According to a food technology expert, two of the enzymes used, alpha-amylase and glucose-isomerase, are genetically modified to make them more stable. Enzymes are actually very large proteins and through genetic modification specific amino acids in the enzymes are changed or replaced so the enzyme's "backbone" won't break down or unfold. This allows the industry to get the enzymes to higher temperatures before they become unstable.

The problem is that HCFS inhibits leptin secretion, so you never get the message that you’re full. And it never shuts off gherin, so, even though you have food in your stomach, you constantly get the message that you’re hungry.

Quaker Oatmeal to Go bars
      Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce
      Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
      Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
      Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars
      Manwich Gold Sloppy Joe
      Market Pantry Grape Jelly
      Smucker's Strawberry Jelly
      Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry
      Hunt's Tomato Ketchup
      Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth Dressing
      Coca-Cola Classic
      Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
      Minute Maid Berry Punch
      Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
      Nesquik Chocolate Milk
      Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk

Caustic soda (also known as sodium hydroxide or lye) and a number of other food industry ingredients are produced in industrial chlorine (chlor-alkali) plants. “Mercury-grade,” also known as “rayongrade” caustic soda, comes from chlorine plants still using an outdated 19th century technology that relies on the use of mercury.

    While most chlorine plants around the world have switched to newer, cleaner technologies, some still rely on the use of mercury. These mercury cell plants may rival coal-fired power plants as sources of mercury “leaked” to the environment.

    What has not been publicly recognized is that mercury cell technology can also contaminate all the food grade chemicals made from it, including caustic soda, as well as hydrochloric acid. It was unrecognized, that is, until the lead author of the Environmental Health study, a longtime environmental investigator of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), thought to look into it.

    What she found was that possible mercury contamination of these food chemicals was not common knowledge within the food industry despite the availability of product specification sheets for mercury-grade caustic soda that clearly indicate the presence of mercury (as well as lead, arsenic and other metals). Upon further investigation, she found mercury contamination in some commercial HFCS, which can be made from mercury-grade caustic soda.

    Through this public scientist’s initiative, the FDA learned that commercial HFCS was contaminated with mercury. The agency has apparently done nothing to inform consumers of this fact, however, or to help change industry practice.

    Consumers likely aren’t the only ones in the dark. While HFCS manufacturers certainly should have been wary of buying “mercury-grade” caustic soda in the first place, the food companies that buy finished HFCS and incorporate it into their processed food products may be equally unaware of how their HFCS is made, i.e., whether or not it is made from chemicals produced by a chlorine plant still using mercury cells. The HFCS isn’t labeled “Made with mercury,” just like contaminated pet foods, chocolates and other products have not been labeled “Made with melamine.” Under current regulations, that information is not made available to either consumers or to companies further down the food supply chain.