Category: sweetener
Aliases: D-Allulose, D-Psicose, Psicose, D-ribo-2-hexulose, Pseudofructose
A rare monosaccharide and the C-3 epimer of D-fructose (a ketohexose, C6H12O6), allulose delivers roughly 70% of sucrose's sweetness with negligible caloric value. It is taken up across the small-intestinal mucosa, partly via the fructose transporter GLUT5 and passive diffusion (~70% absorbed), but is essentially not phosphorylated or fed into glycolysis; the bulk is filtered at the glomerulus and excreted unchanged in urine, with the unabsorbed remainder passing to the colon. Because it bypasses fructolysis and hexokinase-dependent pathways, it elicits virtually no glycemic or insulinemic response and does not promote dental caries. FDA designations are GRAS, and US labeling excludes it from Total and Added Sugars using a 0.4 kcal/g factor; high single doses can produce osmotic, fermentative GI effects.
No EU E-number (not an authorized EU additive; novel-food status). About 70% as sweet as sucrose at ~0.4 kcal/g. FDA GRAS and excluded from Total/Added Sugars on US Nutrition Facts; no formal numeric ADI. Generally well tolerated, but large single doses (roughly above 0.4 g/kg) can cause osmotic bloating, gas, and diarrhea.