Corn Derivatives List
The following list of common food products and food additives is not exhaustive of where corn derivatives may be present. Some products may not always be made from corn, but all can be made from corn or may contain it as an ingredient. There are many “hidden ingredient” corn derivatives not required to be noted on a label.
Examples:
- Dextrose is used as an anti-clumping agent in iodized salt.
- Dextrose is also present in IV fluids.
- Medications include corn derivative excipients.
This corn derivatives list spans products, ingredients, additives, etc., and has been compiled from personal experience with what my corn-intolerant child has reacted to, appear in books I’ve read including “The Food Allergy Cure” by Dr. Ellen Cutler, and the Gluten Free Society website.
Most recent list update: 13 October 2020
A
- Acetic acid
- Adhesives and other glue
- Agave nectar
- Air (fresheners, fumes, incense, plug-ins)
- Alcohol (drinking; ale, beer, brandies, whiskies, etc.)
- Allulose
- Alpha tocopherol
- Artificial (flavor, sweetener, food color)
- Ascorbates
- Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)
- Astaxanthin
- Automobile (airbags, spark plugs, tires, windshield washer/wiper fluids)
B
- Baking mixes
- Baking powder
- Barley malt
- Batters for frying
- Beets (Harvard)
- Beverages (carbonated, decaf coffee/tea, instant coffee)
- Blended sugar (sugaridextrose)
- BPA-free can lining
- Breads
- Brown sugar
C
- Cakes
- Calcium (citrate, fumarate, gluconate, lactate, magnesium acetate – CMA, stearate, stearoyl lactylate)
- Candy
- Canola oil
- Caramel
- Caramel color
- Carbonmethylcellulose sodium
- Catsup
- Cellulose gum
- Cellulose (powdered, vegetable)
- Cetearyl glucoside
- Chewing gum
- Choline chloride
- Citric acid
- Citrus cloud emulsion (CCS)
- Cleaning (antimicrobial sprays, dish detergent, dish soap, disinfectants, rinse aids)
- Coco glycerides (cocoglycerides)
- Confectioner sugar
- Construction (carpeting, dynamite, drywall gypsum plaster)
- Corn
- Corn (alcohol, extract, flour, gluten, margarine, meal, oil, starch, sugar, sweetener, syrup, syrup solids)
- Corn goods (bread, cake, casserole, chips, flakes, fritters, muffins, tortillas)
- Croscarmellose sodium
- Crystalline dextrose
- Crystalline fructose
- Cyclodextrin
D
- DATEM (Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Ester of Mono- and Diglycerides)
- Decyl (poly) glucoside
- Defoaming agents
- Dentifrices
- Dextrin
- Dextrose (any, including anhydrous, monohydrate)
- D-Gluconic acid
- Diglyceride
- Disposable (diapers, nursing pads, paper containers, paper plates, styrofoam containers, etc.)
- Drying agent
E
- Erythorbic acid
- Erythritol
- Ethanol
- Ethocel 20
- Ethylcellulose
- Ethylene
- Ethylene glycol
- Ethyl (acetate, alcohol, lactate, maltol)
- Excipients (in medication capsules, suppositories, tablets, vitamins)
- Extracts
F
- FD&C food color
- Feminine care (disposable liners, pads, tampons)
- Ferrous gluconate
- Fertilizers
- Fibersol-2
- Flour (bleached, enriched)
- Food starch
- Formaldehyde
- Formalin
- Free fatty acids
- Fructose
- Fruit juice concentrate
- Fumaric acid
G
- Gardening (herbicides, pesticides, plant nutrients, soil amendments such as Zeba)
- Gellan gum
- Germ (meal)
- Gluconate
- Gluconic acid
- Glucono delta-lactone (GDL)
- Gluconolactone
- Glucosamine
- Glucose
- Glucose syrup
- Glutamate
- Gluten
- Gluten (feed, meal)
- Glycerides
- Glycerin
- Glycerol
- Golden syrup (treacle)
- Gravy
- Grits
H
- Hair (shampoos, conditioners, spray, detangling, mousse, gels, oil treatments, dry shampoos, stabilizers)
- High fructose corn syrup
- Holidays (balloons, candles, costume makeup, costumes, fireworks, matches, scented ornaments, stickers)
- Hominy
- Honey
- Hydrol
- Hydrolyzed corn
- Hydrolyzed corn protein
- Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
- Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)
- Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose pthalate (HPMCP)
I
- Inositol
- Inulin
- Invert sugar
- Invert syrup
J
- Jams
- Jellies
K
- Kremel
L
- Lactate
- Lactic acid
- Lactose
- Laundry (detergents, dryer sheets, soaps, softeners, stain lifters, starches)
- Lauryl glucoside
- Leather (tanned)
- Lecithin
- Linoleic acid
- Lysine
M
- Magnesium (citrate, fumarate, stearate)
- Maize
- Malic acid
- Malonic acid
- Malt
- Malt (extract, flavoring, syrup)
- Malted barley
- Maltitol
- Maltodextrin
- Maltol
- Maltose
- Mannitol
- Masa
- Meat (during slaughter, processing, packaging; bacon, bologna, frankfurters, gravied, lunch ham, sausages, wieners)
- Medical (bandages, Band-Aids, dental cements, dental fillings, dissolvable stents/sutures, heating pads, hot packs, implants like PLA, dextrose and glucose syrup in IV solutions, lactated ringers, latex, medications, pre-filled saline syringe, pregelatinized starch, rubbing alcohol, surgical dressings, ultrasound gel, etc.)
