Tagatose

[ol_ironstomach]

Looks like my hopes for chiral sugars have been temporarily dashed again, as Arla Foods announces the shutdown of their Tagatose plant in Germany, the only production facility in the world.

D'oh. I can't stand most artificial sweeteners, and don't like the aftertaste of Sucralose, so it's been a long wait for chiral and left-handed sugars to come to market. In this case, D-tagatose, which is identical to lactose except for the shape of the molecule. Looks, tastes, cooks like sugar, but with one-third the calories, reduced impact on diabetics, and none at all on the lactose-intolerant. Sigh.