Title: Alternative Sweeteners

114 Bertelsen et al.
Figure 5 Measurement of oral pH in adapted dental trial.
production of bacterial acids. A comparison of the pH values of interdental plaque
occurring in subjects who had been adapted to d-tagatose from 3–7 days shows
that these values are similar to the pH values of interdental plaque in the same
subjects when they were unadapted to d-tagatose. It can therefore be concluded
that plaque layers having grown under the constant exposure to d-tagatose were
not more acidified by a 10% d-tagatose rinse than unadapted plaque layers in
the same volunteers (Fig. 5). d-Tagatose has thus been demonstrated to be noncariogenic
in both studies.
D. Prebiotic Properties of D-Tagatose
The mucosal surfaces of the intestinal tract are one of the main sites of cell
replication in the human body. In the colon, the epithelial cells are exposed not
only to the circulation and to the endogenous secretions of other mucosal cells
but also to the contents of the colonic lumen, which is rich in food residues, and
to the metabolic products of the microflora (20). Epidemiological and animal
studies suggest that dietary fat and protein may promote carcinogenesis in the
colon, whereas increased fiber and complex carbohydrates in the diet may protect
against colon cancer. Colonic luminal butyrate concentrations are postulated to
be the key protective component of high-fiber diets against colon cancer (21).
Butyrate is one of the SCFAs that are the C2–C5 organic acids. These
compounds are formed in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals as a result of