Once again, the alarmists have latched onto minutae and blown them out of proportion. HMF occurs in exceedingly small amounts in corn syrup, but high amounts in much more common items such as coffee, bread and fruit.

In a recent analytical screening of nearly 500 food samples,
rather high HMF concentrations (exceeding 1 g/kg)
have been reported for specific products such as
dried fruits, caramel products, and juice made from
dried plums. Very high peak concentrations up to 3.5
g/kg were found in dried pears, up to 9.5 g/kg in
caramel products (Bachmann et al., 1997), up to 6.2
g/kg in instant coffee powder and up to 13.9 g/kg in
respective substitutes. 

Formation of HMF in foods varies with processing and
storage conditions and is especially dependent on
temperature and pH. This has been confirmed in
model experiments with fruit juices and concentrates
as well as in heat-treated milk

HMF has also been identified in chewing tobacco, 
cigarette smoke and wood smoke.
It is not clear whether this human exposure to
HMF represents a potential health risk.

Taken together, our in vitro results do not indicate
a health risk, resulting from average HMF exposure
from food.

source
5-Hydroxymethylfurfural: assessment of mutagenicity,
DNA-damaging potential and reactivity towards
cellular glutathione

Food and Chemical Toxicology 38 (2000)

* * *

High levels of HMF have been reported in, for example, dried fruits and
juice made of dried fruits (25–2900 mg/kg) and also in caramel
products (up to 9500 mg/kg). Although the levels in these food
items are high, bread (up to 410 mg/kg) and coffee (up to
420 mg/L) are the most important sources of human exposure to HMF

In meat and meat products
and in unheated foods, the levels of HMF are very low. The estimated
daily intake of HMF is 30–150 mg/per person

in the light of the fact that the human exposure to HMF is far higher
than that of many other heat-induced genotoxic food toxicants
like acrylamide and furan, it was rather reassuring to notice that
HMF was a rather weak DNA damaging agent, at least under the
experimental conditions used in the present study.

source
valuation of the DNA damaging effect of the heat-induced
food toxicant 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in various cell lines

Food and Chemical Toxicology 47 (2009)

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