High Fructose Corn Syrup

[photo via medicalnewstoday.com]

Sweetener is an important aspect of your favorite tea and choosing the right one can be a hard choice. A common sweetener in the beverage industry is high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is valued for its ease of use, low cost, and long shelf life. Its practicality in everyday use often makes it an attractive option to customers looking for something convenient and reliable.

What exactly is high fructose corn syrup?

High fructose corn syrup originated in the 1960’s as a liquid alternative to granulated table sugar. [1] It became increasingly popular between the 1970’s and 1990’s due to its transportability, low cost, and high mixability in drinks. High fructose corn syrup is still commonly used in beverages today.

High fructose corn syrup is made from converting corn starch into a glucose syrup, and adding enzymes to further convert portions of glucose into fructose.[1] There are different forms high fructose corn syrup denoted by the percentage of fructose present in the syrup. For example, HFCS-55 is high fructose corn syrup with 55% of fructose. HFCS-55 is also the most commonly used variation for beverages. Fructose is more soluble in water than other sugars, which improves HFCS-55's mixability in drinks. [1][2]

https://www.everydayhealth.com/high-fructose-corn-syrup/guide/

High fructose corn syrup benefits

High fructose corn syrup has a lot of positive benefits, and it is widely used for drinks and boba tea. HFCS-55 is the most commonly used form of HFCS for drinks. It's very easy to mix into drinks, especially when compared to dry, granulated sugars making it easier to use in a busy boba tea shop or to stir into your cup at home. Further, high fructose corn syrup has a neutral flavor profile so you can sweeten your drink without altering the natural flavor profile of your drink. High fructose corn syrup is a great choice, if you're looking for a low cost, easy to use, and neutral tasting sweetener.

High fructose corn syrup considerations

High fructose corn syrup is highly processed and calorically dense, which can lead to negative health outcomes. [3][4]

The process for high fructose corn syrup can be summarized as corn -> converted to corn starch -> converted into a glucose syrup -> partially converted into fructose. The major negative considerations against ultra processed foods are that they are:

• calorie dense
• nutrient poor
• increase cravings & desirability
• often contain negative additives

The FDA has not found any evidence that supports the idea that high fructose corn syrup acts as a sole contributor to lifestyle illness such as obesity or heart disease. 

Managing your overall calorie intake, sugar intake, and consuming appropriate amounts of those nutrients in relation to your own caloric and metabolic needs are much more reliable indicators for obesity and lifestyle illnesses. [4]

Conclusion

High fructose corn syrup is a popular sweetener that is often used due to its long shelf-life, cheap cost, and ease of use. It's commonly found across the U.S. but are typically only sold for commercial use. Frequently consuming large quantities of high fructose corn syrup can negatively impact your health, but so can consuming large amounts of other sugars and sweeteners. [5][6]

At home, we'd recommend using other sweeteners that have more flavor and are more easily found such as cane sugar, brown sugar, or honey. At Camellia Rd Tea Bar, we use an organic cane sugar simple syrup and offer fully adjustable sweetness options for our milk teas. You can read more about this here: https://www.camelliard.com/blogs/blog/engineering-the-ultimate-boba-milk-tea-part-4-sweetener.

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[1] https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(23)23394-8/fulltext

[2] https://www.britannica.com/topic/high-fructose-corn-syrup

[3] https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2025/07/ultra-processed-food--five-things-to-know.html

[4] https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/ultraprocessed-foods-bad-for-you

[5] https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/high-fructose-corn-syrup-questions-and-answers

[6] https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(22)03883-7/fulltext