Description

Functions

• Blood Glucose Regulation: For healthy individuals and those with type diabetes, consuming D – tagatose does not significantly affect blood glucose and insulin levels. It can also inhibit the increase in blood glucose caused by glucose intake in diabetic patients, and thus can be used as a substitute sweetener in the diet of diabetic patients to help lower blood glucose.
• Weight Management: The low – calorie nature of D – tagatose makes it a promising sweetener for weight management. Long – term use by diabetic patients can significantly reduce body weight, and it can also reduce food intake in healthy men, potentially preventing diet – related weight gain.
• Gut Health Improvement: About 80% of the ingested D – tagatose is not absorbed by the small intestine and is fermented by microbial flora in the colon. It promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium infantis, inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria, and improves the gut flora. It may also produce short – chain fatty acids such as butyric acid, which is beneficial to the growth of colon epithelial cells and helps prevent colon cancer.
• Dental Health Protection: D – tagatose cannot be utilized by microorganisms in the oral cavity, which helps reduce the production of acidic substances in the mouth, lower tooth decay, and effectively prevent dental diseases such as gingivitis, tooth decay, and bad breath.
• Antioxidant Properties: D – tagatose has the potential to reduce cell damage caused by intracellular free radicals and has weak iron – chelating properties, which may play a role in protecting the body from oxidative stress.

Applications

• Food Industry: It is used in health drinks, dairy products, candies, and cereal products. It can provide sweetness while maintaining low – calorie characteristics. In addition, it can be used with other intense sweeteners to eliminate their unpleasant after – tastes. It can also increase the number of live bacteria in yogurt, improve its nutritional value, and make the flavor more intense and mellow. In baked goods, it is easier to produce an ideal color and a more fragrant flavor than sucrose.
• Pharmaceutical Industry: It can be used to prepare drugs for the treatment of type diabetes and obesity. Due to its antioxidant and cryoprotective effects, it can protect liver cells against pro – oxidant toxins and has potential applications in organ transplantation. In addition, it can be used as a sweetening excipient in pharmaceutical products to improve the palatability of the medicine.
• Cosmetics Industry: It has the functions of moisturizing and anti – oxidation, and can be used in the production of cosmetics such as skin care products and toothpaste. In toothpaste and chewing gum, it can prevent tooth decay and bad breath.