Tagatose

Tagatose
IUPAC name (3S,4S,5R)-1,3,4,5,6-Pentahydroxy-hexan-2-one
Identifiers
CAS number	17598-81-1 Y
Jmol-3D images	Image 1
SMILES OC[C@@H](O)[C@H](O)[C@H](O)C(CO)=O
Properties
Molecular formula	C6H12O6
Molar mass	180.16 g/mol
Appearance	White solid
Melting point	133–135 °C
Y (verify) (what is: Y/N?) Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

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 calories.

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.

Production

Tagatose is present in only small amounts in dairy products. It can be produced commercially from lactose, which is first hydrolyzed to glucose and galactose. The galactose is isomerized under alkaline conditions to D-tagatose by calcium hydroxide. 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. Levin, 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.

Marketing

In 1996, MD/Arla Foods 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.

External links

• FAO/WHO Recommendation
• Calorie Control Council -- consumer info from artificial sweetener manufacturers organization
• MD/Arla Foods settlement with Spherix
• Nutrilab products