Tagatose: The insulin-friendly, heat-stable sugar poised for mass production
Tufts researchers, using a slime-mold Gal1Pase enzyme, engineered E. coli to convert glucose to tagatose with a 95% yield, enabling scalable, lower-cost production. Tagatose is nearly as sweet as sugar but with about one-third the calories and does not trigger insulin spikes, making it attractive for diabetes management. It’s heat-stable for baking, is considered safe by FDA/WHO, and could reach a $250 million market by 2032, though individuals with fructose intolerance should avoid it.