Allulose Speeds up the Natural Sweetener Market

According to relevant data, the global allulose market is expected to reach 210 million US dollars by the end of 2020 and 450 million US dollars by 2030. In the Chinese market, the application of allulose currently faces legalization issues, but the industry and companies are actively promoting regulatory approval.

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On August 1, the National Health Commission issued a notice on D-allulose extension. In fact, since 2020, the National Health Commission has accepted five applications for D-allulose as a new food ingredient but has not yet received formal approval. However, the approval of D-allulose-3-epimerase has given the industry hope. On May 6, 2023, the Department of Food Safety Standards and Monitoring and Evaluation of the National Health Commission issued the Announcement on 14 “Three New Foods” Including Blueberry Anthocyanins, which included D-allulose-3-epimerase as a new variety of enzyme preparations for the food industry. Some industry insiders predict that D-allulose may be approved within the next two years. Many related companies in China are already producing or planning to produce D-allulose.

Recently, some allulose manufacturers have mentioned related issues in response to business inquiries.

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Huakang Co., Ltd. stated that the company currently mainly uses the bioconversion method to produce allulose and has planned a production capacity of 40,000 tons/year. The company will arrange project construction according to market conditions. Jinhe Industrial Co., Ltd. stated that it is currently continuously optimization, and will expand production scale in the future based on production costs; Bailong Chuangyuan stated that the relevant standards for allulose are being formulated, and that the company currently exports all its allulose products; Baolingbao stated that allulose is one of the company's key product categories for future development. Clear advantages, wide range of applications Allulose is a diastereoisomer of D-fructose at the C-3 position. It is a rare monosaccharide that naturally exists in nature but is present in very small amounts.

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As a new low-calorie rare monosaccharide, its sweetness and taste are very similar to sucrose, but its calories are lower than sucrose, only 10% of sucrose. D-allulose has the functional characteristics of low calories, low metabolic rate, and does not cause blood sugar to rise. Its application is similar to sucrose, and it can replace sucrose in terms of volume effect, Maillard reaction, and taste, etc., to a certain extent improving the flavor and appearance of foods and extending their shelf life.

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Allulose is rarely found in nature, and is generally produced using chemical synthesis or bioconversion.

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Chemical synthesis methods mainly include selective aldol condensation synthesis, catalytic hydrogenation, Ferrier rearrangement, and others. However, due to the poor economy, environmental unfriendliness, and low availability of these methods, they have not formed an industrialized industry.

The bioconversion method has enabled the commercial production of allulose. Currently, industrial production mainly involves using D-allulose-3-epimerase to achieve the mutual conversion between D-fructose and D-allulose and produce D-allulose.

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Allulose has a stable structure, is chemically inert, and can adapt to acidic or alkaline environments. During the saccharification reaction, it produces a large amount of antioxidant components, which can reduce oxidation loss and improve product quality during processing and storage.

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Allulose has a wide range of applications. Due to its good processing stability and high solubility, allulose can be used in beverages to reduce sugar while maintaining the overall taste and quality of the beverage. In baked goods, allulose has a good saccharification and coloring effect under high-temperature conditions, and has strong water retention properties , which can give baked goods a good color, moisture and stable hardness; in confectionery products, because the crystallization rate of allulose is low, it can effectively control the sugar content and reduce calories while maintaining a hardness, elasticity, viscosity and texture similar to that of foods with full sugar. Approved in many countries, market potential attracts attention. Globally, allulose has been approved for use in many countries.

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In 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration approved D-allulose as a safe substitute for sucrose, which has received widespread attention in the food industry. In addition, regulations have approved D-allulose in 13 countries, including Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Currently, allulose has not yet been approved in the European Union and China.

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Although allulose has not yet been approved for use in China, the approval of D-allulose-3-epimerase has given the industry hope. On May 6, the Department of Food Safety Standards and Monitoring and Evaluation of the National Health Commission issued the Announcement on 14 “Three New Foods” Including Blueberry Anthocyanins, which included D-allulose-3-epimerase as a new type of enzyme preparation for the food industry. It is reported that the application was organized and implemented by the COFCO Nutrition and Health Research Institute, a subsidiary of COFCO.

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Allulose is currently a popular natural sugar substitute. According to SPINS analysis of traditional and natural enhancement channels, as of the first half of 2022, allulose sales have increased by 164.2%, with a market value of 400 million US dollars.

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Global producers of allulose include Matsutani Chemical (Japan), ERICHEM (USA, which has built a joint venture plant in Mexico that is already in production), Tate & Lyle (Canada), CJ CheilJedang (South Korea), and Samyang Corporation (South Korea). Domestic producers of allulose sugar include Baolingbao, Bailong Chuangyuan, Sanyuan Biology, Fuyang Biology and other enterprises. There are also many enterprises that are producing or have already laid out the production of D-allulose raw materials, such as Zhongda Hengyuan, Anhui Jinhe, Beijing Ruifen, etc.

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There are certain technical barriers to the production of allulose. In March last year, in response to questions from research institutions, Baolingbao pointed out: “The technical barriers to allulose are mainly reflected in enzyme preparations and process control.”

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In terms of the number of patents, Jiangnan University, South Korea's Samyang Food and South Korea's CJ Group have a large number of patents related to allulose. As of late September, there were 116 invention patents related to allulose that were still in effect in China, of which Jiangnan University owned 17, Samyang Food owned 12, and CJ Group owned 11. Bailong Chuangyuan and Baolingbao, both corn deep processing enterprises, each owned 6 and 5 patents, respectively.

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At present, the production of allulose in China is growing rapidly, but the scale of production is still relatively small. According to estimates by Agri-Info, the national production of allulose in 2020 will be less than 700 tons, and in 2021 and 2022 it will be in the range of 10,000–20,000 tons. At present, domestic production is mainly for export.

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It is expected that after aloglucoside is approved in China, demand will increase significantly in the short term, and subsequent aloglucoside production capacity may continue to increase, shortening the market dividend period and likely leading to oversupply within a few years.