controversy behind its labeling as natural.
Most people cannot resist the sweet taste of candy, cookies, cake, or anything else you can think of. The majority of Americans have plenty of these products in their pantries, ready to be eaten. These people think that they are just eating junk food full of sugar, but almost everything that is sweet that you buy at the supermarket is chock full of something even worse, high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is extremely soluble and mixes well in many foods. A lot of companies are willing to use it because it is cheap to produce in large quantities, unbelievably sweet and tasty, and extremely easy to store. There is a lot of controversy over high fructose corn syrup because of its questionable health effects, taste, and labeling as a natural ingredient. Even though high fructose corn syrup is a relatively recent development in food products around the world, there is a lot of history behind how it is made and why it is used in such a variety of edible goods.
A scientist named Yoshiyuki Matsuoka-Naoi Takasaki patented high fructose corn syrup in 1971 while working for a government-affiliated laboratory in a large city in Japan. But it wasn't until 2001, shortly after the United States of America Surgeon General, Dr. Da...
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... and the rest of the world will find themselves in an inescapable abyss.
Works Cited
B. Guggenheim, Zurich. Health and Sugar Substitutes. Switzerland: S. Karger, 1979
Forristal, Linda Joyce. "The Murky World of High-Fructose Corn Syrup." In the Kitchen with Mother Linda. 12 Mar 2003. The Weston A. Prince Foundation . 28 Jul 2007 .
"High Fructose Corn Syrup Facts." HFCS Facts. 2007. The Corn Refiners Association. 23 Jul 2007 .
Hopkins, Kate. "Why Coke Uses High fructose corn syrup." Accidental Hedonist. 01 Jan 2006. 23 Jul 2007 .
National Academy of Sciences. Sweeteners Issues and Certainties. 4th Edition. Washington D.C.: Academy Forum, 1975.
High-fructose corn syrup is a commonly used artificial sweetener in foods. High-fructose corn syrup is a hydrolyzed version of ordinary corn syrup, which is produced via a steeping process. It is so widely used because it is both economically favorable and it helps to preserve food for extended periods of time. However, the drawbacks of high-fructose corn syrup include issues like potential obesity, diabetes, loss of liver function, malnutrition, and cancer. The fact that the producers of high-fructose corn syrup can deceive people that HFCS is harmless makes matters worse.
Aspartame, or more commonly known as NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful and Equal Measure; was discovered purely by chance in 1965 by a chemist named James M. Schlatter, who was testing an antacid drug (Prantini; 2014). The commercial industry believed that “a wonder product” had been discovered, which stood to revolutionise the food industry as an artificial sweetener. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener which is found in many of our foods and beverages universally. Aspartame is two-hundred times sweeter than sugar and is commonly used as a tabletop sweetener, a sweetener in prepared foods, diet foods or drinks, flavored waters, chewing gum, condiments and is even found in flavoring of medicines. It is found in majority of our food products marketed for weight control (Prantini; 2014). Aspartame has a sweeter taste in comparison to sugar, and therefore less of the sweetener can be used in food products in order to achieve the same level of sweetness as if sugar was used; which results in an individual consuming fewer calories and less sugar (American Cancer Society; 2014).
“The Toxic Truth About Sugar”, written by Lustig et al. varies in their usage of rhetorical strategies to try to have their readers better understand that sugar, as common as it is, can be very dangerous when a big amount is consumed in one day. The numbers in our world don’t lie: A shocking statistic is that there are currently thirty percent more people who are obese than there are healthy. This discussion arose from the staggering facts that obesity is becoming more of an epidemic than ever before. The United States has a choice to make: Take the steps necessary to slow obesity or do nothing at all, like it feels we are currently doing. This can be a good or bad rush, depending on how you assess the situation.
High fructose corn syrup was first created in the 1970s by the Japanese as a form of sweetener. Combining 45% glucose and 55% fructose it was the sweetest substance yet and its cheap production, longer shelf-life, and versatility helped it over the next three decades emerge as the dominant sweetener on the market. However, despite its success, it has most recently been noted that effects of the substance are extremely detrimental to consumers, and its increased use directly correlates to the rise in obesity and diabetes among Americans.
Obesity in America has risen dramatically in the last forty years. Many believe high fructose corn syrup is to blame for this and other health related issues like diabetes and high blood pressure. High fructose corn syrup was invented by Richard O. Marshall and Earl R. Kooi in 1957 (Production of high fructose corn syrup). Scientists have done tests and many reports and found many statistics showing the same thing: once high fructose corn syrup (or HFCS) was added to food and beverages in 1975, obesity rose without warning. The U.S. has the highest obesity rate in the world: “roughly two-thirds of adults and one-third of young people in the U.S. are now overweight or obese” (McMillen). That’s a massive amount, and it’s growing at a steady pace with little sign of ending any time soon. We also eat more mass produced food than any other country in the world. High fructose corn syrup has taken over the food market and has found its way to almost all of our food and drinks.
