Jump to content

HFCS vs. Corn Syrup vs. Sugar In General


jondagle

Recommended Posts

I was a bit surprised by having Corn Syrup as the #1 *and* #2 ingredients; I guess I never really thought about the difference between CS and HFCS before. The #3 ingredient was sugar, and this by definition means there's over twice as much (perhaps *way* over twice as much) corn syrup as sugar, and that's not a surprise.

Maybe a foodie forum is the wrong place to bring this up, but some authorities say fructose is about the worst thing you can put in your body. (see "Sugar: The Bitter Truth, Dr Robert Lustig:

Corn Syrup isn't the first two ingredients: HFSC and Corn Syrup are not the same.  Corn Syrup is maltose or malt sugar, which is two connected glucose molecules.  HFCS is Corn Syrup processed to convert some of the glucose into fructose, usually 40-55% fructose, depending on the grade, and this is suspended in water. Sugar (assuming it's sucrose) = 50% glucose + 50% fructose, as well. The best of these is probably Corn Syrup.  So the ingredients list is just saying the caramel sauce is made of (at least) three forms of sugar, which again, isn't all that surprising, since caramel is burt sugar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But caramel is not just burnt sugar, it's polymerized sugar.  Since it's an entirely different set of molecular structures from the monomers that made it, does the human body treat it the same?  Or to phrase it differently, what does it matter what sugar(s) were used as the starting material(s)?  It's no longer sugar(s).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But caramel is not just burnt sugar, it's polymerized sugar.  Since it's an entirely different set of molecular structures from the monomers that made it, does the human body treat it the same?  Or to phrase it differently, what does it matter what sugar(s) were used as the starting material(s)?  It's no longer sugar(s).

I was being intentionally simplistic saying "caramel is burt sugar." Of course that wouldn't be terribly tasty. I apologize for this vagueness or inaccuracy. Indeed the chemical reactions involved in cooking are quite important. I note that the Wikipedia article on Caramelization says "When caramelization involves the disaccharide sucrose, it is broken down into the monosaccharides fructose and glucose."

My post was intended to be mainly about the ingredients for "caramel sauce.". The chemical reactions involved in making the caramel don't change the list of ingredients, the first three are forms of sugar.

As for whether caramel is no longer "sugar...." Well, not just sugar. There's definitely a lot going on in the caramelization process. Interestingly, the chemistry of caramel is apparently not well understood.

However, a number of health sources identify caramel as a form of sugar for dietary purposes. In fact, this article indicates that 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce contain 27g of sugar (source: g.sfgate.com/happens-eat-much-caramel-9434.html). In fact the photo caption says "Caramel is mostly sugar."

A quick computation using molasses as a surrogate: two tablespoons of caramel sauce weigh about 43g or less, molasses being heavier. In this case, caramel is at least 50% sugar by weight. That would qualify as "mostly sugar."

I have been unable to find any detailed explanation of how caramel is metabolized. But, most sources I've seen address the topic as if caramel is sugar.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, my bestie Bob Lustig. We were once on a panel together at the Annenberg School of Journalism debating sugar politics. He pointed to me and said "See this lovely young lady, she may look nice and trim to you. But standing in front of you could be a T.O.F.I (thin outside fat inside)!" I was mortified.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...