In the realm of natural sweeteners, D-Allulose has been gaining significant attention in recent years, joining the ranks of popular sweeteners like erythritol. Numerous corn processing companies have entered this market, showing a trend that could potentially surpass the popularity of erythritol.
D-Allulose, also known as D-Psicose, is an epimer of fructose, a rare monosaccharide naturally present in minute quantities. It closely mimics the taste of sucrose, offering a mild and delicate sweetness that remains constant with temperature changes. With about 70% sweetness of sucrose and only 10% of the calories, D-Allulose proves to be an ideal sucrose alternative. It boasts stable molecular structure, strong chemical inertness, and adaptability to both acidic and alkaline environments. Additionally, D-Allulose generates abundant antioxidants during enzymatic reactions, reducing oxidation losses in product processing and storage, thereby enhancing product quality.
D-Allulose Applications:
- Health Supplements: Enhances plasma insulin levels, contributing to blood sugar and lipid reduction, obesity prevention, antioxidant properties, and neuroprotection.
- Beverages: Offers excellent processing stability and high solubility, maintaining overall taste and quality while reducing sugar content.
- Bakery Products: Provides good caramelization and coloring effects at high temperatures, with strong water-retention capabilities, resulting in appealing color, good moisture, and stable hardness in baked goods.
- Confectionery: Exhibits a lower sugar crystallization rate, effectively controlling sugar content. Maintains similar hardness, elasticity, viscosity, and texture to full-sugar products.
- Biological Materials: D-Allulose-derived plant-based materials are environmentally friendly, waterproof, transparent, and find applications in the liquid crystal display field.
- Pharmaceuticals: Acts as a sugar-based insect repellent, inhibiting parasite growth.
D-Allulose is primarily produced through three methods: plant extraction, chemical synthesis, and biological conversion. While plant extraction faces challenges due to low natural D-Allulose content, chemical synthesis encounters issues of high cost, process complexity, purification challenges, and low yield. As a result, industrial production predominantly relies on the biological conversion method.
Biological conversion involves refining starch as the initial raw material, enzymatic conversion to obtain fructose, and subsequent refining to produce D-Allulose. Currently, D-Allulose production in China primarily uses crystalline fructose as a substrate, with challenges related to low enzymatic activity, low conversion rates, and infrequent reuse.
Advancements in D-Allulose Applications:
Internationally, key companies involved in D-Allulose production include Matsumoto Chemical in Japan, Tate & Lyle in the UK, CJ CheilJedang in South Korea, and Samyang in South Korea. The number of Chinese production companies and capacity are rapidly expanding.
According to Future Market Insights (FMI) research, the global D-Allulose market reached $210 million by the end of 2020, with 55% used in food and 37% in beverages. It is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of around 9% from 2020 to 2030, reaching an estimated $450 million globally by 2030.
D-Allulose has received regulatory approval in various countries globally:
- In the Americas, companies such as CJ CheilJedang received Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) certification for D-Allulose as a food additive in 2012.
- In Japan, Matsumoto Chemical’s D-Allulose obtained GRAS certification in 2014, with studies indicating good tolerance at daily intakes of 31-33 grams.
- In 2016, Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency approved D-Allulose for use in functional health foods, citing its efficacy in controlling postprandial blood glucose elevation by inhibiting glucose intake, with potential anti-obesity effects.
- Post-2017, South Korea’s Samyang Group received GRAS certification for D-Allulose obtained through enzymatic catalysis, approving its use as a food additive.
- In 2019, Tate & Lyle in the UK applied for GRAS certification. In April of the same year, the US FDA excluded D-Allulose from “added sugars” and “total sugars” labels, calculating its energy at 0.4 kcal/g, signaling a relaxation in usage restrictions. The FDA acknowledged its use in various food categories, including baked goods, beverages, chewing gum, confectionery, frozen dairy products, yogurt, medical foods, and ready-to-eat cereals.
In 2020, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare approved D-Allulose epimerase as a food additive.
In March 2021, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare amended regulations, adding D-Allulose to the list of permitted additives, signaling increased acceptance in Japan.
In 2022, Australia and New Zealand approved D-Allulose as a food additive, allowing the use of Microbacterium foliorum SYG27B-MF containing D-Allulose-3-epimerase to convert fructose into D-Allulose.
Industry experts believe that the approval of D-Allulose-3-epimerase will break technological barriers and production constraints. It signifies a milestone for D-Allulose’s safe and compliant entry into new food material territory. Additionally, the approval of this enzyme preparation somewhat challenges the potential market monopoly of international large-scale enzyme preparation companies in this field.
Future Outlook:
D-Allulose, as a natural sugar substitute, boasts high safety and functional characteristics, including strong stability, heat resistance, and potential benefits in sugar and lipid reduction. With broad applications, the demand for D-Allulose is expected to experience significant growth.
However, as competition intensifies among deep processing enterprises and homogenization becomes more pronounced, the subsequent increase in D-Allulose production capacity may lead to a shorter market dividend period. There is a possibility that, similar to erythritol, D-Allulose could face oversupply challenges in a few years.
