Asymmetrical Information

Possibly, but ka'a he'e (better known as Stevia) would be a better choice.

Why? Because it tastes like plastic in almost everything? Because it clumps?

It will be interesting to see how tagatose develops.

One drawback to tagatose is that it is about as sweet as saugar. By contrast, saccharin and aspartame are hundreds of times sweeter, so manufacturers need much less. Even if, say, a pound of aspartame costs $10, the small amounts needed to sweeten a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke mean that the diet versions will cost no more than the regular ones.

There's no mention of production costs, but presumably tagatose costs at least a little more than regular sugar. How much is, say, Pepsi willing to cut into their profit margin, or jack up the price of their diet soda, to be able to advertise an all-natural sugar substitute? And if production costs are high, Levin may not make much money, since there won't be room for high patent fees.

But given the nasty aftertastes most sugar substitutes have, I'd like to see some better alternatives available.

I remember left-handed sugar being a hot topic briefly in the 1980's as the next big thing in sweeteners but then it seemed to disappear. As one who gets headaches from Aspartame I hope it works and is cost effective.

The biggest thing for me is texture, not pure sweetness. Sugar has a certain roughness to it (turbinado, even more so) that I heartily enjoy. Saccarhine works okay in iced tea for me, but in coffee and other stuff, i like sugar.

Maybe tagatose will finally replicate not just the sweetness, but the texture of real sugar.

I hope so...

And here I had thought that's what invert sugar was. It's a shame that name is taken.

There's a really good sci-fi story written about a machine that can figuratively pick you out of space, flip you over and put you back, to varying degrees. "Doorways in the Sand" by Zelazny...kind of thought-provoking.

Ah, carbohydrate chemistry. I spent several years working with those weird molecules, back in grad school. This article certainly seems on the level to me, but PJ (above) is correct. This is going to have to be produced in bulk, cheaply, to ever be more than a niche product. It's not sweet enough, otherwise.

If it can be (and I don't know their chemical process,) then they might be on to something. But it's a tough market - recall that the soda companies switch from one source of sugar to another based on small differences in price. On the scale they're buying it, it makes a difference. People forget that sugar is actually a bulk ingredient in many products. That's why you see gums and resins in diet sodas, as thickening agents to replace the missing sugar (otherwise, they feel watery.)

It would be interesting to know how tagatose acts in the Maillard browning reaction. That's what gives the color and flavor to most browned foods; it's a complex set of reactions between amino acids and sugars. That could determine how real or "off" tagaose-sweetened baked goods might taste.

"If it can be (and I don't know their chemical process,) then they might be on to something."

Looks like a bit of a messy one in US patent 5,078,796. 44% yield, and one with 76% yield. Mind you, that's ten-odd years ago.

I'm assuming this is the patent they're talking about - couldn't find anything from "Spherics", or a process-related patent with Levin's name as an inventor.

"But it's a tough market - recall that the soda companies switch from one source of sugar to another based on small differences in price. On the scale they're buying it, it makes a difference. "

Don't think sodas would be the prime market - people are accustomed to the bitter aftertaste on diet sodas, so there the market would be price-driven. The market would be for baked products, I think

Tom, try searching on biospherics.com which is or was a small Greenbelt Maryland based company mostly involved in medical testing during the 1980's/90's.

I don't get how this can even be considered for "diet" drinks if it's only as sweet as sugar and has 38% of the calories. That's a LOT of calories for a diet drink given how sweet they tend to be.

People don't want "half calorie" stuff, they want "no calorie" stuff.

"Tom, try searching on biospherics.com"

Yup, that's the company who's the assignee for the patents I mentioned.

Their product yields still suck, though.

I've owned Spherix stock for years. When I first learned about it. It comes from Ricotta cheese. And, Ricotta cheese just means "re-clotted milk."

Then, in listening to a Richard Feynman lecture he spoke about how it mattered if sugars were right-spun, or left-spun. Since bacteria only recognized one side of the mirror image. Not the other.

Tagalose, by the way WORKS in baking. Where the other sugar substitutes break down when heat is applied.

I don't get how this can even be considered for "diet" drinks if it's only as sweet as sugar and has 38% of the calories. That's a LOT of calories for a diet drink given how sweet they tend to be.

People don't want "half calorie" stuff, they want "no calorie" stuff.

*I* want it, albeit as a general sugar replacement rather than a device limited to diet drinks. I like a can of soda pop as much as the next person, but it's kind of eery to think I could get the equivalent intake by dipping a small ice cream scoop into the sugar bowl.

Drinking something that tastes like it has 40g of sugar but only ingesting the caloric equivalent of about 18g (and with much less risk to the pearlies!) would be a welcome change, one I would even be willing to suffer a small price hike to obtain.

My paternal grandmother would alse welcome it. She's become borderline diabetic in her old age and has necessarily almost eliminated natural sugar from her diet, much to her own dismay given her possession of a mild sweet tooth. (She still bakes a wonderful pie but that de-sugared sugar just doesn't taste the same.)

Whew, I hope this clears up some of the confusion I'm seeing on this forum!

TAG's wholesale cost is est. at about $2/lb.

