High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as a substitute for sucrose in a wide variety of products, including baked goods, sauces, beverages, canned fruits and dairy products. HFCS is produced from regular corn syrup, with an enzymatic process that isomerizes some of the corn syrup's glucose into fructose. The fructose concentration can vary, depending upon the intended use, and is commonly produced at concentrations of 42% (HFCS-42), 55% (HFCS-55) and 90% (HFCS-90).
The US Food and Drug Administration Code of Federal Regulations have incorporated identity standards for the sugar composition of HFCS, specifically around fructose content where HFCS-42 cannot be less than 42% fructose and HFCS-55 cannot be less than 55% fructose. This application note demonstrates the suitability of the PerkinElmer LC 300 HPLC system for performing saccharide content determination via method CRA SACCH.03 through the analysis of nine commercially available high fructose corn syrups.