Talk:Corn syrup/Archive 1

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1.Can people in this discussion please identify themselves? It's difficult to know when one person stops talking and another starts. 2. Perhaps instead of arguing about causes of diabetes we can discuss contributors to it, like with cancer. Cancer and diabetes are notfoods since it is unneeded and causes damaged to children and adults. However, I don't write the laws. Can someone please provide the information as to the health problems? There have been multiple requests and some statements. Please, someone say something with value to the article. SadanYagci 14:49, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Please Expand
This article doesn't discuss the health issues or link to the appropriate articles. -iopq 01:25, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

Someone with some reliable information needs to improve this article, especially the part on health issues. Have listed on WP:PNA Gwimpey 04:08, Nov 4, 2004 (UTC)

this article needs to be expanded 24.46.213.169 00:42, April 7, 2006 (UTC)

Other Comments
Regarding the edit from 3 to 2 enzymes: The enzyme alpha-amylase is added to a slurry of starch and water to liquefy or reduce the particle size of the starch to produce glucose polymers. This step is followed by saccharification with glucoamylase, which breaks the glucose polymers down to their basic building blocks. See Nutritive Sweeteners from Corn pages 18-19 http://www.corn.org/NSFC2006.pdf and How corn is turned into corn syrup reference. The third enzyme comes in when glucose is isomerized to fructose in the production of high fructose corn syrup.Corn enthusiast 20:53, 10 May 2007 (UTC)

Argh, NO sugar (neither glucose nor fructose nor sucrose) *causes* diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune process wherein insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are destroyed. Type 2 diabetes is caused by complex and poorly-understood metabolic and physiologic conditions that result in insulin resistance - an inability of the body's cells to respond appropriately to the insulin that is produced. When a diabetic person eats sugary foods, their blood sugar levels go higher and stay high longer than occurs in normal people, and this is bad for them for a variety of reasons, but the sugar itself does NOT cause the diabetes. (non-user) 18:59, Feb 22, 2005 69.195.23.163 02:00, February 23, 2005 (UTC)
 * Who are you? A doctor? Newstarget.com clearly believes sugar causes type 2 diabetes when consumed in the long run. 68.170.0.238 03:23, May 1, 2005 (UTC)

Sven H must be refering to the enzyme process which was patented by the Sanmatsu Kogyo Company of Japan. Their discovery may have been based on earlier Chinese work. Of course many reasearchers contributed. Any other history on the corn syrup process should be added. Meggar 06:26, 2004 Dec 21 (UTC)

I'm reverting the changes made by an anonymous user. This user edited the comments made by another user on Feb 22 to completely change their sense. If you disagree with someone's comment, it's better to add your own. Unlike the articles themselves, it's preferable generally not to edit someone else's comments. Gwimpey 23:47, Apr 28, 2005 (UTC)

Look, I'm not saying sugar and white flour are the only causes of diabetes, but they are some of the causes we all could prevent. There is never a need to consume simple carbohydrates like sugar and white flour. 68.170.0.238 09:30, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)


 * Brown and Wholemeal flours still have all the simple carbohydrates of the white flour. In there, much as potatoes and rice do as well come to think. GraemeLeggett 10:24, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * White flour, unlike sugar, is not high in simple carbohydrates (sugars), the problem with it is that the fiber and other nutrients present in whole grains are stripped out in the processing. Same for white rice vs. brown rice.  While white potatoes are high in carbs (again, not sugars) and not as nutritious as yams or sweet potatoes, they actually do have considerable nutritional value.  They are a significant source of vitamin C, calcium, potassium and other nutrients.  After all many generations of Irish survived on a monodiet of little more than potatoes and milk on a daily basis.  NTK 16:41, 17 December 2005 (UTC)

high fructose corn syrup needs its own article, along with a list of the mountains of criticism against it. It's not just soda that's killing people, it's High Fructose Corn Syrup, a true display of corporate undisguised and blatant lack of any concern for the health and body of the consumer. If there is anything which SHOULD be banned, it's HFCS, there is no intelligent argument against this. 71.109.44.75 22:55, December 6, 2005 (UTC)

Re-added the Accidental Hedonist link, as the site states it's neutrality on the issue "This list is not meant to be an indictment of HFCS, at least not yet. We'll wait until more tests have been announced to make our determination on the guilt or lack thereof of HFCS on obesity and other health issues." 63.169.129.226 01:20, December 21, 2005 (UTC)

