Science Daily: Heat Forms Potentially Harmful Substance In High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Bee Study Finds

Heat Forms Potentially Harmful Substance In High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Bee Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Aug. 27, 2009) — Researchers have established the conditions that foster formation of potentially dangerous levels of a toxic substance in the high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) that is often fed to honey bees. Their study, which appears in the current issue of ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, may also have implications for soft drinks and dozens of other human foods that contain HFCS. The substance, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), forms mainly from heating fructose.

In the new study, Blaise LeBlanc and Gillian Eggleston and colleagues note HFCS's ubiquitous usage as a sweetener in beverages and processed foods. Some commercial beekeepers also feed it to bees to increase reproduction and honey production. When exposed to warm temperatures, HFCS can form HMF and kill honeybees. Some researchers believe that HMF may be a factor in Colony Collapse Disorder, a mysterious disease that has killed at least one-third of the honeybee population in the United States.

The scientists measured levels of HMF in HFCS products from different manufacturers over a period of 35 days at different temperatures. As temperatures rose, levels of HMF increased steadily. Levels jumped dramatically at about 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
"The data are important for commercial beekeepers, for manufacturers of HFCS, and for purposes of food storage. Because HFCS is incorporated as a sweetener in many processed foods, the data from this study are important for human health as well," the report states. It adds that studies have linked HMF to DNA damage in humans. In addition, HMF breaks down in the body to other substances potentially more harmful than HMF.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826110118.htm

I was about to post this on a thread that got locked due to the source. I questioned the source and researched for myself and found this Science Daily report from 2009. I believe this is worth discussing.

It's hard to sort through the garbage to get to something that is a useful resource (been there). I like the Wild, Wild, Web. I find interesting and amazing things here. But damn it could be just a bit more organized.

I propose a Dewey Decimal System for the Tubes. Or an ISBN System. Or hell, any kind of system at all.

I didn't know beekeepers were feeding them HFCS.

:wtf:

Silly me, I thought the bees went out and collected their own nectar.

Apparently, HFCS is less expensive than the sugar water they usually use. I hope this news gets to beekeepers everywhere.

Do they hibernate?

in their hive and try to keep the queen from freezing to death.

Smaller beekeepers usually feed sugar water from cane sugar in the late winter early spring. Large commercial operations use cheaper HFCS.

What happens by feeding the bees early is, the queen begins reproducing weeks earlier, building up colony size. Feeding is stopped prior to the nectar flow so that they collect only natural nectar which is then stored to become honey.

This significantly increases the amount of pollination done by each colony and the amount of honey stored, resulting in higher yields of crops, honey, and wax.

Normally bees will live off of the honey they create.But when the bee keepers harvest the honey it leaves them without a food supply.Because of this many beekeepers give them food to tide them over.

as part of the manufacturing process. This is to make them "flowable" or "mixable."

"It adds that studies have linked HMF to DNA damage in humans"

HFCS is something that needs to be out of diets! My 12 yo is doing her final school project on food additives and HFCS is one topic she will go in great detail to suggest avoiding.

I think HFCS is one of the major problems with obesity and I won't change my mind until someone proves otherwise. It is in everything, although some manufacturers are now removing it from their foods. I wonder why? Scared of lawsuits?

Bless the bees and their honey -- and can only hope more Americans will wake up

to their gift -- and the gift nature has given us in honey and bees!!

HMF can form in any fructose containing sugar. Thus it is formed in the Honey the bee made as well. Are the Bee keepers using a higher fructose containing sugar than normally is used? Is the problem the heat acceleration of the sugar dehydration? Or is the dehydration process accelerated in HFCS due to small impurities from the manufacturing process? Anyone know?

He believes that it must still be related to pesticides since he switched back to feeding w honey off season & still lost a hive. Maybe the HFCS has higher amounts of the pesticide than other sugar sources.

Wish I had more expertise to provide you.