There are so many contradictions about artificial sweeteners, but in the end it turns out that they are either unhealthy or harmful to the environment. About “Tagatose” I only find a description in Wikipedia but no comparison with eg aspartame or acesulfame K or stevia. Is that sweetener better than the others?
Answer
Dear Sir,
tagatose is a carbohydrate that occurs normally in nature. It is a monosaccharide and belongs to the same family (and therefore has a very analogous structure) as glucose, galactose, … However, it is very rare in nature and therefore little known. So it is not an artificial sweetener. It is considered an ingredient and not an additive and therefore has no E number. Nevertheless, both the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, USA) and the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority, EU) have conducted extensive research into the safety and health of tagatose. This has shown that there is no problem with the safety of tagatose.
It is usually extracted from lactose (the milk sugar), whereby this lactose is first split into glucose and galactose (which we also do during digestion in our body), after which the galactose can be enzymatically converted into tagatose.
I would also like to add that the artificial sweeteners (such as aspartame) are not unhealthy or unsafe. Contrary to what most people think, additives (with E numbers) are by definition safe for a certain application and in fixed maximum levels. After all, a substance only receives an E number if it has been shown to be safe.
John Claes
Answered by
Prof.dr.ir. John Claes
Life Sciences Food Industry
Old Market 13 3000 Leuven
https://www.kuleuven.be/
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