Go to the barbecue sauce isle at your local grocery store right now and you will find a lot of choices, and many of them share a rather controversial ingredient – high-fructose corn syrup. High-fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, is an artificial sweetener and food preservative used to lengthen the shelf life of many sauces. However, many naysayers and some studies declare it to be worse than table sugar, citing it as the cause of everything from acne to diabetes. This is why so many people have flocked to high-fructose corn syrup free barbecue sauces, but is it really bad for you?

The health risks of HFCS are the subject of much debate, but typically food preservatives are not the best in terms of health benefits or even flavor. However, what barbecue maniacs need to realize when making their own sauces or shopping for an HFCS-free option is that high-fructose corn syrup is not the same as corn syrup. HFCS is, as its name suggests, is high in fructose with the minority being made up of glucose. Corn syrup, on the other hand, is a mix of glucose and maltose. They are all sugars, but some are better for you than others.

When creating your own barbecue sauce, corn syrup is an excellent addition because it not only sweetens your sauce without making it grainy like traditional sugars, but it gives the sauce a nice sheer as well. So regardless of if you believe in the evils of high-fructose corn syrup or not, you should not leave out regular corn syrup just because you might be worried of the health risks.

At Mild to Wild Pepper and Herb Company, we offer a full range of products from sauces for private labeling and retail sales, to bulk chile peppers for the largest of industrial accounts and everything in between! With an extensive selection of hot sauces and barbecue sauces, you are sure to find something that fits your tastes. To place your order today, visit our website and read about all the ingredients that go into our specialty sauces.