It's a fantastic novel sweetener, but the same gut reaction that makes it "lo cal" (incomplete digestion) means it can't be consumed in bulk. It's proven itself (in Slurpee's) blended with other sweeteners (blending is increasingly popular with manufacturers). Not only is it lo cal, it masks the bad aftertaste of artificial sweeteners and improves mouthfeel.

Tagatose patentholder: Spherix, public US company — www.spherix.com
Stock symbol — SPEX (Nasdaq)
Volatile stock price, loyal long-time shareholders (on Yahoo) can answer questions (good luck sifting through basher BS).
SPEX has several divisions involved in disparate business sectors (outside biotech R&D) — computer services, call centers, park reservations — pays (most) of the bills.

SPEX licensed "TAG" (for food use) to global co-op ARLA Foods/Denmark, and will receive a hefty royalty per pound for years.

SPEX retains control of nonfood use. Will market TAG as "Naturlose' in a wide product array — fiber laxatives, toothpaste/mouthwash, shampoo, even as an excipient in pills. New health benefits keep emerging- anti-cariogenicity, anti- biofilm, anti-plaque, fertility, organ preservation (though profiting from much of that is still off in the distance).

2002- ARLA launched j/v with the large German sugar manufacturer Nordzucker. First plant is producing modest amounts of TAG. We expect more plant construction announcements soon.

Summer '03- PEPSI & 7-11 launched Diet Pepsi Slurpees (w/TAG) nationally to excellent reviews. Based on patent appls, SPEX awaits launch by Kellogg's... could be a cereal coating or a breakfast bar. Expect chewing gum and drinks (diet soda or flavored water), too.

Heightened public/media interest in "healthy eating", diabetes and obesity will likely drive acceptance of this novel sweetener.

Ms GALT- Fortunately, it is NOT too good to be true. TAG's being produced and is available for public consumption. A number of shareholders including myself have tasted sample products by ARLA, as well as the new Diet Pepsi Slurpee.

Over the past 10 years or so, tests by Univ of MD researchers and additional evals by ARLA scientists keep finding additional benefits. Tastes great, too. It's been approved by both JECFA and the FDA, and by a number of countries. ARLA's "Talking Point" pdf is illustrative - http://tinyurl.com/u9md
And, you can visit Aussie Food Standards (search keyword "Tagatose") -
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/search/index.cfm

+++++

RAVENWOLF - Sorry, but NO, stevia/Steviocide wouldn't be a "better choice". First of all, stevia isn't legally considered a "sweetener" in the US (I believe it's disqualified because it isn't a carbohydrate). JECFA hasn't approved stevia, either. More importantly, stevia's about 300x as sweet as sugar, so it would require the same kind of bulking agents and food reformulations as do other High Intensity Sweeteners (HIS).

+++++

PJ of MD - HUH? TAG's sweetness is indeed on par with sugar, but that's a SELLING point, not a "drawback". Currently, TAG can only be consumed in relatively small quantities (it's been raised once by JECFA, to 7 grams/day. Even at that, the FDA stated they expect people to consume much more). However, it's not likely to be approved at daily rates exceeding 20-25 gms. So, it's not going to "replace" sugar in bulky items. The target markets will include cereal coatings, health bars, diet cakes, diet chocolates, diet sodas, dental products, etc. where it's many characteristics can help sweeten, prevent cavities, make things palatable for diabetics and dieters. Huge market, that.

FYI- Your example of Diet Coke is incorrect. Although considered a "full bulk" sweetener, TAG won't be used to replace sugar ounce for ounce in REGULAR soda... it will be likely be used in small quantities in DIET sodas or flavored waters when blended with an HIS. Why? Because one of its benefits turns out to be that even a tiny amount MASKS the bad aftertaste of high intensity sweeteners! A MAJOR plus.

PEPSI sunk a bundle into snagging a patent and creating the winning Slurpee. According to them, it's already paying off and they're considering other TAG-laced drinks. They sell billions of cans of diet soda annually. Even a pinch in a percentage of cans will add up to many many tons of TAG. Same with cereals, breakfast bars and gum. BILLIONS of servings per day. ARLA is now talking tabletop sweetener packets, so there's a potential for BILLIONS of tiny packets. Small amounts add up.

+++++

DEREK LOWE re- Maillard
Suggest you visit this ARLA web site and click on the nav bar. ARLA's been working closely with major food manufacturers for several years on cooking and production techniques. I've tasted their toffee, several cereals, chocolate and some health bars. - http://tinyurl.com/u9ld

Derek, you're right about companies shopping sweeteners by price... and there's a documented trend towards blending various sweeteners. TAG browns quite well, it apparently isn't hygroscopic on cereal, and it can be used in foods without screwing up mouthfeel. It has diabetic and dental benefits, too.

As for your musings about TAG needing to be produced in bulk, the first plant in Germany has a production capacity of about 1250 tons/year. The next one (probably in Taulov, Denmark) is projected to produce between 10k and 20k tons. Marketing estimates suggest an eventual need for many such large plants.

+++++

B. Krupp - FDA made a special exception for labeling products and ad claims. A simple explanation is that TAG IS a sugar that CAN be used in Diet and Diabetic products because the body doesn't recognize/process it the way it does other sugars. Can you say KEWL"?

Comments are Closed.