With the latest Public Consultation on Food Ingredients released by the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA), D-allulose (referred to as allulose), a widely anticipated and used rising star in sugar substitutes globally, is finally about to officially enter China, the world’s largest consumer market. The global market size of allulose had already reached USD 147 million in 2024 and is highly likely to maintain rapid growth of around 14% in the next decade or so. Domestic companies started intensively allulose as early as five years ago, such as continuously expanding production capacity and developing related products. So why does allulose possess such great appeal, and how can it be scientifically applied in food production?

Allulose (D-allulose) is a natural rare sugar formed by the C-3 epimerization of D-fructose. It is present in figs, kiwifruit, raisins, wheat, and tea plants. The taste of allulose is close to that of sucrose, with a sweetness level of 70% of sucrose, but it provides only 0.3% of the calories of sucrose after consumption. Allulose does not have a tolerance dose like sugar alcohol sweeteners (which can cause diarrhea when exceeded), nor does it cause a bloating sensation. Compared to other sugar substitutes, the greatest advantage of allulose is its ability to participate in the Maillard reaction to improve the eating quality of products. Allulose also possesses numerous physiological activities beneficial to human health. For example, it can inhibit the accumulation of abdominal fat by inhibiting the activity of certain enzymes in the body; it can increase the activity of liver metabolic enzymes to reduce liver fat deposition; it activates brown and beige adipocytes to increase the basal metabolic rate and reduce adipose tissue; it improves the body’s glucose metabolism through pathways such as inhibiting α-glucosidase, competitively inhibiting the transport of basolateral glucose and fructose, activating glucokinase, and inhibiting pancreatic tissue inflammatory responses; additionally, it has certain neuroprotective effects, can improve autism spectrum disorder and mental illnesses, and alleviate patients’ anxiety about environmental changes. Allulose can also inhibit the growth of various microorganisms and inhibit post-fermentation in fermented foods.

Currently, allulose is primarily used abroad in baking, beverages, confectionery, dairy products, ready-to-eat cereals, and foods for special medical purposes.

1. Baking Field

Allulose can participate in the Maillard reaction, causing beneficial changes in the color and flavor of products after heating, which is a feature other sugar substitutes lack. The Maillard reaction products of allulose, compared to sucrose, have a darker color, a more intense and complex aroma, but can make the texture drier. For instance, cookies added with allulose can develop a more appealing brown color compared to those with sucrose; adding it to cakes containing egg whites can significantly improve the texture characteristics of meringue, making the mouthfeel finer and crispier. Furthermore, allulose can delay starch degradation and retrogradation.

2. Beverages

Allulose can improve the taste of carbonated drinks, reduce astringency, increase the solubility of carbonic acid in water, and maintain carbon dioxide pressure; it can reduce off-flavors, odors, and pungency in amino acid drinks; mask soybean off-odors, mask the smell and bitterness of alcohol, reduce coffee bitterness, and leave a refreshing aftertaste in coffee.

3. Sauces

Using allulose to replace sucrose in seasonings can give the product a more suitable viscosity. In jams, allulose has been proven to reduce dehydration during the shelf life, reduce bubble formation, and inhibit microbial proliferation.

4. Confectionery

Allulose has a gelling effect. Its use in soft candies can significantly reduce the water activity of the candy and promote gel formation. This is mainly due to its ability to accommodate more water in the gel network it helps form compared to sucrose. Allulose can also extend the storage time of gelatin-based soft candies by inhibiting crystallization. Adding allulose to chewing gum can make the sweetness last longer, and its use in chocolate can mask the characteristic bitterness of cocoa butter.

5. Others

Replacing sucrose with allulose in egg pudding can increase the breaking strength and elasticity of the pudding; using allulose instead of sucrose in sausages can reduce the decline in textural quality caused by frozen storage and improve their freeze-thaw stability. Adding allulose to tofu can reduce bubble formation and make the structure tighter.

Allulose also has wide applications in the daily chemical field. For example, it can significantly enhance the moisturizing effect of cosmetics, mainly due to its good water absorption capacity and obvious synergistic effects with glucose and mannose. The anti-inflammatory effect of allulose allows it to be used in products like mouthwash. Additionally, when combined with sugar alcohols, it can improve the granulation effect and taste of particulate products.

Although allulose, as a new generation sugar substitute, has many advantages, the following points need attention during use:

1. Its taste still differs somewhat from sucrose. In use, it still needs to be compounded with sucrose and other sweeteners to achieve the best sweetness and mouthfeel. For example, compounding allulose with high-intensity sweeteners (such as stevia, mogrosides, etc.) can achieve a higher overall sweetness; compounding with certain sweeteners can suppress the lingering bitterness of allulose or improve its sweetness persistence.
2. The characteristic of allulose participating in the Maillard reaction limits its application in beverages to some extent. Generally, it is more stable in acidic beverages (carbonated drinks, fruit juices, etc.) and will not cause significant color changes in beverages during storage. Additionally, note that citrate ions can also accelerate its discoloration. Adding allulose to dairy beverages will result in a yellowish-brown color after heating, which intensifies with increasing heating time and temperature.
3. Using too much allulose in certain products like ice cream can lead to excessive product shrinkage due to its water-absorbing and gel-enhancing properties, resulting in a worse texture.

Finally, although current research data show no harm to human health, its toxicological research data are relatively scarce compared to other mature products. Continued research is still needed to reveal any potential health risks.