Sokor companies, foodies place bet on allulose
SEOUL—South Korea has become a top testing ground for the sweetener allulose, a potential rival to sugar substitutes like stevia that is finding favor among both local food influencers and big domestic food companies, which are ramping up production.
Found naturally in figs, kiwis and other fruits, allulose has been approved by both US and South Korean regulators. It can be found in candies and protein bars in the United States but commercialized sweetener products of allulose are mostly sold online or at select grocery stores.
In South Korea, however, it has caught on more widely and is now easily available in supermarkets for less than 10,000 won ($7.26) per 700 ml bottle.
That is still pricey at about four times the cost of table sugar, but manufacturers and researchers say it is 70 percent as sweet as sugar and almost calorie-free.
‘Closest to table sugar’
“It tastes the closest to table sugar,” said Renaud Joly, a French vegan influencer based in Seoul.
But even as top South Korean food and beverage companies Daesang Corp. and Samyang Corp. invest in new production facilities, health experts warn that more research is needed into the long-term health effects of allulose.
