The world is full of people who love sugary foods, but don’t love the calories that come along for the ride. A new process to create substitutes for sugar might make those sweet treats a little more healthful – without sacrificing taste.
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The production process
Though discovered in the 1940s, allulose wasn’t approved for commercial use until 2015, and adoption of it has been slow. Allulose retains 70 percent of the flavor found in regular sugar, or sucrose, but contains fewer calories. The chemical, also known as D-psicose, occurs naturally in raisins, figs, wheat and molasses.
In 2023, researchers from the University of California Davis and the Department of Chemistry at the Mars Advanced Research Institute discovered a production technique to produce allulose more efficiently. Before the findings, manufacturers had to use expensive separation techniques to isolate the allulose from glucose and fructose molecules, lest their products have lower purity and yield.
To improve the production process, the researchers tested a natural process called precise fermentation. This process identifies the bacterium Escherichia coli, more commonly referred to as E. coli, as an industrial microorganism – which has the enzymes to create allulose – and enables it to convert the glucose to allulose by editing its metabolism. Now, manufacturers can create a higher-purity product with an increase in output of almost 99 percent, reducing the need for processing and extensive purification efforts.
Implications for consumers
The newest production technique for allulose minimizes metabolization as it passes through the body, with most of the compound exiting via urine rather than remaining as leftover energy for cells.
As reported by Healthline, allulose promotes weight loss normally spurred on by sugar intake and improves how the body handles fat stored in liver cells.
This change leaves fewer calories behind than regular sugar, making it helpful for those who follow keto and other diets, and also reducing consumption. It also has an imperceptible effect on blood glucose and insulin levels – good news for individuals with diabetes who are worried about spikes in glycemic response.
Evan Che Stefanik is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback is welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