The Accidental Hedonist link belongs on the entry for high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Corn syrup is not the same as HFCS. Corn syrup is primarily glucose. HFCS is fructose and glucose.Corn enthusiast 20:53, 10 May 2007 (UTC)

A University of Minnesota study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2000 found that in men, but not in women, fructose "produced significantly higher [blood] levels" than did glucose. What? This produces more blood in men? -Rolypolyman 02:23, 24 January 2006 (UTC)

I have access to this journal, and have corrected the quote. Out of all the hundreds (thousands?) of articles published about corn syrup, I'm not really sure this one is all that important or relevant, but at least the quote is accurate now, and has a proper citation. 128.255.22.232 22:36, January 26, 2006 (UTC)

I have redirected the page Karo (syrup) to this page instead of having it lead to Associated British Foods. It makes more sense to have it link here. I have therefore removed Karo (syrup) from the See also section.

Products
I added the primary functions of corn syrup. Corn syrup does provide sweetness, but that is not the primary reason food manufacturers use it. See end of eighth paragraph http://www.foodproductdesign.com/articles/463/463_0505CARB_5.html.Corn enthusiast 20:58, 10 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Your claim doesn't quite follow from the source you quote. It says "So, basic corn sweeteners are used mostly to provide body and bulk, whereas the HFCS or fructose products provide body as well as sweetness." It's clear from that quote that at least HFCS (a type of corn syrup) is used to provide sweetness (as well as "bulk"). Claiming one function of corn syrup is "primary" based on that quote is stretching it. The quote doesn't actually say which function is more commonly utilized, and corn syrup certainly is often used as a sweetener (not to use original research, but I am currently drinking some particularly sweet root beer where it's the ONLY sweetener used). I've amended the lead to describe the functions more equally without putting any function forth as "primary". -kotra (talk) 22:01, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

I removed the chemical formula, as corn syrup may vary substantially and be comprised of different chemical forumlations. The chemical formula cited was for any simple sugar, including glucose. In the next sentence, corn syrup is stated to be made up mostly of glucose.Catnapgirl 17:13, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

I added a small bit on specific product genres that use corn syrup. I felt it was missing. Hopefully it can be considered non-bias! I would also really like to see a picture of corn syrup on this page, if anyone might be able to find a good one. Evrenosogullari 03:28, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

I find the first statement of your addition to be horribly innacurate. "Corn syrup can be found in few foods, especially decreasing in the United States." I can go through my cabinet or just about any grocery store and find a few dozen products containing fairly large amounts of corn syrup (especially HFCS) with no trouble at all. In addition to the fact that the sentence makes little grammatical sense, the use of corn syrup as a sweetner has actually *increased* the the past few decades within the United States and is clearly found in many products. From this graph, we can tell that that the increase in HFCS usage has eclipsed any possible decline of non-"High Fructose" Corn Syrups in the United States. Additionally, since glucose usage remained fairly constant, it is fairly likely that this particular type of corn syrup remained fairly constant as well. Until you bring up relevent citation, I hope that we can agree on at least deleting that first sentence on your section. 68.83.108.41 21:49, 14 April 2007 (UTC)hobo386

Meaning of "Corn"
"Corn" is an ambiguous word and internationally can mean maize or wheat (though usually the former). Could somebody in the know add a reference near the beginning to make clear which is the raw material referred to here? It is relevant, say, to those seeking information about possible gluten content. Thanks

--DavidCW 18:48, 1 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Corn's that yellow stuff that comes wrapped in green leaves. On a more serious note, I don't think there's a large enough chance of confusion to merit being that specific. Anyway, just to alleviate any possible confusion, I put a link to corn in the article. BioTube 05:05, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * I don't think there's a chance of confusion, but speaking as an American, I'm very used to seeing "maize" used to refer to the crop in formal or precise contexts, with "corn" more of a metonym than a name. It's not really a UK vs. US thing, the same way "trousers" is very common in the US.  Twin Bird (talk) 03:13, 19 May 2010 (UTC)


 * I realize there can be some confusion when it comes to the word "corn" but the way it has been handled in the article is really amateurish. It almost sounds condescending. Just leave it as maize and let people click on it to see why the word maize was used instead of corn.CrimsonVoid (talk) 22:06, 22 July 2010 (UTC)

Additions
I don't know anything about this subject, but for those who do: if possible, I'd like to see a little more info about the health benefits/effects of corn syrup, especially in relation to high fructose corn syrup.
 * --BevansDesign 22:09, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

Question
What makes corn syrup take the color off of hard candy when it is soaking in it? Amy 70.16.235.125 02:02, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Corn syrup: Not Kosher for Passover?
Coca-Cola refers to "Passover Coca-Cola - a Kosher for Passover Coke made with pure cane sugar instead of corn syrup," with a reference to http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/mar/19/religion.uk I assume from this that corn syrup is not Kosher for Passover. Could something on this be added to Corn syrup? -- 201.37.229.117 (talk) 05:58, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

Health issues
Nutritionists have some concerns about the widespread use and consumption of corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup. This subject is incomplete without discussing this subject.

