A factory in the works for soft-drink 'sugar'

Canada Starch Company, the Canadian subsidiary of CPC international inc., has decided to build in Ontario the first plant in Canada capable of producing second-generation high-fructose corn syrup, a sugar replacement used in soft drinks.

The new plant, to be in Port Colborne, will have an initial capacity of grinding 16,000 bushels of corn a day but can be expanded to 32,000 bushels a day.

Second-generation high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contains 55 percent frustose, compared with a 42-percent fructose content in first-generation HFCS. The plant will also be capable of producing first-generation HFCS, cornstarch, corn oil, and a variety of ingredients for animal feeds. First- generation HFCS is used by the food industry as an alternative to cane or beet sugar, while second-generation HFCS is used by the soft drink industry.

Canada Starch said the new plant will be completed in the fall of 1982 and will use the most advanced wet milling technology available. The company did not give the cost of the plant, but said it would be in the "multimillion dollar" range.

The factory, near the Welland Canal, will employ 50 people. The company said the site was chosen because of its proximity to major markets and because of the port and elevator facilities.

Currently, CPC International operates three large corn wet milling plants in the United States. The company is also building two new plants in the US and is expanding a third one. Two smaller plants are under constru ction in Mexico and Brazil.