Tufts-led team engineers E. coli to mass-produce low-calorie sugar tagatose

Exam-focused facts from the 17 January 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Scientists engineered Escherichia coli bacteria to act as miniature production units for tagatose.
A newly discovered enzyme from slime mold, galactose-1-phosphate-selective phosphatase, enables conversion of glucose into tagatose.
The process achieved production yields of up to 95 percent, far higher than current methods.
Tagatose contains only one-third of the calories of sucrose and has minimal impact on blood glucose levels.
Tagatose is considered tooth-friendly and may help limit harmful oral bacteria.