Readers are encouraged to read the "Application in Action" sheet for DOLCIA PRIMA provided by the manufacturer Tate & Lyle, as it hopefully will be listed on every product ingredient label in which it is used.
According to Tate & Lyle's Technical Data sheet, "the caloric value of pure allulose is 0.2 kcal/gram."
Also, "Allulose meets the specification set forth in GRN 498 and is therefore generally recognized as safe (GRAS)." The syrup is about 54% as sweet as sucrose (table sugar), but is about 70% sweet as sugar in a dry solid basis.
As a natural nutritionist (retired) and consumer health researcher, I'm left wondering about this statement made by Tate & Lyle:
What! and why the exemption from Food Allergen Labeling?Allergens
Allulose syrup does not contain any commonly known sources of allergens. Labeling is not required under the FDA Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004.
Considering that allulose is made from the starch of corn fructose that has undergone an enzymatic conversion process - is that by a genetic modification process? - studies indicate it passes through the intestinal tract undigested! That's where some red flags start flying for me, and I'll explain why.
Red Flag No. 1 Since allulose can be sold by the train-tanker-bulk-loads, it's destined to become part of the food processing industry. Vast quantities will be produced using "starch of corn fructose." Corn fructose syrup has known adverse health effects [1,2,3].
Red Flag No. 2 In the USA, corn has been modified to be resistant to herbicides and insects. Herbicide-tolerant (HT) corn crops made up 89% of the corn acreage in 2014 and 2015, whereas insect-tolerant (Bt) corn acreage totaled 81% in 2015. [4] The likelihood of genetically-modified corn starch being used as the major "raw product" to create allulose seems to be overwhelmingly predominant. That, in itself, is reason for concern since so many individuals realize they cannot handle GM 'phoods', especially children on the Autism Spectrum.
Red Flag No. 3 If the FDA will not mandate food labeling for allulose regarding allergies, then that obviously presents a potentially grave health concern for many eaters who have allergic reactions, even to corn per se and GMOs, in particular.
Technically and overall, between 1 and 2% of the general population, as a whole, are allergic to something, and that can include corn and GMOs.
Statistically, 4% of adults in the USA have food allergies, while 8% of U.S. children have food allergies. [5]
Red Flag No. 4 The impact of undigested, enzymatically-converted starch of corn fructose on the microbiome (gut bacteria) in the human intestinal tract may be more involved negatively than anyone knows at present. Have there been sufficient and correct scientific studies done to establish how the human gut handles such a newly-engineered food product, since we know that many other modified sugars can cause digestive and gut problems? Furthermore, food is information for human genes, so what will this new sugar be telling our genes?
Red Flag No. 5 Is there an epigenetic effect from this new formulation of a non-digestible sugar? Where are the studies?
Red Flag No. 6 Will there be any residual herbicides, especially glyphosate and glufosinate [6], in allulose?
For those who need more information regarding the effects of sugars of any type on the human microbiome, I refer readers to "Sugar Substitutes, Gut Bacteria, and Glucose Intolerance."
References:
[1] http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/04/avoid-the-hidden-dangers-of-high-fructose-corn-syrup-video/
[2] http://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2008/12/Metabolic-Dangers-of-High-Fructose-Corn-Syrup/Page-01
[3] http://www.mercola.com/ebook/high-fructose-corn-syrup.aspx
[4] http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/adoption-of-genetically-engineered-crops-in-the-us/recent-trends-in-ge-adoption.aspx
[5] https://www.foodallergy.org/document.doc?id=194
[6] http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/agri_biotechnology/breeding_aims/146.herbicide_resistant_crops.html
Comment: Manufacturers are continually attempting to derive sugar substitutes which have often been approved with little oversight by the FDA. It's not until serious side effects show up in the general population that the truth emerges that these products are dangerous. Aspartame and Truvia are perfect examples:
Truvia: Chemically processed sugar substitute
GMO derived erythritol, the main ingredient in Truvia, found to be a potent insecticide
Avoiding Artificial Sweeteners? This Study Will Surprise You...
Aspartame: Putting the DIE into dieting since 1981