Scientists Make Rare Sugar 92% Sweet, 60% Fewer Calories

Imagine a sugar that tastes like the real thing, works perfectly in your favorite cookie recipe, and doesn't spike your blood sugar. Scientists just figured out how to make it affordable.

Researchers at Tufts University cracked the code on producing tagatose, a rare sugar that naturally exists in tiny amounts in milk and some fruits. Until now, making enough of it for everyday use was too expensive and inefficient.

The breakthrough came from an unlikely source: slime mold. The team found a special enzyme in this organism that, when inserted into modified E. coli bacteria, transforms ordinary glucose into tagatose with stunning efficiency.

These microscopic factories now convert sugar with up to 95% efficiency, far better than traditional methods that max out around 77%. The bacteria essentially work as tiny production plants, churning out tagatose from cheap, abundant glucose.

Tagatose delivers 92% of the sweetness of regular sugar with only 40% of the calories. It browns when you bake with it, adds the same texture to recipes, and measures cup for cup like table sugar, making it genuinely useful in the kitchen.

The health benefits go beyond calorie counting. Because your body only partially absorbs tagatose in the small intestine, it causes minimal blood sugar and insulin spikes, a game changer for people managing diabetes or insulin resistance.

The rest of the tagatose travels to your colon where gut bacteria ferment it, feeding the beneficial microbes in your digestive system. Unlike regular sugar, it actually supports dental health instead of causing cavities.

The FDA already recognizes tagatose as safe for food products, so no regulatory hurdles stand in the way. Associate Professor Nik Nair, who led the research, explained that the slime mold enzyme was the missing piece that made the whole process work.

The Ripple Effect

This discovery could reshape how we think about sweetness in our food supply. Making tagatose affordable means food manufacturers can finally offer products that satisfy our sweet tooth without the health consequences we've accepted as inevitable.

The same technique might unlock other rare sugars too, opening doors to a whole new category of better-for-you ingredients. What started with bacteria and slime mold could end up in your morning coffee, transforming one of the hardest dietary changes into one of the easiest.

A world where sweetness and health aren't opposites just got a whole lot closer.