Differences Between Corn Sugar & Cane Sugar

Although the word refers to types of crystalline carbohydrates, such as sucrose, fructose and glucose, that share a sweet flavor, "sugar" has been traditionally used to define the processed powdered product of the sugar cane. For years, manufacturers of sweeteners derived from corn also marketed a sweetener called high fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, but now have changed its name to corn sugar. Corn sugar is the same as the product formally known as HFCS and is used in a wide variety of American food products.

Production of Cane Sugar

• Modern table white sugar is derived from two plants, the sugar cane, which accounts for abut 70 percent of production, and the sugar beet, which accounts for the remaining 30. White sugar is made from raw cane and beet sugar by way of a process that includes discoloring, clarifying with heat and lime and then evaporation to cause crystallization. This process removes all other constituents from the raw sugar, which is dark to begin with, leaving other sucrose crystals at the end. White sugar is consumed around the world in a variety of foods, from candy and ice cream to pastries and cakes.

Processing of Corn Sugar

• Corn sugar or high fructose corn syrup is made from corn starch, which is made from soaking the corn kernels and hulls in a sulfur dioxide solution. The corn starch is then finely ground and treated with enzymes to further break it down and separate the glucose. The glucose is then treated with enzymes that convert it to fructose syrup. The fructose syrup is further refined when it is passed through carbon filters and then evaporated into a semi-solid state for packaging and shipping. Corn sugar, or high fructose corn syrup, is also used in a wide variety of products, including soft drinks and packaged desserts.

Controversy

• When representatives from the corn industry filed a petition with the United States Food and Drug Administration to officially change the name of high fructose corn syrup to corn sugar, the cane sugar industry responded in outrage. Cane sugar farmers and processors filed a lawsuit claiming that relabeling products "corn sugar" constitutes false advertising, because the fructose in corn sugar is not naturally occurring and extracted, like it is in cane sugar, according to Consumer Reports. Cane sugar representatives claim that corn sugar poses more health risks because of the chemical processing involved in manufacturing it.

Cane Sugar Vs. Corn Sugar

• Both cane sugar and corn sugar are made up of empty carbohydrates that have been linked to a number of health complications, including obesity, diabetes and high blood sugar. It is unclear, however, whether corn sugar poses higher health risks than cane sugar. Consumers have been moving away from products containing high fructose corn syrup because of health concerns, Farm and Dairy reports. This factor may have contributed to the push for a name change.