The Rising Star of Sugar Reduction Formulas – What Kind of Sugar Is Allulose?

The sugar-reduction market still holds great potential.

According to data from HealthFocus International, reducing sugar intake is the top dietary change made by consumers. In their view, the best way for food and beverage manufacturers to make their products healthier is to reduce sugar. The National Nutrition Plan (2017–2030) also explicitly promotes healthy lifestyles, with “sugar reduction” being one of its key initiatives. Under this trend, what other sugar-reduction options are available? Which ingredients will lead the future of sugar-reduction formulas? The discovery and application of “allulose” may mark a major breakthrough in the sugar-reduction product market.

Outstanding Physicochemical Properties, Allulose Demonstrates Its Advantages

When it comes to sugar substitutes, people often think of erythritol, stevia, monk fruit extract, xylitol, maltitol... In addition to these, there exists a naturally occurring sugar substitute in nature that is extremely rare in content but boasts vast market application prospects—Allulose.

D-Allulose is an epimer of fructose, a rare monosaccharide that occurs naturally but in very small quantities. Allulose was first discovered in wheat leaves in 1940. Since then, it has been found in small amounts in certain fruits (such as figs, raisins, kiwis) and in maple syrup and brown sugar. It shares similar physical properties with sucrose, such as volume, taste, browning ability, and freezing point, making it an ideal sucrose substitute.

High Sweetness, Low Caloric Value

Allulose has about 70% of the sweetness of sucrose, but a lower glycemic index (GI) and caloric content—only 1/10 that of sucrose. The FDA has determined its caloric value as 0.4 kcal/g. Most allulose is excreted from the body via urine or feces, with minimal metabolism after absorption in the intestine. Its non-metabolized, non-caloric nature is one of its major advantages.

Sucrose-Like Taste

In terms of taste, allulose offers a gentle, delicate sweetness very similar to that of high-purity sucrose. It provides a faster initial stimulus to the taste buds compared to sucrose, with no unpleasant aftertaste during or after consumption. Moreover, its sweetness does not vary with temperature and remains consistent across various conditions.

Stable Properties

Allulose has a stable structure and characteristics, with high chemical inertness, making it adaptable to both acidic and alkaline environments. It generates a large amount of antioxidant components during glycation reactions, which helps reduce oxidative losses during processing and storage, improving product quality.

Backed by Science, Allulose's Health Benefits Are Widely Recognized

Allulose is also widely regarded as a promising functional ingredient with multiple beneficial physiological effects. For decades, extensive studies on the physiological functions and mechanisms of D-allulose have shown positive effects on blood sugar control, weight management, and neuroprotection.

Studies on Blood Sugar Control

Huang Weilai and colleagues, using Wistar rats as a model, found that allulose reduced postprandial blood glucose levels more effectively than commonly known dietary fibers. In a controlled study, participants were administered either 7.5g of D-allulose alone, 75g of maltodextrin, or 75g of maltodextrin with 2.5g, 5g, or 7.5g of D-allulose. Results showed that doses of 5g or more of D-allulose significantly suppressed increases in blood glucose and insulin concentrations in a dose-dependent manner. Compared to the maltodextrin-only group, the allulose groups showed significantly lower blood glucose and insulin levels.

Studies on Weight Control

A Food & Function study analyzed allulose’s effects on fat metabolism in Wistar rats. Rats were divided into five groups and randomly supplemented with glucose, fructose, cellulose, D-allulose, or a control diet. The allulose group showed the lowest body weight. In another study, rats were fed high-sugar diets containing 5% cellulose or 5% D-allulose. The allulose group burned more fat overnight and showed less fat gain, indicating that D-allulose can help control and maintain healthy weight by enhancing energy metabolism.

Studies on Neuroprotection

Takata and colleagues conducted in vitro experiments and found that 50mM of D-allulose could inhibit apoptosis in catecholaminergic PC12 cells induced by neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (a Parkinson’s disease model), by increasing intracellular glutathione levels, thereby providing neuroprotective effects.

Accelerating Regulatory Approvals, Allulose Is Entering the Market Faster

Thanks to its excellent physicochemical and health properties, allulose is gaining acceptance in more countries.

2012: The U.S. FDA officially recognized D-allulose as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe), allowing its use as a dietary additive and in some food ingredients.

2019: The FDA excluded low-calorie sweetener allulose from the “Added Sugars” and “Total Sugars” labeling, meaning its addition no longer needs to be counted in these categories. The caloric value was set at 0.4 kcal/g, further easing usage restrictions.

2020: Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approved allulose epimerase as a food additive.

2021: Japan revised its Food Sanitation Law Enforcement Regulations and Specifications and Standards for Food Additives, officially listing allulose as an approved additive.

2022: Australia and New Zealand approved D-allulose as a food additive, allowing the use of Microbacterium foliorum SYG27B-MF containing allulose-3-epimerase to enzymatically convert fructose into D-allulose.

As of now, multiple countries, including Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States, have approved allulose as a food ingredient. Allulose has also obtained FEMA GRAS certification, allowing its use as a flavoring agent in food, beverages and dairy products to enhance taste and mouthfeel.

In China, although allulose has not yet been approved as a new food ingredient, the industry and enterprises are actively promoting regulatory approval. In August 2021, China’s National Health Commission accepted an application for D-allulose as a new food ingredient. In May 2023, it issued an announcement listing “D-allulose-3-epimerase” as a new type of enzyme preparation for the food industry. This milestone marks a significant step toward allulose’s approval in China’s food additive sector and lays a foundation for its use in food processing, signaling imminent domestic regulatory acceptance.

Facing the rise of the next-generation sugar substitute, early R&D and capacity layout can help secure future market dominance. With sharp market insight, Shandong Bailong Chuangyuan Bio-tech Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Bailong Chuangyuan") aligns with the health and sugar-reduction trends and has been preparing for the global application of high-quality sugar substitutes such as allulose and resistant dextrin. Its allulose products are highly pure, with uniform granules and clean sweetness, making them widely applicable in food, beverages, and health supplements, providing customers with premium sugar-reduction solutions and new alternatives.