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For more than a century, scientists and food companies alike have searched for a sugar substitute, something that could recreate the taste of sugar without its many drawbacks – excess calories, tooth decay, and heightened risks of obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes.
New research from Tufts University may make that seemingly mythical sugar substitute a reality, reports SciTechDaily. Published in Cell Reports Physical Science, the study outlines a new process to biosynthetically produce an otherwise rare sugar called tagatose, which matches the natural taste and sweetness of table sugar (sucrose) with fewer calories, minimal impact on blood sugar, and potential benefits to oral and gut health.
“There are established processes to produce tagatose, but they are inefficient and expensive,” Nikhil Nair, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at Tufts, told Tufts Now.
Nair and his colleagues developed a cheaper, more efficient process for manufacturing tagatose that turns modified bacteria into “tiny factories” loaded with two types of enzymes – including the newly discovered Gal1P – that process abundant, inexpensive glucose into tagatose. This method produces significantly higher yields, up to 95 percent, and at far lower costs than conventional manufacturing in which yields only reach 40 to 77 percent.
[See more: Artificial sweeteners may speed up cognitive decline, study finds]
Manufacturing efficiency is key as, compared to other natural sugars, tagatose occurs in only very small amounts in nature. It can be found in dairy products like yogurt, cheese and kefir, where lactose is broken down by heat or enzymes, or in trace amounts in fruits like apples, pineapples or oranges. It typically accounts for less than 0.2 percent of sugars in these foods.
Tagatose is already recognised as a safe food additive by governments around the world, including China, and the benefits of adopting it are considerable.
Tagatose delivers sweetness nearly identical to table sugar with 60-percent fewer calories and none of the strange aftertaste common to artificial sweeteners. It also has less impact on blood glucose and insulin as much of it is fermented by gut bacteria in the colon, reducing absorption in the small intestine. Evidence suggests it has probiotic effects to support healthy bacteria in the gut – and the mouth. Tagatose appears to reduce the growth of many of the cavity-causing bacteria typically fuelled by sucrose.
Beyond its health benefits, tagatose is also an ideal “bulk sweetener,” mimicking both the sweetness and volume of regular sugar in cooking – something artificial sweeteners can’t do.
