Tagatose
Encyclopedia
Tagatose is a functional sweetener. It is a naturally occurring monosaccharide
, specifically a hexose
. It is often found in dairy products, and is very similar in texture to sucrose
(table sugar) and is 92% as sweet, but with only 38% of the calorie
s.
Tagatose is generally recognized as safe
(GRAS) by the FAO
/WHO
and has been since 2001.
Since it is metabolized differently from sucrose, tagatose has a minimal effect on blood glucose and insulin
levels. Tagatose is also approved as a tooth-friendly ingredient.
, which is first hydrolyzed to glucose
and galactose
. The galactose is isomer
ized under alkaline conditions to D-tagatose by calcium hydroxide
. The resulting mixture can then be purified and solid tagatose produced by crystallization.
, after unsuccessful attempts to market L-glucose
for that application. He patented an inexpensive method to make tagatose in 1988. The low food calorie contents is claimed to be due to its resemblance to L-fructose
. FDA approved tagatose as a food additive in October 2003.
acquired the rights to production from Spherix, the American license holder. In the following years, no products were brought to market by MD/Arla Foods, so Spherix brought them before a US Court of Arbitration for showing insufficient interest in bringing the product to market. The companies settled, with MD/Arla Foods agreeing to pay longer term royalties to Spherix and Spherix agreeing to not take further action.
In March 2006, SweetGredients (a joint venture company of Arla Foods and Nordzucker AG) decided to put the tagatose project ”on hold”. SweetGredients was the only worldwide producer of tagatose. While progress has been made in creating a market for this innovative sweetener, it has not been possible to identify a large enough potential to justify continued investments, and SweetGredients has decided to close down the manufacturing of tagatose in Nordstemmen, Germany.
In 2006, the Belgian company NUTRILAB NV took over the Arla (SweetGredients) stocks and project, and is setting up a production site for D-tagatose with the brand name Nutrilatose, with an enzymatic process method (different from the already published patents). Damhert N.V., the mother company of Nutrilab, has released the tagatose-based sweetener Tagatesse under its own brand name, along with some other products (jams and some chocolate-based products) using on tagatose in October 2007 in the Benelux
and France.
Tagatose has been approved in Europe as a novel food
since December 14, 2005. However, the caloric content of 1.5 kcal/g as approved in the USA, Canada, and South Africa, has been passed on to the European Food Safety Agency for opinion by the EU food council.
Monosaccharide
Monosaccharides are the most basic units of biologically important carbohydrates. They are the simplest form of sugar and are usually colorless, water-soluble, crystalline solids. Some monosaccharides have a sweet taste. Examples of monosaccharides include glucose , fructose , galactose, xylose...
, specifically a hexose
Hexose
In organic chemistry, a hexose is a monosaccharide with six carbon atoms, having the chemical formula C6H12O6. Hexoses are classified by functional group, with aldohexoses having an aldehyde at position 1, and ketohexoses having a ketone at position 2....
. It is often found in dairy products, and is very similar in texture to sucrose
Sucrose
Sucrose is the organic compound commonly known as table sugar and sometimes called saccharose. A white, odorless, crystalline powder with a sweet taste, it is best known for its role in human nutrition. The molecule is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose with the molecular formula...
(table sugar) and is 92% as sweet, but with only 38% of the calorie
Calorie
The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. It was first defined by Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat, entering French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867. In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule...
s.
Tagatose is generally recognized as safe
Generally recognized as safe
Generally recognized as safe is an American Food and Drug Administration designation that a chemical or substance added to food is considered safe by experts, and so is exempted from the usual Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act food additive tolerance requirements.-History:On January 1, 1958,...
(GRAS) by the FAO
Fão
Fão is a town in Esposende Municipality in Portugal....
/WHO
Who
Who may refer to:* Who , an English-language pronoun* who , a Unix command* Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism- Art and entertainment :* Who? , a 1958 novel by Algis Budrys...
and has been since 2001.
Since it is metabolized differently from sucrose, tagatose has a minimal effect on blood glucose and insulin
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....
levels. Tagatose is also approved as a tooth-friendly ingredient.