"Nutrition and Healthy Eating." Artificial Sweeteners and Other Sugar Substitutes. Mayo Clinic, 9 Oct. 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
While the culture still seems to view drinking as a negative substance, culture does not view the consumption of a soda, or, sweets as a totally negative thing. Todays culture does not view eating or drinking high fructose corn syrup nearly as negative as drinking. In the early 1900s, America was mainly the only culture of society affected by drinking. In todays society, not only is America severely affected by obesity, but the problem is not limited to just America; many countries in todays society are affected by this epidemic. In the 1820s, farmers could turn their corn into pork or alcohol. Today, you can turn corn into anything from chicken nuggets, and hamburgers to emulsifiers and Nutraceuticals. In 1985, the consumption of all added sugars, has clambered from 128 pounds to 158 pounds per individual.
...the detrimental effects that sweetened drinks have caused society. CCPHA also adopts policies and procedures used to limit the sale and marketing of sweetened drinks, while providing healthy alternatives to the public.
The low-calorie, high-intensity sweetener market has been dominated by one major player, NutraSweet, with annual sales of $711M and about 80% market share (the total market in 1986 was $884M annual sales). NutraSweet, a monopolist in the industry, was able to charge premium prices and successfully capture the majority of the pie. Also, the market was expected to grow 15% annually, with a 70% projected sales growth in Europe and Canada. However, since NutraSweet’s original patents were due to expire soon (Europe/Canada market patent expires in 1987 and US in 1992), a new entrant was threatening to enter the lucrative low-calorie sweetener market – HSC.
HFCS is being used for almost every food product in the food industry. However, if we look at HFCS from a limited point of view we just see it as something present in our food and not the health factors behind it. HFCS can be habit forming since it is a sweet replacement for sugar and in his article Peretti mentions that David Kessler said “sugar, through its metabolisation by the gut and hence the brain, is extremely addictive, just like cigarettes or alcohol.” People enjoy the taste and because of this they consume large quantities, which lead to health factors such as: obesity, diabetes, heart problems, infertility, liver problems, and so on. Our limited perspective may cause us to lose sight of how much of a risk HFCS possess. In my case I use to think that my family gained significant amount of weight only through fatty foods and...
Probably some of the most pleasurable and enjoyable memories of a person has to do with sweets. When thinking back to birthdays, there is always the memory of the wonderful cake that mother beautifully made and decorated with frosting and glazes. A typical night out with dad can be transformed into a magical evening with a trip to the ice cream parlor. The end of a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner turns heavenly when a hot apple pie is brought to the table and topped with delicious, melting vanilla ice cream. A good wedding is never complete without the cutting of the splendid multi-level wedding cake, when the happy new couple gets to playfully shove and smear cake and white frosting into each other’s smiling faces. Everyone knows that as a child, the only good part about going to the dentist is getting the candy bar at the end of the visit. Why do some people get sick after eating too much suger? Some people do not even know that the abuse of sugar can lead to negative effects on your body. There is something strangely enjoyable and resplendent about the consumption of sugar. Why is it that sugar is so deliciously enjoyable and at the same time a food product that has many negative affects on people’s health?
In 1886, something extraordinary took place in the hands of a curious pharmacist that changed and shaped not only America, but the also rest of the world forever. From this ordinary pharmacist, named Dr. John S. Pemberton, came a distinctly flavored syrup that was tested and retested several times. After taking it to the local pharmacy down the road in Atlanta, Georgia, he sold about nine servings a day (Pendergrast). Little did Dr. Pemberton know that his product would skyrocket to about ten billion gallons a day almost two hundred years later. As soon as Coca Cola began, it spread rapidly making what is considered today to be the greatest refreshment ever known to man ("Coca-Cola History").
With such an obsession with sweet foods, there is an obvious desire for an explanation of how such a once unknown substance took center stage on everybody's snack, dessert, and candy list. That's where Sidney W. Mintz comes into play. He decided to write this book Sweetness and Power, and from the looks of all the sources he used to substantiate his ideas and data, it seems that he is not the first person to find the role that sugar plays in modern society important. By analyzing who Mintz's audience is meant to be, what goals he has in writing this book, what structure his book incorporates, what type, or types, of history he represents within the book, what kind of sources he uses, and what important information and conclusions he presents, we can come to better understand Mintz's views and research of the role of sugar in history, and how much it really affects our lives as we know them.
The worldwide demand for high potency sweeteners is expected to rise especially with the new practice of blending various sweeteners; the demand for alternatives is expected to increase. The sweet herb of Paraguay; Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni produces; in its leave;, such an alternative with the added advantage that stevia sweeteners are natural products. The sweet steviol glycosides have sensory & functional & properties superior to those of other high potency sweeteners. Stevia is to become a major source of high potency sweetener for the increasing natural food market in the coming future.