High Fructose

Corn Syrup
Introduction To Biotechnology
Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod
Chemical Engineering

KEY WORDS
HFCS
Glycosidic
Enzyme

Linkage

immobilization

Isomerization
Saccharification

High fructose corn syrup

Is a sweetener made from corn starch that has been

processed by glucose isomerase to convert some of its
glucose into fructose. HFCS was first marketed in the early
1970s by the Clinton Corn Processing Company, together with
the Japanese research institute where the enzyme was
discovered.

What is High Fructose Corn

Syrup (HFCS)?
Concentrated

carbohydrate solution
containing primarily
fructose and D-glucose
Sweeter than
conventional table sugr
55 wt% fructose is as
sweet as sucrose
Found in most soft drinks
(55% HFCS) and
processed foods ( 42%
HFCS)

HFCS vs Sucrose
Fructose

is 30% sweeter than sucrose, on a

weight basis, and twice as soluble as
glucose at low temperatures so a 50%
conversion of glucose to fructose overcomes
both problems giving a stable syrup that is
as sweet as a sucrose solution of the same
concentration

Difference
Between Sucrose
and Fructose

Sucrose structure

Fructose-Glucose structure

Fructose-Glucose structure

Difference between table

sugar and HFCS
Sucrose
Glucose and fructose are
linked by GLYCOSIDIC
LINKAGE

Glycosidic linkageis a type of

covalentbondthat joins a
carbohydrate (sugar)
molecule to another group,
which may or may not be
another carbohydrate.

HFCS
It is a mixture of the two
monosaccharide units:
Glucose and fructose

The Useful Properties of HFCS

High

solubility: less likely to

crystallize

Hygroscopic:

keeps bakery products

moist for increased shelf life

Liquid:
Cheap:

easy to blend and transport

thanks to corn subsidies and

sugar tariffs (in the US)

Production
Started

in Japan in the 1960s

Fructose

desirable as a sweetener for

diabetics (little effect on blood glucose and
the secretion of insulin)

Corn

wet milled to produce corn starch

Corn

starch chains broken with enzymes and

acids to produce a glucose syrup

Isomerization

of glucose using an immobilized

glucose isomerase to produce HFCS

Major steps in the production

of HFCS
Liquefaction
Saccharification
Isomerization

Starch Liquefaction
The

process requires the use of highly

thermostable alpha-amylase (from Bacillus
licheniformis) for starch liquefaction and
saccharification. During liquefaction,
starch granules are gelatinized in a jet
cooker at 105 to 100C for 5 min in
aqueous solution of pH 5.8 to 6.5 and then
hydrolyzed using a thermostable alphaamylase at 95 C for 2 to 3 hours.

Jet Cooker

Saccharification
After

liquefaction, the pH is adjusted to

4.2 and 5.0 and the temperature is
lowered to 55 to 60 C for the
saccharification step.

It

is performed in a packed bed reactor

Glucoamylase

from A. Oryzae

Saccharification is the hydrolysis of

polysaccharides to soluble sugars.

Comparison of glucose
isomerisation methods

Isomerization of glucose
Relatively

expensive enzyme used in the

process is glucose isomerase (B.
coagulans) that converts glucose to
fructose.

Isomerization(also isomerisation) is the process by

which one molecule is transformed into another
molecule which has exactly the same atoms,

B. licheniformis

It is agram-positive, mesophilic
bacterium. Its optimal growth
temperature is around 30C, though it
can survive at much higher temperatures.
The optimal temperature for enzyme
secretion is 37C. It can exist inspore
form to resist harsh environments, or in a
vegetative state when conditions are
good.

A. oryzae

Aspergillus oryzae, known in English askji(from

Japanesekji ), is afilamentousfungus(amold)
used in Chinese and other East Asian cuisines toferment
soybeansfor makingsoy sauceand fermented bean
paste, and also tosaccharifyrice

B. coagulans

B. coagulansis aGram-positiverod (0.9

by 3.0 to 5.0 m in
size),catalasepositive, sporeforming,motile, and afacultative
anaerobe. It may appearGramnegativewhen entering thestationary
phaseof growth. The optimum
temperature for growth is 50C (122F);
range of temperatures tolerated are 3055C (86-131F).

Production of HFCS
Glucose Isomerase

Made by bacterial organisms

Enzyme which converts glucose into fructose

Active even at high fructose concentrations

Enzyme immobilization

Cross-linked with glutaraldehyde

By bacterial cell or

Into an inert carrier after it is released from the bacterial cell (example: a cell-gelatin
mixture)

Immobilized enzymeis anenzymethat is attached to an inert, insoluble material such as calcium

alginate (produced by reacting a mixture of sodium alginate solution andenzyme solution with
calcium chloride). This can provide increased resistance to changes in conditions such as pH or
temperature.

Varieties and Composition of

Fructose
HFCS

42 is used in beverages, processed

foods, cereals, and baked goods.

HFCS

55 (55% fructose if water were

removed) is mostly used in soft drinks;

HFCS-90

has some niche uses but mainly

mixed with HFCS 42 to make HFCS 55.

Where can we find HFCS?

THE END
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