Trehalose gains popularity as the new sugar on the shelves

Functional foods are the “it” food items of 2026; they keep evolving, adopting, and taking their place in common products. Sugar might be one of the most popular ingredients to have substitutes that we know of. The latest substitute that is emerging is trehalose. It is a natural sugar found in mushrooms, yeast, and honey in small amounts. The biggest property it offers is protection of products or preserving them for longer in other words. 

How is trehalose used in products?

Trehalose is not a new find, but it is being utilized more and more in production lines today. While it is not extracted from its natural sources for production, it still serves the same purpose of preservation and increasing shelf life of food products. For food production it is derived from starch (corn or tapioca), aimed at having a more consistent and food-safe version at hand.

Today, trehalose is used instead of sugar to maintain the texture and integrity of food products longer, and keep them from going stale faster. It helps retain moisture and stabilizes proteins in products to allow them to stay in their intended shape, texture, and integrity.