The battle to sweeten food and drinks naturally — but without a lot of calories — got a new jolt Tuesday. A British food ingredient behemoth that supplies Splenda sucralose for Splenda Sweetener maker McNeil Nutritionals — announced the launch of another sweetener product. This one is a sugar with 90% fewer calories than typical table sugar.
Allulose, itself, isn’t new. The low-calorie sugar was identified more than 70 years ago and is found in small quantities in everything from figs to raisins. What’s new is Tate & Lyle’s proprietary process to produce allulose from corn.
Sugar, sweeteners and sugar substitutes are a $4.3 billion market in the U.S, estimates researcher Packaged Facts.
Tate & Lyle aims to sell Dolce Prima to the big food and beverage makers that are ever eager to cut calories but retain taste. The move comes at a time when consumers are increasingly clamoring for natural sweeteners — even as they demand fewer calories.