RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CALIF. — Blue California expects to scale up commercialization of the rare sugar allulose, which may be used to reduce sugar in foods and beverages, by the end of 2019.

The Food and Drug Administration in April said it will exercise enforcement discretion to allow allulose to be excluded from the total and added sugars declarations on the Nutrition Facts and Supplement Facts labels on products. Rancho Santa Margarita-based Blue California expects to receive a “no question” letter from the F.D.A. next year on the Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status of its allulose.

Blue California’s allulose is created from natural substrates using a proprietary bioconversion technology to produce a sweetener. In nature, allulose is found in wheat and select fruits, including figs, raisins and jackfruit, according to Blue California.

“Blue California is in a good position to offer a competitive price for our nature-based allulose ingredient to food and beverage manufacturers that are seeking to reduce calories and replace sugar and sucrose,” said Katie Ferren, vice-president of sales and marketing for Blue California.

Allulose, a monosaccharide sugar, has a sugar-like taste and texture but with one-tenth the calories of sugar. Potential applications include beverages, dairy items, baked foods and confectionery items.