Does any onknow what we use instead of cornstarch in the UK
What product is most equivalent to cornstarch in the UK?

monicabell19:39, 8 October 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.111.112.182 (talk)


 * According to Corn starch, it's called "cornflour" in the UK. I'm not sure what that has to do with this article, though. -kotra (talk) 22:05, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

Colors
What makes dark corn syrup dark?74.33.174.133 (talk) 01:41, 25 May 2009 (UTC)
 * I suspect, but don't have a source that confirms, that it contains caramel. JulesH (talk) 17:35, 26 May 2009 (UTC)
 * The Karo website referenced in the article states they use what is essentially molasses. Other manufacturers may use something else. peter (talk) 17:47, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

Health risks?
This article cites obvious PR sites for corn syrup. Should there not be a section about possible health risks linked to this product, for balance and neutrality? For example these:


 * http://www.dukehealth.org/health_library/news/fructose_containing_beverages_linked_to_liver_scarring
 * http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/science-scope/a-common-sugar-in-soda-will-make-you-fat/501/

This is not my field so I hope someone else could write something about this. Lorielle (talk) 02:06, 30 April 2010 (UTC)


 * I found corn syrup (not HFCS) in the sugar free coffee creamer I use. How can that be? The label says zero sugar per serving. --Sledwards66 (talk) 21:47, 18 July 2013 (UTC)


 * Health risks should definitely be included in the article: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/06/us-usa-health-cornsyrup-idUSKBN0KF03820150106?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews Logos (talk) 09:28, 8 January 2015 (UTC)

Constituent Sugars
It would be helpful to know what sugars other than glucose (or dextrose) constitute corn syrup, and in what percentages. While the article states that corn syrup is primarily glucose, the Karo website says it is only about 23% glucose. The article states that Karo's syrup contains fructose, but that is not mentioned by Karo's website. It would also be helpful to differentiate between glucose, which is levo-glucose, and dextrose, which is dextro-glucose. peter (talk) 17:53, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

"The glucose can then be transformed into fructose by passing the glucose through a column that is loaded with the enzyme D-xylose isomerase, an enzyme that is isolated from the growth medium of any of several bacteria.[6][7]" This articled is not about HFCS. Can anyone specify the level of fructose in Corn Syrup, not HFCS? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.183.185.133 (talk) 17:23, 6 May 2012 (UTC)

Composition needed
As an encyclopedia, this article badly needs a composition/analysis. How much of which sugars? Why is it syrupy instead of a solid powder? Are there longer molecules? Surely this is not hard to measure or find out. 2602:306:CD54:C180:21F:C6FF:FE2A:F522 (talk) 19:42, 29 June 2012 (UTC)

picture
this article could really use a better picture 66.166.4.118 (talk) 17:18, 10 January 2014 (UTC)

Composition syrup
The article refers to Composition Light corn syrup and Composition Dark corn syrup. Are these the same as the retail products? If so, the statement that one contains high fructose corn syrup while the other does not is incorrect. Some retail dark corn syrups contain HFCS while others do not. For example. on [this web site], compare the contents of the Beehive dark syrup to the Crown golden. 99.245.230.104 (talk) 23:10, 16 April 2014 (UTC)

Came here for information, only found humor instead.
A lede sentence on 2014-12-24 says, empahsis added by me, "Corn syrup is distinct from high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)...." Further down in the article, "Light corn syrup is a combination of corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup...." So, I guess corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup are not distinct after all? I came here wanting to know what the constituent sugars, or more precisely, saccharides, are in the corn syrup as purchased by an average U.S. citizen. Something like a saccharide breakdown, i.e., light corn syrup is, 33% glucose, 33% fructose, 33% maltose. After reading this article, I'm now more confused, not less. Gzuufy (talk) 02:24, 25 December 2014 (UTC)
 * I have seen corn syrup advertised as not containing HFCS, including light corn syrup. I am going to research this, get some citations, and update the article.69.211.51.132 (talk) 02:36, 16 May 2015 (UTC)