Mercury detected in U.S. corn syrup

Washington, United States, January28: Researchers have found common food items containing commercial high fructose corn syrup, contaminated with mercury. On the other hand, it has also been reported that the corn syrup itself is contaminated.

Researchers stressed on the fact that people need to be aware about the potential hazards of toxic metal present in the food they eat.

However, food processors and the corn syrup industry have rubbished the findings, saying that they are outdated and not correct. The Corn Refiners Association has also said that the findings are flawed. Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Associated was quoted as saying, “Our industry has used mercury-free versions of the two reagents mentioned in the study, hydrochloric acid and caustic soda, for several years.”

In one of the studies, former Food and Drug Administration scientist Renee Dufault and his fellow researchers took into account 20 samples of high fructose corn syrup. They found traces of mercury in nine samples out of the 20 tested.

The study findings, which find place in the journal Environmental Health, have already been reported to the FDA. But according to Dufault, the agency did not pay any heed to the same.

But a food researcher and activist at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Dr. David Wallinga went further to find if there is mercury present in actual food.

Walling said in a telephone interview, “When I learned of that work, I said that is interesting but we don’t just go out and eat a spoonful of high fructose corn syrup.”

He added, “We went and looked at supermarket samples where high fructose corn syrup was the first or second ingredient on the label. We found about one out of three had mercury above the detection limit.”

There were 55 different kinds of food tested and these included barbecue sauce, jam, yogurt and chocolate syrup.

Earlier studies have revealed that there can be high levels of mercury present in the fish. Methylmercury, even if present in small amounts, can damage the development of brain.

But Wallinga added that he and his team did not take into account the foods that do not contain syrup to test if they also contained high levels of mercury.