• Researchers at Tufts University in the United States of America have taken an important step towards solving one of the food industry's biggest challenges: reducing sugar without sacrificing authentic sweet taste.
The recent study, published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, presents an innovative method for producing tagatose, a rare natural sugar that offers a sweetness very close to that of regular sugar (approximately 92%), but with significantly superior nutritional benefits.
Tagatose exists in minute quantities in nature – it appears in traces in milk, in some fruits such as apples, pineapples or oranges – and, until now, its industrial production was expensive and inefficient, with modest yields. The team led by researchers in chemical and biological engineering developed an ingenious biosynthetic approach: they genetically modified the bacterium Escherichia coli, transforming it into a true "microscopic factory".
By introducing a recently discovered enzyme into the mold type "slime mold (Dictyostelium discoideum) and combining it with another enzyme (arabinose isomerase), the bacteria can convert glucose directly into galactose, and then into tagatose. The result is impressive: yields of up to 95%, far exceeding those obtained by traditional chemical methods (which range between 40% and 77%). This high efficiency could make production much more economically accessible and scalable.
From a taste and health perspective, tagatose has some clear advantages. It offers an intense sweetness similar to sucrose (table sugar), but contains about 60% fewer calories. Unlike regular sugars, it is only partially absorbed in the small intestine, with the rest being fermented by bacteria in the colon, leading to much lower blood sugar spikes – a particularly useful feature for people with diabetes or insulin resistance.
In addition, tagatose appears to have positive effects on oral health: unlike sucrose, which feeds the bacteria responsible for cavities, it slows down the growth of such microbes and could support a healthier balance of bacterial flora in the mouth and gut. The product has been classified by the FDA as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS), which allows its use in food.
This discovery is not limited to tagatose. The researchers believe that the strategy of reversing natural metabolic pathways – in this case, the Leloir pathway – paves the way for the efficient production of other rare sugars, which could fundamentally change the way the industry develops sweeteners.
In a context where demand for sweet products remains high, but pressures to reduce sugar are increasing – both from health-conscious consumers and due to regulations – tagatose produced in this way could represent the balanced solution that the industry has long been waiting for: authentic sweetness, without major compromises in terms of taste or price, but with a significantly superior nutritional profile.
Due to GRAS status (Generally Recognized as Safe) granted by the FDA since 2001, approvals in the EU, Australia, Korea, Japan and other markets, as well as recent certifications (prebiotic, ketogenic, non-GMO, plant-based), tagatose is rapidly gaining ground. Companies such as Good morning, ASR Group or Domino Specialty Ingredients actively promotes it for innovative formulations, especially in the context of the growing demand for natural sweeteners with health benefits (glycemic control, intestinal health, calorie reduction).
If the technology is successfully scaled up, we could be facing a watershed moment for healthier sweets, from chocolate and cookies to soft drinks.
With more efficient biosynthetic production (such as that recently proposed by researchers at Tufts University), tagatose, considered one of the balanced solutions for reducing sugar in the modern diet, may become increasingly accessible, paving the way for a wide range of healthier sweet products, without major compromises in taste or texture.
Article source: Reversal of the Leloir pathway to promote galactose and tagatose synthesis from glucose
Article written by Gabriela Dan, Editor-in-Chief Arta Albă
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