Allulose vs Monk Fruit

Allulose and monk fruit are both natural alternative sweeteners derived from plants and have a zero glycemic index. The main difference is that allulose tastes identical to regular sugar while monk fruit has a different and distinctive taste.

Allulose:

  • Is a low calorie, zero glycemic sugar that provides a similar taste and texture to sugar and is suitable for those with diabetes or following a keto diet.
  • Allulose has 70% of the sweetness of sugar and is metabolized differently by the body, making it low calorie, zero grams sugar metabolized and zero net carbs.
  • Allulose has prebiotic fiber properties which results in an improved mouth feel of the beverage as well as improvements to gut microbiome.
  • Is stable under high temperatures, making it suitable for use in baked goods and other applications where sugar might break down.

Monk fruit

Monk fruit:

  • Is a non-nutritive high intensity sweetener that is 150-200 times sweeter than sugar.
  • Does not affect blood sugar levels, making it suitable for those with diabetes.
  • Monk fruit is a natural antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties.
  • Has a slightly different taste than sugar, with a slight sweetness that some people may find off-putting.

Both allulose and monk fruit are great options for natural alternative sweeteners. Using monk fruit alone would create a beverage that had a distinctive taste. It differs from the bitter aftertaste of Stevia (reb A) that most people are familiar with. Some describe monk fruit taste as "fruity" or "earthy" with some lingering aftertaste.

Allulose on the other hand tastes just like sugar. With fda allowed limits, a carbonated beverage would not be sweet enough to meet expectations so a high intensity sweetener like monk fruit is a great way to bridge the sweetness gap. By combining with allulose, you get almost no distinct monk fruit taste and you also combine the prebiotic properties of allulose with the antioxidant properties of monk fruit.

At AlluSoda, we have a criteria of only using all-natural ingredients with zero sugar. The only non-sugar sweeteners that meet our criteria are allulose, monk fruit, stevia and erythritol.