Randy wrote:
> Has nothing to do with "thickness."  Sucrose does not require hydrochloric
> acid to process (in fact uses lime).  HFCS does.  The low pH is due to
> residual acidity.

Hi Randy and all:

My understanding is that some HFCS is produced by acid inversion (and that 
is not suitable for bee feed).  But when I questioned my supplier (CASCO) 
they told me that the product is produced by enzyme inversion, the same 
method by which bees produce honey.  Honey is about the same ph as the HFCS, 
and that is not due to HCl in the honey, but due to a bunch of acids listed 
in Hive and Honeybee (gluconic, formic, acetic.....) some of which are by 
products of enzyme inversion.   So how sure are you that the low ph is due 
to HCl?  Perhaps HCl is also used with enzyme inverted product, I don't 
know.  But IF low ph and HMF was a problem, could it not be buffered by lime 
or lye or another base.  It would have to be one that did not produce any 
toxic salts in the buffering.

However, it seems to me that once I take delivery of the syrup, the 
temperature thereafter is likely low enough that HMF formation is not a 
problem.  It is more likely to be a problem at the factory, or in the rail 
tanker, because the tanker is kept on the siding with hot water circulating 
keeping the tanker quite warm.  I was unhappy to have my second load be the 
load that a drained a tanker, so I know it had been warm for several days or 
more.  Two years ago (last year I fed sucrose syrup) I was offered some that 
was slightly offspec due to overheating/time but I asked for a HMF analysis 
first, and after consulting the bee-l archives I declined it despite the 
discount because it was at a level where people had mentioned it might be 
problematic.

Like Allen, I dilute the HFCS a bit to slow granulation.  The low ph 
probably slows bacterial growth as it does in honey.  But if HFCS get 
spilled on the ground in any quantity, the smell is really, really rank when 
it rots.

57 cents a kilo is not too much more than the 23 cents a pound that Bob 
mentioned,  and as Dorothy said, "I don't think this is Kansas", and corn is 
not as big a crop here.

Stan 

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