Sugar not only brings sweetness but also brings potential health risks, pushing the food and beverage industry into an unprecedented "sugar reduction revolution". Today, the challenge of reducing sugar scientifically and effectively has become a key focus for product developers. Driven by consumers' demand for healthy choices and low sugar intake, the global alternative sweetener market is expanding rapidly.
Tagatose is a natural hexagonal ketose that exists in nature but is relatively rare. It is a diastereomer of fructose with a molecular weight of 180.16. Its sweetness properties are similar to those of sucrose, with a sweetness of 92% of sucrose and only 1/3 of the calories produced. It is called a low-calorie sweetener.
Tagatose is a good low-energy food sweetener and filler and has multiple physiological effects such as inhibiting hyperglycemia, improving intestinal flora, and not causing dental caries. In 2001, the US FDA approved tagatose as GRAS. At present, it is widely used in products such as health drinks, yogurt, juice, baked goods, candies, and pharmaceutical preparations (such as syrups, and chewable tablets) as a substitute for sucrose. Four major
Functions of tagatose
1. Low energy
The tagatose ingested by the body cannot be completely absorbed by the small intestine. Animal experiments show that the energy consumed by tagatose in the metabolic process is more than the available energy it releases, and it does not cause fat deposition. The energy provided is much lower than sucrose. Therefore, tagatose is a new type of low-energy sweetener that can reduce the occurrence of obesity. It has been confirmed by the United States that tagatose is added to beverages at an amount of 5g/portion (240ml) and its calorie value is marked as 1.5 kcal/g on the nutrition label.
2. Lowering blood sugar
Studies have found that for healthy people and diabetic patients, the intake of tagatose does not cause significant changes in blood sugar and insulin levels, and can significantly inhibit the increase in blood sugar caused by the intake of glucose in diabetic patients.
3. Improve intestinal flora
Some of the tagatose ingested by the body cannot be absorbed by the small intestine. This part of the tagatose that is not absorbed is fermented and utilized by some microbial flora in the colon, promoting the proliferation of beneficial bacteria and inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria. It significantly improves the intestinal flora. Some studies have shown that tagatose can inhibit colon cancer, inhibit intestinal pathogens, and promote the growth of beneficial bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria.
4. Anti-caries
Research has found that tagatose cannot be used by microorganisms in the mouth, does not reduce the pH value of dental plaque, and therefore does not cause dental caries. Tagatose has a good effect in inhibiting dental plaque and eliminating bad breath, and can be used in oral products such as toothpaste and chewing gum.
Application of tagatose
1. Baked foods
In many baked foods, tagatose is used as a flavor enhancer. Because tagatose has a high Maillard reaction, the amount of addition needs to be strictly controlled, otherwise it will produce bitterness. Adding a small dose of tagatose to bread can increase the moisture content of bread, improve the flavor, and increase the color of bread and biscuits. Adding 2% tagatose to muffins will produce a soft mouthfeel and rich toffee flavor; adding 0.5%~1% tagatose to toast can shorten the baking time by half and produce a uniform color. Tagatose is an ideal icing for low-energy foods and is used as a crust for bread and cakes.
2. Chewing gum
Adding a small dose of tagatose to chewing gum can prolong the sweetness time and produce a special flavor. It can be added to chewing gum or used as a icing. Adding more than 15% can produce flavors like mint oil and fruit, enhance the mint oil flavor, and promote the sourness of some fruit flavors, but does not increase the viscosity of the chewing gum.
Tagatose can be used in combination with other polyols (xylitol) to make up for the disadvantage that large amounts of polyols can cause diarrhea.
3. Beverages
Low-energy beverages often lack taste and flavor compared to high-sweetness beverages. Adding 1% tagatose to low-energy beverages can produce a better taste, mask bad flavors, reduce bitterness, and coordinate sweetness.
Tagatose is added to milk-based beverages, such as chocolate yogurt and fruit-based yogurt, to improve the unpleasant flavor caused by the use of high-intensity sweeteners, obtain good sweetness, prolong sweetness, and reduce bitterness.
4. Application in meat products
Meat products such as cured meat and ham contain relatively high carbohydrates (2%~7%), which are prone to microbial contamination, resulting in economic losses. In the meat industry, the requirements for preservatives and bactericides are very strict, so it is possible to consider adding carbohydrates that cannot be used by microorganisms to meat products. Tagatose cannot be used by lactic acid bacteria that can cause corruption and some pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, etc. If it is added to meat products, it can not only play the functional role of carbohydrates but also prevent microbial contamination.
5. Health food
Because tagatose has a prebiotic effect, it can effectively improve intestinal flora and prevent colon cancer, so it can be used as a raw material for healthy functional foods.
6. Application in other fields
In medicine, tagatose can be used as cough syrup, excipient and foaming agent in medicine, adhesive for fixing dentures, moisturizer in toothpaste and mouthwash, mouthwash and oral disinfectant, moisturizer and stabilizer in cosmetics. In addition, tagatose has considerable efficacy in treating diabetes, iron deficiency anemia, and scurvy.
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