By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

Allulose is a simple sugar (monosaccharide) introduced to the U.S. market in the 2010s. In this article, The VRG takes a look at what food scientists and health researchers know about allulose and what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says about this natural sweetener.

Allulose characteristics

Found in extremely small quantities in a few foods including figs and raisins, allulose has the same chemical formula as fructose but in a different 3D arrangement. Research shows that under ordinary cooking conditions of certain food products, fructose is converted to allulose. Unlike fructose, however, allulose does not disrupt the gut microbiome. In fact, research using human cell lines shows allulose demonstrates gut protective effects as a prebiotic food source for probiotic bacteria in the intestinal tract.

On the other hand, high fructose consumption is associated with several chronic health conditions including metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular dysfunction. Allulose does not cause a rapid rise in blood glucose or insulin like table sugar (i.e., sucrose which is composed of equal parts of glucose and fructose) does. Moreover, allulose has been shown to decrease blood glucose levels after meals in both healthy adults and those with type 2 diabetes. According to the FDA in its 2020 Guidance on this simple sugar, allulose is “virtually unmetabolized by the human body” and excreted unchanged.

In taste tests, people find allulose to be almost as sweet as table sugar without a bitter aftertaste like other sugar substitutes. Technically, allulose is 70% as sweet as sucrose. It possesses a mouthfeel similar to sugar. When in granular form, it resembles table sugar. Allulose is not known to promote tooth decay like table sugar does.

Allulose: GRAS status

Despite being declared generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA, the safety of allulose in humans is not well-established although a 2010 randomized, double-blind study with a small sample size showed no deleterious effects on several major metabolic biomarkers after 12 weeks of daily consumption.

However, the FDA had not conducted rigorous testing on allulose before issuing its GRAS determination. It should be pointed out that FDA does not regularly conduct safety tests on food ingredients before making GRAS declarations; rather, FDA often accepts industry-funded data as evidence of safety. Although some countries such as Japan and Mexico have approved allulose for food use, not all have. For instance, allulose is not approved for food use in Canada or Europe while safety testing is ongoing.

It’s noteworthy to point out that in a 2019 press release, FDA made this comment about allulose: “…This is the first time the FDA has stated its intent to allow a sugar to not be included as part of the total or added sugars declarations on labels.” However, the FDA also refers to its allulose guidance document linked to previously in this section when stating “…the FDA intends to exercise enforcement discretion to allow manufacturers to use 0.4 calories per gram of allulose when calculating the calories from allulose in a serving of a product. However, manufacturers must continue to include allulose in the total carbohydrates declaration.”

Allulose health studies

There are a few human studies that show the benefits of allulose. For example, a 2023 study indicated that allulose may help prevent obesity and atherosclerosis and lower type 2 diabetes risk. A 2018 study revealed that overweight and obese adults on allulose supplementation showed a significant decrease in both body mass index (BMI) and total abdominal and subcutaneous fat compared to a placebo group. Another study from 2024 showed allulose did not affect gut microbial diversity, which is believed to be important to maintain human health. By contrast, small quantities of some artificial sweeteners (AS) have been shown to damage the gut microbiome, although other research shows certain AS has no substantial effect on it (Conz et al. 2023).

Commercial source of allulose

Commercial production of allulose is from corn without any animal-derived processing aids according to four manufacturers or distributors contacted by The VRG. These companies were Tate & Lyle, Icon Foods, Apura Ingredients, and North Central Companies. Based on this research, we classify allulose as a vegan food ingredient.

Baking with allulose

Allulose tends to brown at high temperatures, so reduce the oven temperature to 315-320ºF and extend baking time by 15% when using allulose according to the Supplyside Food and Beverage Journal. Allulose cannot be used as a sugar source for fermenting yeast in bread baking.

Allulose is available in granulated, powder, and liquid forms.

For more ingredient information, see https://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

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The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegan Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.