Ingredion Incorporated announced that US food and beverage manufacturers can now intensify development of reduced-sugar products using ASTRAEA® Allulose following draft guidance issued from the FDA. 

ASTRAEA Allulose offers a similar sweet taste profile and functionality of sucrose without all the calories and no grams of sugar, helping manufacturers create foods and beverages with better for you appeal — and now fewer grams of sugar on nutrition labels based on the FDA draft guidance.

ASTRAEA Allulose is about 70% as sweet as sucrose and offers similar functionalities such as bulking, browning and freeze point depression. Allulose is absorbed by the body but not metabolized, making it nearly calorie-free. These properties make allulose an ideal ingredient for formulators as they look for ways to reduce calories and grams of sugar in the products they develop.

Sugar reduction is a major trend. More than half of consumers have identified reducing sugar intake as their top dietary focus for 2018 according to a HealthFocus International, Global Sweetener Report. 

“From our consumer research we know that more than 60% of consumers are actively monitoring the sugar content of products they purchase,” says Afrouz Naeini, Ingredion’s regional platform leader for Sugar Reduction in the US and Canada. “ASTRAEA Allulose can help enable food and beverage brands to reduce sugar and calorie counts on Nutrition Facts labels, more so now with the FDA guidance helping to unlock even more opportunities.” 

Under the draft guidance, FDA intends to exercise enforcement discretion for the exclusion of allulose from the amount of “Total Sugars” and “Added Sugars” declared on the label and the use of a general factor of 0.4 calories per gram for allulose when determining “Calories” on Nutrition and Supplement Facts labels pending review of the issues in a rulemaking.

According to a recent Ingredion proprietary study of more than 1,000 consumers, there is a high level of interest for low calorie sweeteners that could provide a clean sweet taste and indulgent eating and drinking experience. After being educated about the attributes of allulose, more than 70% of consumers expressed interest in trying products made with allulose. 

“ASTRAEA Allulose is the breakthrough many consumers have been waiting for, especially the segment of the population whose sweetener preference identifies them as “Sugar-free” condition managers who look to manage their blood sugar,” adds Naeini. “As a segment, they can once again experience indulgent eating, without all the added sugar. Manufacturers who formulate with ASTRAEA Allulose can now look to bring the qualities consumers prefer to their reduced sugar products.”

“Construction is well underway at Ingredion’s dedicated ASTRAEA Allulose manufacturing site in Mexico and commercial scale availability of products are expected this year. With the FDA announcement we can now partner more closely with customers as they look to harness the full potential of ASTRAEA Allulose and help them bring winning products to market that meet consumers’ taste and indulgent wants and health and wellness needs,” adds Naeini. 

In early December 2018, Ingredion announced its relationship with Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. (Matsutani). ASTRAEA Allulose was developed by Matsutani, the rare sugars pioneer that has spent more than 15 years researching and refining the world’s first rare sugars, including allulose. Matsutani’s proprietary research and clinical studies played a key role to help shape the FDA’s current decision.

Ingredion offers applications and formulation expertise and a comprehensive sugar reduction portfolio, from allulose and naturally based stevia leaf sweeteners to specialty polyols, low-sugar glucose syrups and short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS®) to help formulators create market-ready reduced-sugar products with just-right taste, texture and performance. 

To learn more about ASTRAEA Allulose or find out how the experts at Ingredion Idea Labs® innovation centers use science-based problem-solving to boost the sweet appeal of your products, contact Ingredion at 1-800-713-0208 or visit www.ingredion.us/Ingredients/ProductPages/astraea-allulose.html.

About Ingredion

Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR) headquartered in the suburbs of Chicago, is a leading global ingredient solutions provider serving customers in more than 120 countries. With 2017 annual net sales of nearly $6 billion, the Company turns grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant materials into value-added ingredients and biomaterial solutions for the food, beverage, paper and corrugating, brewing and other industries. With 28 Ingredion Idea Labs® innovation centers around the world and more than 11,000 employees, the Company develops ingredient solutions to meet consumers' evolving needs by making crackers crunchy, yogurt creamy, candy sweet, paper stronger, and adding fiber to nutrition bars. For more information, visit Ingredion.com. 

About Matsutani

Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., established in 1919 in Japan, is the global pioneer in the development and commercialization of rare sugars. With annual net sales of over $500 million and approximately 400 employees, the company has been focusing on ways to make processed foods tastier, healthier and more functional. Today, over 30 percent of foods in Japan that are recognized as FOSHU (Foods for Specified Health Use) use Matsutani's functional food ingredients. 

For more information, visit www.matsutani.co.jp/english/index.html. 

ASTRAEA® is trademark of Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. Used with permission.