- Medication (non-compounded, dyes, excipients, additives, sometimes microcrystalline cellulose, sweetener; such as acetaminophen, contact lens solutions, infant gas drops, lozenges, etc.)
- Methyl (gluceth, glucose, glucoside)
- Methylcellulose
- Microcrystalline cellulose
- Modified (cellulose gum, corn starch, food starch, starch)
- Molasses
- Monoglyceride
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- MSG
N
- Natural (flavor, sweetener)
- Non-animal rennet
- Non-compounded medications
O
- Olean
- Olestra
P
- Paper cartons (like for milk)
- Paracetic acid
- Pastries
- Personal care (body powders, body washes, breath mints, breath sprays, deodorants, lotion, nail polish, sanitary pads, shoe polish, soap, sunblock, suntan lotions, talc, tampons, toilet paper, toothpaste)
- Pets (food, treats, litter, toys)
- Phenol
- PLA biodegradable plastics
- Polenta
- Polydextrose
- Polyethylene glycol (PEG)
- Polylactic acid (PLA)
- Polysorbate (e.g. polysorbate 80)
- Polyvinyl acetate
- Popcorn
- Potassium (citrate, fumarate, gluconate, glutamate)
- Propionic acid
- Propylene (glycol, glycol monostearate)
- Pullulan
S
- Saccharin
- Salt (iodized, seasoned)
- Seasonal (beach balls, charcoal briquettes, de-icers, mosquito coils, swim floaties/rings/floats)
- Seasonings (mixed)
- Semolina
- Sodium (carboxymethylcellulose, citrate, erythorbate, fumarate, lactate, saccharin, starch glycolate, stearoyl fumarate)
- Sorbate
- Sorbic acid
- Sorbitan
- Sorbitan (monooleate, tri-oleate, monostearate)
- Sorbitol
- Sorbitol solution
- Sorghum
- Soups
- Starch (any not specified)
- Stearic acid
- Stearoyls
- Storing (cardboard boxes, plastic tupperware)
- Sucralose
- Sucrose
- Sugar (beet, cane, Stevia extract, powdered)
- Supplements
- Supplies (arts & crafts, printer ink, tattoo, toner cartridges)
- Sweetener (aspartame, cerelose, dextrose, Dyno, glucose, Puretose, Splenda, Sweet’N Low, Sweetose, xylitol)
- Synthetic clothing, fabrics, yarn (mixed blends, polyester, stuffed animals/soft toys, vinyl)
T
- Taco shells
- Tea
- Tea bags
- Tamales
- Threonine
- Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
- Treacle (AKA golden syrup)
- Triacetin
- Triethyl citrate
U
- Unfiltered water
- Unmodified starch
V
- Vanilla (extract, flavor, pure)
- Vanillin
- Vegetable (any not specified, canned, creamed, frozen)
- Vegetable (enzymes, glycerin, oil, rennet, starch)
- Vinegar
- Vinegar, distilled white
- Vinyl acetate
- Vitamins (C, E)
W
- Waxy Maize
X
- Xanthan gum
Y
- Yeast
Z
- Zea mays
- Zein
Ive had a anaphylactic corn allergy since 1985. Corn is in “EVERYTHING” in luding 90% of the medications today. Its on the rise.
That it is! I’m so sorry you’ve had to live with it for so long. My hope is that people will catch on and do better for themselves. In the meanwhile, families such as ours can work on getting healthy in a more genuine way since we have a better idea what to watch for.
FYI: Haven’t had an anaphylactic reaction to corn in a long time. Being anaphylactic to corn is rare but in the rise because it’s cheaper to put in foods, gasoline, medications (in meds & coatings outside them), paper plate products, shampoos, detergents….you name it. 😢…Benadryl didn’t use to put corn in their medications back when I found out about my allergy but it has for a while now. Why an allergy medication would have allergens in it that people are allergic to blows my mind. Pretty much corporate greed. All I got from them was “sorry.”