Production
Tagatose is present in only small amounts in dairy products. It can be produced commercially from lactoseLactose
Lactose is a disaccharide sugar that is found most notably in milk and is formed from galactose and glucose. Lactose makes up around 2~8% of milk , although the amount varies among species and individuals. It is extracted from sweet or sour whey. The name comes from or , the Latin word for milk,...
, which is first hydrolyzed to glucose
Glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...
and galactose
Galactose
Galactose , sometimes abbreviated Gal, is a type of sugar that is less sweet than glucose. It is a C-4 epimer of glucose....
. The galactose is isomer
Isomer
In chemistry, isomers are compounds with the same molecular formula but different structural formulas. Isomers do not necessarily share similar properties, unless they also have the same functional groups. There are many different classes of isomers, like stereoisomers, enantiomers, geometrical...
ized under alkaline conditions to D-tagatose by calcium hydroxide
Calcium hydroxide
Calcium hydroxide, traditionally called slaked lime, is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ca2. It is a colourless crystal or white powder and is obtained when calcium oxide is mixed, or "slaked" with water. It has many names including hydrated lime, builders lime, slack lime, cal, or...
. The resulting mixture can then be purified and solid tagatose produced by crystallization.
Development as a sweetener
D-Tagatose was proposed as a sweetener by G. LevinGilbert Levin
Gilbert Levin is an American engineer, the founder of Spherix and famous for experiments on Mars soil by the Viking program and the development of tagatose.Levin is a member of the "International Committee Against Mars Sample Return" ....
, after unsuccessful attempts to market L-glucose
Glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...
for that application. He patented an inexpensive method to make tagatose in 1988. The low food calorie contents is claimed to be due to its resemblance to L-fructose
Fructose
Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a simple monosaccharide found in many plants. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galactose, that are absorbed directly into the bloodstream during digestion. Fructose was discovered by French chemist Augustin-Pierre Dubrunfaut in 1847...
. FDA approved tagatose as a food additive in October 2003.
Marketing
In 1996, MD/Arla FoodsArla Foods
Arla Foods is a Swedish-Danish cooperative based in Århus, Denmark, and the largest producer of dairy products in Scandinavia. Arla Foods was formed as the result of a merger between the Swedish dairy cooperative Arla and the Danish dairy company MD Foods on 17 April 2000.Arla Foods is the seventh...
acquired the rights to production from Spherix, the American license holder. In the following years, no products were brought to market by MD/Arla Foods, so Spherix brought them before a US Court of Arbitration for showing insufficient interest in bringing the product to market. The companies settled, with MD/Arla Foods agreeing to pay longer term royalties to Spherix and Spherix agreeing to not take further action.
In March 2006, SweetGredients (a joint venture company of Arla Foods and Nordzucker AG) decided to put the tagatose project ”on hold”. SweetGredients was the only worldwide producer of tagatose. While progress has been made in creating a market for this innovative sweetener, it has not been possible to identify a large enough potential to justify continued investments, and SweetGredients has decided to close down the manufacturing of tagatose in Nordstemmen, Germany.
In 2006, the Belgian company NUTRILAB NV took over the Arla (SweetGredients) stocks and project, and is setting up a production site for D-tagatose with the brand name Nutrilatose, with an enzymatic process method (different from the already published patents). Damhert N.V., the mother company of Nutrilab, has released the tagatose-based sweetener Tagatesse under its own brand name, along with some other products (jams and some chocolate-based products) using on tagatose in October 2007 in the Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
and France.
Tagatose has been approved in Europe as a novel food
Novel food
Novel food is defined as a type of food that does not have a significant history of consumption or is produced by a method that has not previously been used for food.-European Union:...
since December 14, 2005. However, the caloric content of 1.5 kcal/g as approved in the USA, Canada, and South Africa, has been passed on to the European Food Safety Agency for opinion by the EU food council.
External links
- FAO/WHO Recommendation
- Calorie Control Council -- consumer info from artificial sweetener manufacturers organization
- MD/Arla Foods settlement with Spherix
- Nutrilab products