Engineered Microbes Forge Real-Tasting, Low-Calorie Sugar Substitute

Tufts researchers engineered bacteria to convert glucose into tagatose, a rare sugar that closely mimics table sugar’s taste but with about 60% fewer calories and a much smaller impact on blood sugar. Using a slime-mold enzyme (Gal1P) and arabinose isomerase, the team achieved up to 95% production yields, making tagatose a more cost-effective bulk sweetener. FDA-listed as generally safe, tagatose may also support oral and gut health by slowing cavity-causing bacteria and potentially acting as a probiotic. The method could enable more efficient production of other rare sugars for cooking and baking alike.