ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Biofilms
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1670139
This article is part of the Research TopicNovel Strategies for Caries ControlView all 9 articles
Unveiling the impact of allulose on oral microbiota and biofilm formation via a cariogenic potential assessment platform
Provisionally accepted
- Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
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The increased consumption of refined carbohydrates, particularly sucrose, has increased metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes, as well as oral diseases such as dental caries. Sucrose promotes oral biofilm formation by reducing microbial diversity and facilitating pathogenic bacterial colonization. Allulose, a rare sugar with physicochemical properties similar to those of sucrose, has been associated with a reduced risk of metabolic diseases. However, its effect on oral biofilm formation remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the cariogenic potential of allulose using a multi-tiered in vitro platform, including single-species planktonic and biofilm models, dual-species (Streptococcus mutans (pathogen) and Streptococcus oralis (commensal)), and saliva-derived microcosm biofilm models. Each model was used to measure key virulence parameters such as bacterial growth, acid production, biomass, exopolysaccharide synthesis, and microbiome community composition. Compared to sucrose, glucose, and fructose, allulose supported slower bacterial growth and lower acid production, resembling the behavior of sugar alcohols like xylitol and erythritol. Biofilms formed under allulose conditions lacked the dense EPS-enmeshed microcolonies and dome-shaped architecture typical of S. mutans-dominant communities induced by sucrose. In the saliva-derived microcosm model, allulose-treated communities preserved greater microbial diversity, including the relative abundance of health-compatible genera such as Neisseria, Haemophilus, Veillonella, and Granulicatella. These findings indicated that allulose supports reduced bacterial growth, lower levels of acid production, and minimal biofilm formation compared to common dietary sugars such as sucrose or glucose, highlighting its potential as a non-cariogenic sugar substitute with oral health benefits. This study provides novel ecological insights into the role of allulose in modulating oral biofilm structure and function.
Keywords: Oral biofilm, Extracellular polymeric substances, Dental Caries, Streptococcus mutans, Microcosm
Received: 21 Jul 2025; Accepted: 06 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Han, Rajitha, Park, Lim, Jung, Kim and Kim. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Dongyeop Kim, biofilmkim@jbnu.ac.kr
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