Allulose used to back sweeten

[Cap Puncher]

Has anyone used allulose to backsweeten wine? I read up a bunch on it and seems like it could be a viable option to backsweeten without sorbate or filtering. Please share your experience if you have used it. I’m pretty sure it is non-fermentable, but it is hard to find much on the topic. It is supposed to be 70% the sweetness of sucrose and still add body. It supposed to taste exactly like sugar just a bit less sweet.

 

[G259]

Hmm, this is the fist I've heard of it. From what (little) I've read, it seems ok, but if it were me, I would wait and see if there are carcinogens that plague other sweeteners. Off flavors are a concern, 'supposed to taste exactly like sugar'. Stevia comes to mind, while palatable, it does have an off flavor.

 

[Cap Puncher]

Hmm, this is the fist I've heard of it. From what (little) I've read, it seems ok, but if it were me, I would wait and see if there are carcinogens that plague other sweeteners. Off flavors are a concern, 'supposed to taste exactly like sugar'. Stevia comes to mind, while palatable, it does have an off flavor.

Allulose is found in nature in small amounts. It was not chemically created. It is supposed to have no off tastes at all.

The FDA recognizes is as GRAS (generally recognized as safe).

I’ll probably buy some, taste it compared to regular sugar.

Then I might do bench trials and a tiny fermentation in 1/2 gallon jug to see if it is Really “Non-fermentable”.

 

[ulalah.reedy]

Hi! I'm a newbie here, but I've used allulose in SEVERAL of my wines and it works beautifully. I dissolve it in warm water first, then add right before bottling. The ratio I use is about 1 & 1/2 cups of allulose per 1 cup of water. There is no residual sediment and is completely clear. And, no, it will not ferment. You have to experiment to sweeten to you own liking. My husband is a diabetic, and I like to watch my own sugar intake. I use allulose in a variety of foods, and have for the past two years, with no apparent side effects. I buy the larger bulk packages on Amazon. It's kind of pricey, but I think it's worth it.

 

[Cap Puncher]

Hi! I'm a newbie here, but I've used allulose in SEVERAL of my wines and it works beautifully. I dissolve it in warm water first, then add right before bottling. The ratio I use is about 1 & 1/2 cups of allulose per 1 cup of water. There is no residual sediment and is completely clear. And, no, it will not ferment. You have to experiment to sweeten to you own liking. My husband is a diabetic, and I like to watch my own sugar intake. I use allulose in a variety of foods, and have for the past two years, with no apparent side effects. I buy the larger bulk packages on Amazon. It's kind of pricey, but I think it's worth it.

Can you notice a difference in taste compared to regular sugar? Does it add some body?

 

[ulalah.reedy]

Can you notice a difference in taste compared to regular sugar? Does it add some body?

Hi there! Yes, Allulose adds as much body as sugar does. The Allulose mixed with water creates a simple syrup that is so similar to the real thing it’s hard to tell the difference. I use it in cocktails as well. It’s excellent in a mint julip, mojito, and more!

 

[oppyland]

Interesting idea, but wow it's very expensive! I definitely think it'd be a great idea for people with health concerns, but it doesn't seem economically feasible as a general sugar substitute.

 

[Rice_Guy]

@Cap Puncher , I have read the ads from Innova and Staley and played with samples. So far, sugar tastes like table sugar. Fructose is close. Nutrasweet is close. Expect differences as rate that the sweet shows up in your mouth. Expect differences in how fast the flavor declines and likely lingering off notes. ,,,,, The gals that work in the test kitchen are better at picking differences than guys (me) and good tasters can even rank substitution percentages in a blind test.

Allulose is worth doing a bench trial with on a white wine to see if the flavor is acceptable to you or neighbors.
@ulalah.reedy welcome to wine making talk.

 

[sour_grapes]

I dislike sweet barbecue sauce; I recently bought some Famous Dave's No Added Sugar sauce. Damned if it didn't taste exactly like sugar. Turns out it is sweetened with allulose, and the FDA does not consider this a "sugar," and so allows that labeling. But my point is that it tasted like good ol' sucrose to me.

 

[cmason1957]

With any artificial sweetener, I would worry about long-term lingering off notes as Rice Guy says. My only data point is someone in the wine club I belong to did a somewhat controlled experiment with sugar, Stevia, and one other sugar substitute (and my memory has tossed which one). Same wine, backsweetened to taste, not specific SG level with each. The two artificial sweetened ones exhibited noticeable taste issues at the one (or maybe it was two) year mark. I don't think he carried it out any further than that. I seem to recall it was a Chardonel wine from grapes.

 

[sour_grapes]

With any artificial sweetener, I would worry about long-term lingering off notes as Rice Guy says. My only data point is someone in the wine club I belong to did a somewhat controlled experiment with sugar, Stevia, and one other sugar substitute (and my memory has tossed which one). Same wine, backsweetened to taste, not specific SG level with each. The two artificial sweetened ones exhibited noticeable taste issues at the one (or maybe it was two) year mark. I don't think he carried it out any further than that. I seem to recall it was a Chardonel wine from grapes.

Point taken, but I think allulose is likely to be different in this regard. It *is* a sugar molecule. It is just fructose, but with a twist at one point in the molecular structure. Your body cannot digest it as a result, but it is a sugar just as much as fructose is a sugar.

 

[Cap Puncher]

I racked a wild blueberry/RJS Trio kit last night that has been sitting for a year. The wild blueberries brought wonderful aroma and color, but a bit too much acid. I made 3 gal into a port style. The other 3 gal I’m back sweetening.

I tried allulose at the the same sugar level as sucrose +30% (b/c allulose is less sweet). It was slightly sweeter than intended but I thought it tasted pretty good with no after tastes to me. My neighbors (who are winemakers too) couldn’t tell anything wrong. They liked it quite a bit. However, my wife got a slight bitter metallic taste but thought overall it was okay. She preferred the back sweetening with concentrate/sugar. As Rice Guy indicated, I think a minority of people can taste the allulose.