America market most popular sweetener:Allulose

Do you know what is the hottest sweetener in the US market right now? The answer is allulose. This seemingly niche sweetener is rapidly becoming one of the sweeteners of choice for NPD in food and beverages in the United States. In the first half of this year alone, a large number of new products have chosen allulose as a sweetener. The industry also predicts that allulose will become the next popular natural sweetener after stevia and erythritol.

Allulose market situation:

Allulose, an epimer of fructose, is a monosaccharide that exists in nature but in very small amounts, also known as rare sugar. Allulose was first discovered in wheat more than seventy years ago, and later in raisins, dried figs and brown sugar. In 2015, allulose received FDA approval for use in baked goods, confectionery, sweet sauces, dairy products, ice cream, desserts, beverages, and more. However, after that, allulose did not make much progress in the US market, because allulose is a monosaccharide and is still traditionally regarded as sugar, so it is an "added sugar" and needs to be counted as a monosaccharide. Carbohydrates and total sugars, so cannot be used as a "low-calorie sweetener" like other sweeteners.

In 2019, allulose ushered in the spring. The FDA announced that the low-calorie sweetener allulose will be excluded from the "added sugars" and "total sugars" labels, and will no longer need to be calculated in these two categories. The calories of sugar are set at 0.4kcal/g. This policy justifies the identity of allulose as a "natural low-calorie sweetener". Many ingredient companies have begun to increase the production of allulose. At the same time, new food and beverage products in the US market have begun to use allulose on a large scale. sugar. In North America, the number of new products containing allulose tripled in 2020 compared to 2019.

Futuremarketinsights predicts that by the end of 2020, the global allulose market will reach 210 million US dollars, of which 55% is used in food, 37% is used in beverages, and a small part is used in medicine; powder form of allulose products account for about 50% of the market 87%. The global allulose market is expected to reach USD 450 million in 2030 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.1%, with North America accounting for more than half of the market.

The advantages of allulose:
1. Low calorie

The sweetness of allulose is about 70% of that of sucrose, but the calories are much lower than that of sucrose, only one-tenth of that of sucrose. A small 2015 study suggests that allulose may be beneficial for type 2 diabetes and obesity, and researchers report that allulose may help control blood sugar levels and improve insulin resistance, both in obesity and in people with diabetes It is a very ideal substitute for sucrose.

2. Good taste

In terms of taste, the sweetness of allulose is soft and delicate, and the pure sweetness is very similar to that of high-purity sucrose. The initial stimulation to the taste buds is slightly faster than that of sucrose, and there is no bad taste during and after consumption. Its sweetness does not change with temperature, and it can express pure sweetness at various temperatures.

3. High security

Allulose is regarded by European and American scholars as the best substitute for erythritol, because the sweetness of the two is similar, and it is safer than sugar alcohol. People have a certain tolerance to the intake of various sugar alcohols, otherwise there will be different degrees of laxative effects, but allulose will not have such a situation, and it will have no effect on metabolism and blood sugar levels.

In addition, psicose does not use chemical synthesis. The general preparation method is that fructose extracted from corn or sugar beet is prepared by enzymatic epimerization method. The generated product is relatively simple and belongs to natural products.

4. Improve product quality

Allulose and egg albumin can not only form a better cross-linked structure through Maillard reaction, improve food texture, but also generate substances with high antioxidant effect, which can reduce oxidative loss during food processing and storage. . Partial replacement of sucrose with allulose in cakes can improve cake quality by producing a large amount of antioxidants through the Maillard reaction, thus making it an excellent alternative to sucrose in baking applications.

5. High stability

The structure and characteristics of allulose are extremely stable, and it has strong chemical inertness. It can maintain its original state under acidic or alkaline conditions, and its stability is higher than that of sucrose. It is convenient to apply to various nutrient-rich, raw materials in foods with complex origins.