AP4 Evaluation of allulose as a substitute sugar in foods
Various alternatives are currently being tested for the necessary reduction of free sugars in the diet. One alternative could be the comparatively rare sugar allulose. A safety assessment by EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) is still pending, partly because basic data are lacking. Therefore, the Junior Research Group will work on various topics related to allulose in close collaboration with cooperation partners at MRI.
The WHO recommends an intake of free sugars of less than 10 percent of total daily energy. In Germany, the consumption of free sugars for men and women (13.0 and 13.9 % of total energy, respectively) exceeds this recommendation. Due to the contribution of sugar consumption to the development of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease, among others, a reduction in sugar consumption is desirable. Research and the BMEL's “National Reduction and Innovation Strategy: Less Sugar, Fats and Salt in Processed Foods” have focused on the rare sugar allulose. Allulose is a C3 epimer of fructose, meaning that the two compounds have very similar structures and, therefore, very similar properties. However, the caloric value of allulose is very low (about 0.2 kcal per gram), when compared to that of common sugars (about 4 kcal per gram).
Investigated topics in the junior research group:
- Allulose is formed primarily during heating of sugar-rich foods. Data on the intake of allulose do not exist for Germany. Therefore, the Junior Research Group will collect data on the occurrence of allulose in selected foods and estimate the usual intake based on data from the KarMeN study.
- In common scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus), there are no studies with quantitative data on the biokinetics of allulose in human blood and urine. Therefore, a human study to be performed at the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry of Nutrition together with the Junior Research Group is planned. The Junior Research Group will quantify allulose in different human biofluids.
- In addition to the acute effects of a single administration of allulose, the effect of allulose during habitual consumption is particularly relevant. Therefore, a human long-term intervention study with allulose to be performed at the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry of Nutrition together with the Junior Research Group is planned. The Junior Research Group will investigate the influence of a long-term diet with allulose on the sugar profile and generally on the metabolome of human volunteers.
- If one consumes higher amounts of allulose, it is likely that a portion of the allulose will reach the colon, where it can be metabolized by the gut microbiota. This could lead to a selective growth advantage of certain intestinal bacteria. In addition to an investigation on the ability of selected characteristic intestinal bacteria to utilize allulose (to be performed by the Junior Research Group and the Working Group Huch/Stoll at the Department of Safety and Quality of Fruit and Vegetables), an analysis of possible changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota of the study participants will be carried out in the frame of the long-term intervention study with allulose (to be performed by the Working Group Dötsch/Louis at the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry of Nutrition as well as the Working Group Huch/Stoll and the Junior Research Group).