A Natural Way to Stay Sweet

About this technology

Overview

Tagatose, a sugar that appears in nature in small quantities, offers a low-calorie, all-natural alternative to table sugar and artificial sweeteners. It began its unusual journey to the commercial market when Dr. Gilbert V. Levin invented a life detection experiment to place aboard NASA's Mars Viking 1 and Viking 2 landers. The experiment involved using radiation-laced nutrients to determine the presence of microbial life in Martian soil samples. In selecting the nutrients for the experiment, Levin explored different forms of sugar. His work ultimately led to tagatose, which proved its advantages as an alternative for regular sugar. Tagatose is 92 percent as sweet at table sugar and can be used as a one-to-one sugar replacement, allowing it to be used in recipes for baked goods. Tagatose also browns like regular sugar during baking, and does not have an aftertaste like some high-intensity sweeteners. It does not cause cavities or promote tooth decay, and provides a safe sweetener for diabetics. Arla Foods Ingredients sells tagatose to food and beverage manufacturers under the name Gaio-Tagatose.R Spherix, Inc. has launched Naturlose,T a non-food version of the sugar, to improve the taste of products such as throat lozenges and cough syrup. Gaio-TagatoseR is a registered trademark of Arla Foods Ingredients. NaturloseT is a trademark of Spherix, Inc.