ISBT Finds Normal Fructose Levels in High Fructose Corn Syrup
The International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT) commissioned testing of high fructose corn
syrup (HFCS) and found normal levels of fructose in the sweetener. The study was initiated following a
recent University of Southern California study, published in the journal, Obesity. This study, “Sugar
Content of Popular Sweetened Beverages Based on Objective Laboratory Analysis: Focus on the Fructose
Content “ by Ventura, Davis, and Goran reported levels of fructose from HFCS as high as 65%, and found
no higher sugars, such as maltose, in their analysis. It is well known and part of the Code of Federal
Regulations for HFCS syrups that glucose and fructose make up only 92 to 95% of the total sugar
composition. The remaining 5% to 8% of the sugars present are maltose and higher sugars.
As an independent scientific society, the ISBT elected to do its own study to verify these results, which
are very much at odds with industry and government standards. ISBT contracted with the same
independent certified laboratory (Krueger Food Laboratories, Billerica, MA) used by the USC
researchers. The ISBT study evaluated HFCS samples by AOAC 977.20 (Separation of Sugars in Honey)
used in the Obesity report as well as the procedures established by the International Society of Beverage
Technologists in 1984 and AOAC 979.23 (Saccharides in Corn Syrup).
It is apparent that the method selected by Ventura, Davis and Goran is not sufficiently sensitive to
detect the levels of maltose and higher sugars typically found in corn sweeteners. AOAC 977.20 is a
procedure validated for the measurement of fructose, dextrose and sucrose, but not maltose or other
higher sugars. By choosing to neglect these undetected sugars, the authors falsely inferred an artificially
high level of fructose in the syrups used to formulate the beverages in their study.
To verify this, the ISBT study looked at a series of 42 and 55HFCS samples using both AOAC 977.20 and
AOAC 979.23 (Separation of Saccharides in Corn Syrup) which is the core of the ISBT method and is
designed to detect all of the sugars present in HFCS.
It should be noted that AOAC 977.20 occasionally detects a peak that represents some of the maltose,
however the method is not sensitive for that sugar and the results are not consistent. Those samples
showing some maltose in the ISBT study were included in the averages marked with **
Table 1 shows the results of 12 blind samples of 42 and 55 HFCS, representing current production, run in
duplicate by both methods. Each sugar is expressed as a percentage of the total sugars measured:
55HFCS
Method
ISBT/AOAC 979.23
AOAC 977.22 *
AOAC 977.22**
42 HFCS
Fructose
55.9
58.5
58.0
Dextrose
39.9
41.5
40.9
Maltose and higher
4.2
0
1.1
Method
ISBT/AOAC 979.23
AOAC 977.22*
AOAC 977.22**
Fructose
43.2
45.1
44.5
Dextrose
51.4
54.9
53.9
Maltose and higher
5.4
0
1.6
* Average of analysis reporting no maltose or higher sugars
** Average of analysis on all samples including those with some maltose peak
It is apparent that analyzing materials containing HFCS using AOAC 977.20, a method that does not
accurately account for the higher sugars present, while producing accurate concentrations of fructose
and dextrose, will falsely inflate the apparent proportions of fructose and dextrose present compared to
a method that accurately reflects all the sugars present.
The International Society of Beverage Technologists is an independent scientific society and received no
financial support from any company or other organization for this study. The methods and guidelines
established and recommended by the ISBT are widely used as standards and regulations by companies
and governments around the world.