In the past ten years, media reports on sugar and non-communicable diseases have made consumers around the world reach a consensus on reducing sugar intake. However, consumers’ perception of this is not only rooted in the desire to see specific health benefits, but also in the belief that “reducing sugar intake will increase the chance of overall health”. As consumers increasingly believe that sugar is incompatible with health, brand owners are responding positively. Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi are already catering to consumers’ needs by launching low- or no-sugar products.
Recently, market research released by Euromonitor International found that consumers’ emphasis on food and dieting has changed. Consumers who were previously concerned about fat content or diet are now increasingly considering reducing their sugar intake. Fifty-three percent of the respondents cited “eating less sugar” as their priority method of weight management. In addition, when asked which ingredients or labels to look for on food and beverage labels, 31% of respondents said that they do not contain artificial sweeteners. This is the fourth most popular response and shows consistency across different regions.
Currently, most of the commercially available high-intensity sweeteners are artificial, and consumers have consciously avoided buying food and beverages containing such ingredients. Natural sweeteners represented by stevia, Momordica Grosvenor, erythritol, allulose, etc. began to attract consumers and the market’s attention. Each sugar substitute raw material has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, stevia has cost and scale advantages, but it has taste defects. Excessive intake of allulose can cause digestive health problems. Some sugar substitute raw materials do not have the characteristics of sucrose, such as caramel and browning.
1 “New sugar” from fiber
Recently, London-based The Supplant Co. company launched a new type of sugar raw material “Supplant TM sugar” derived from the fiber. This is a new type of mixed sugar naturally present in plant fiber, which has been proven to reduce calories in food. It is understood that “SupplantTM sugar” is an upgraded and reused raw material. The company uses a patented method to upgrade and reuse agricultural by-products such as corn, wheat, and rice-derived rhizomes, straws, and wheatears to make sugar.
First, collect fiber-rich (mainly cellulose and hemicellulose components) parts of crops, such as wheat straw, oat husks, and corn cobs, from farms, forests, and food facilities. Grind and pre-treat these frequently not used agricultural by-products to make them easy to handle “loose” so that the fibers can be easily obtained. Second, the most critical step is to use fungal enzymes to break down the long and complex sugar chains found in fibers. These long-chain sugars (called polysaccharides by scientists) are broken down into shorter sugar chains (called oligosaccharides and simple sugars by scientists). Finally, these two sugars are combined to form a “composite fiber sugar”.
Currently, the company has applied for a series of patents. The most powerful intellectual property is the raw material itself. Its sucrose properties can replace part of the sugar in food. In addition, every 10 grams of Supplant TM sugar contains 18 calories, 10 grams of carbohydrates, and 1.5 grams of dietary fiber. And 10 grams of sucrose contains 40 calories.
2 It has the properties of sucrose, the metabolic form of fiber
SupplantTM sugar can produce coking and browning reactions like traditional sucrose for baking and cooking purposes. At the same time, it can provide health properties that traditional sucrose does not have. Because it is made of dietary fiber, the glycemic index of this raw material is less than 15% glucose, and the glycemic index of glucose is 100. In terms of specific sugar substitutes, approximately every gram of Supplant TM sugar can replace the same amount of sucrose in food. At the same time, it provides puffing, texture, structure, browning, and sweetening functions, but it is not a high-intensity sweetener.
In terms of metabolism, Supplant TM sugar will be like dietary fiber, and part of it will be metabolized by bacteria when it reaches the large intestine. As food for the beneficial flora in the intestine, it has a “prebiotic” effect. As a new generation of prebiotic products, this fiber-derived sugar not only has the attributes of sucrose but also has the characteristics of dietary fiber, which is a revolutionary sugar substitute raw material. Once industrialized production is fully realized, the price of this raw material will be competitive with traditional sugar.
The sweetness of this fiber-derived Supplant TM sugar is about one-third of that of sucrose, and the calories are less than half. It can be used to replace part or all of the sugar in product formulations, and it can currently play a role in a variety of foods, including baked goods, cereals, chocolate, cakes, candies, and ice cream. At this stage, the company’s focus on food categories does not focus on beverages, because food is currently the largest unmet demand field.
3 Emphasizing sustainability and making efforts in the U.S. market
Sustainability is also an important market attraction for this raw material. The upgrade angle and extensibility in the production process help investors and inspire customers. The fiber-derived Supplant TM sugar emphasizes the attributes of “sustainability, innovation, and health”. The content of Supplant TM sugar added in different product formulations is different, which mainly depends on the market positioning of the product and the company’s strategic development goals. The company purchases corn stover, stalks, and corn cobs in France and Italy. In the future, manufacturing and production centers will be established in the United States to meet the needs of the local supply chain and market.
It is reported that the Supplant TM raw material of The Supplant Co. has achieved self-affirmation of GRAS status, and is submitting relevant product information to the US FDA for product labeling as “added sugar”. At present, the product form of this raw material is powder, and products with different dosage forms are also being designed according to the difference in product formulations. The company has raised $26 million from investors such as Coatue, EQT, Felicis, Khosla, and Mantaray.
The Supplant Co. is currently working with consumer brands, restaurants, and chefs to expand its products to the entire US market. In June last year, the company has cooperated with chef Thomas Keller to launch end products containing this raw material in the United States. Thomas Keller owns several restaurants in California and New York. Biscuits, bread, chocolates, ice creams, and other products made with this raw material are sold in restaurants in the region.
4 The brand gene that loves “botany”
It has long been known that fiber is composed of long-chain sugars, but the process of developing these sugars is not easy. The founder Dr. Tom Simmons’ in-depth knowledge of carbohydrates and his rich plant science experience made this possible and carried out a lot of trial and error. Before founding The Supplant Co. in 2017, the founder obtained a Ph.D. in plant science from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He was a post-doctoral research scientist and researcher in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge, specializing in plant-derived sugar and fiber.
Plant fiber is the richest source of sugar in nature. With years of background in botany, Dr. Tom Simmons brings a new perspective to the problems that food scientists have been trying to solve for decades. The use of innovative raw materials from agricultural by-products will become an important part of the future agricultural ecosystem.
