Isomaltulose was discovered and first described by Weidenhagen and colleagues in the premises of a large sugar production site of SUEDZUCKER in the Palatinum area of Germany. The brand name Palatinose™, under which it is commercially marketed today, still makes reference to this origin.
SUEDZUCKER explored this carbohydrate and its benefits further and made it available to food manufacturers and consumers as ‘slow release’ alternative to regular sugar. Today, isomaltulose is produced by BENEO GmbH, a member of the SUEDZUCKER Group, from sucrose by enzymatic rearrangement.
First foods containing isomaltulose became available in Japan and Asia, followed by the US and Europe, Australia / New Zealand and Latin American countries. In the European Union, isomaltulose received approval as novel food. In the US, it received GRAS status from FDA. Foods and drinks with isomaltulose can be found in all major markets today.