Current studies on biological tagatose production using L-arabinose isomerase: a review and future perspective.

D-Tagatose is a hexoketose monosaccharide sweetener, which is an isomer of D-galactose and is rarely found in nature. Recently, there has been industrial interest in D-tagatose as a low-calorie sugar-substituting sweetener. This article describes the properties and metabolism of tagatose as well as its commercial importance. The comparison between the biological tagatose production and the chemical production was reviewed based on the example of the glucose isomerization into fructose. The industrial problems facing its commercial application is described and evolving potential solutions are suggested.