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Tufts Develops Low-Calorie Sweetener Tagatose Using Engineered Bacteria

1/17/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Tufts University researchers have developed a method to produce tagatose.
Tagatose occurs naturally in fruits and dairy.
Tagatose provides about 92% of sugar's sweetness with 60% fewer calories and may cause gastrointestinal discomfort at high doses.
The production method uses engineered Escherichia coli to convert glucose into tagatose.
The FDA has classified tagatose as safe and noted that further optimization is needed for widespread use.

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Story summary

Tufts University researchers have developed a method to produce tagatose.
Tagatose occurs naturally in fruits and dairy.
Tagatose provides about 92% of sugar's sweetness with 60% fewer calories and may cause gastrointestinal discomfort at high doses.
The production method uses engineered Escherichia coli to convert glucose into tagatose.
The FDA has classified tagatose as safe and noted that further optimization is needed for widespread use.