Tate & Lyle announced the launch of Dolcia Prima low-calorie sugar to transform the way the food and beverage industry develops low- or reduced-calorie products. Dolcia Prima is the brand name for the company’s allulose, a naturally occurring sugar found in small quantities in some fruits and other foods. The product has a fraction of the caloric value that regular sucrose does and helps manufacturers make products that taste better while maintaining the sweetness and texture that only sugar can provide, the company says. Allulose was first identified more than 70 years ago in wheat, according to the company. Tate and Lyle have developed a patent-protected process to produce the sweet product on a commercial scale so that manufacturers can provide the taste and texture normally found with sugar but with 90 percent fewer calories, the company says.

Tate & Lyle, 2200 E. Eldorado St., Decatur, Ill. 62525; 877/353-1154; tateandlyle.com.