Ingredion and Better Juice partner to accelerate commercialization of sugar reduction solutions

Better Juice team. Image courtesy of Better Juice.

The foodtech startup, Better Juice Ltd., has announced a partnership with Ingredion Inc. (Westchester, IL), whose venture investment arm, Ingredion Ventures, is to lead a Series A funding round for Better Juice. The funding round, says Better Juice in a press release, will fast-track the penetration of the company’s sugar reduction solution into the U.S. juice market.

The company’s sugar reduction technology removes simple sugars from juice-based beverages, concentrates, and other natural sugar-containing liquids. This is accomplished via an enzymatic technology that converts sugars into non-digestible compounds such as dietary fibers, while also maintaining a natural profile of vitamins, minerals, and organic acids, explains Better Juice. The non-GMO and clean-label process enables 30-80% sugar reduction.

“[The partnership] dovetails perfectly with the Better Juice strategy to penetrate the North American market,” said Gali Yarom, co-founder and co-CEO of Better Juice, in a press release. “Ingredion was impressed by our non-GMO technology, and its uses in a wide variety of applications. This move will open doors to leading food and beverage companies seeking sugar-reduction solutions for their products.”

“The Better Juice technology adds a completely new dimension to our portfolio of sugar reduction solutions for food and beverage brands on a mission to meet increased consumer demand for less sugar,” said Nate Yates, sugar reduction business leader at Ingredion. “This technology also provides manufacturers with more options to successfully reduce sugar without compromising on great taste or nutrition.”

“Ingredion’s capital support will allow us to extend the technology to other liquids with natural sources of sugar, such as milk, beer, and wine,” added Eran Blachinsky, PhD, co-founder and co-CEO of Better Juice, in a press release.

According to the company, its solution has successfully advanced to commercial scale in the U.S., with a capacity to process 250 million liters of sugar reduced juice per year once products utilizing Better Juice technology enter the market.