Mazaj News (Health Desk) Scientists have developed a highly efficient biological process to produce a New sugar substitute that closely mimics the sensory and functional properties of table sugar while offering substantial health advantages. The research, conducted by a team of chemical and biological engineers at Tufts University, demonstrates that engineered Escherichia coli bacteria can convert glucose into tagatose, a rare sugar with significant potential as a low-calorie sweetener.
Tagatose is a naturally occurring monosaccharide that is structurally similar to sucrose but present only in trace amounts (less than 0.2 percent) in foods such as dairy products and certain fruits (e.g., apples, oranges, and pineapples). Because natural extraction yields are impractical, traditional industrial production has relied on chemical processes that are both costly and inefficient.
The breakthrough in the Tufts study lies in the creation of a novel biosynthetic pathway. By genetically modifying E. coli to express a newly identified enzyme from slime mold galactose-1-phosphate–selective phosphatase (Gal1P)—the bacteria can synthesize galactose from abundant glucose. A second enzyme, arabinose isomerase, subsequently catalyzes the conversion of galactose to tagatose with remarkable efficiency (up to 95% yield), surpassing the 40–77% yields typical of existing manufacturing methods.
From a nutritional perspective, tagatose offers several advantages over sucrose. It provides approximately 92 percent of the sweetness of sucrose but contains about 60 percent fewer calories, making it favorable for calorie reduction in foods and beverages. Importantly, tagatose is only partially absorbed in the small intestine; the remainder is fermented by gut microbiota, resulting in minimal impact on blood glucose and insulin levels. Such metabolic properties render tagatose particularly beneficial for individuals with diabetes or insulin resistance .
Preliminary evidence also suggests that tagatose may promote oral and gut health. Unlike sucrose, which serves as a substrate for cavity-causing bacteria, tagatose appears to inhibit their growth and may even support the proliferation of beneficial microbial species.
Crucially for food applications, tagatose behaves similarly to conventional sugar in cooking and baking. It functions as a bulk sweetener, providing not only sweetness but also the physical properties (such as texture and browning during cooking) that sucrose contributes to culinary preparations. These characteristics distinguish tagatose from many high-intensity artificial sweeteners, which lack comparable bulk or thermal properties .
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated tagatose as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS), placing it in the same regulatory category as everyday food additives such as salt and baking soda, which facilitates its potential adoption in a wide range of consumer products.
This research, published in Cell Reports Physical Science as “Reversal of the Leloir pathway to promote galactose and tagatose synthesis from glucose”, may not only revolutionize tagatose production but also pave the way for efficient biotechnological synthesis of other rare sugars with industrial and health applications .