Beyond The Headlines: Tate & Lyle removes millions of tons of sugar from diets, AFT receives seed investment

06 Jan 2023 --- This week in nutrition news, Tate & Lyle has published a report revealing that it has removed an estimated 4 million tons of sugar from diets through its low- and no-calorie sweeteners. Also, Armored Fresh Technologies (AFT) unveiled a technology that can produce alternative replicants to casein, attracting a US$1 million seed investment. At the same time, BGG World’s apple polyphenol ingredient ApplePhenon attained Alkemist Assured status and partnership from Alkemist Labs.

In brief: Nutrition news
London-based F&B solutions producer Tate & Lyle has published an interactive report showing its progress against its stated 2020 goals and commitments toward sugar reduction. According to the company, it has helped to eliminate over 4 million tons of sugar from diets through its low- and no-calorie sweeteners, meaning it has already hit 44% of its 2025 goal of removing 9 million tons.

Alternative protein player AFT received a US$1 million investment from Forward Deployed VC following the unveiling of its plant-based emulsifying protein ice cream at CES 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada, US. The company stated that it would use the investment to continue its R&D and production of plant-based proteins, which behave like animal-based proteins and can be used as a sustainable solution for dairy products such as milk, cheese and ice cream.Tate & Lyle said it had hit 44% of its goal of eliminating 9 million tons of sugar from people’s diets by 2025.

BGG World revealed that its apple-based polyphenol ingredient received Alkemist Assured status from the two-tier Alkemist Labs program. The program requires “next-generation transparency,” which consists of regular botanical testing and reporting and the Alkemist Assured seal award following satisfactory scrutiny of the product. The company further stated that ApplePhenon had been shown to modulate gut microbiota and to be rich in absorbable and non-absorbable proanthocyanins in 17 clinical trials.

Meanwhile, plant-based innovator Caulipower launched a campaign marketed toward “delish-a-tarians” aimed at shoppers seeking healthier food in the frozen food aisle. The campaign – predicted to exceed US$2 million – will run throughout Q1 of 2023 and include influencer marketing, in-store signage and targeted digital ads.

In brief: Business news
Indigo AG and ISAOSA have partnered to bring the Indigo 30 to Mexican corn farmers starting in 2024. When coupled with ISAOSA’s fertilizer, Indigo’s plant food has been shown to increase the nutrient uptake of corn crops and crop yields. Indigo AG stated that their collection of more than 36,000 microbial strains allows them to harness the potential of the plant microbiome to produce more and more nutrient-dense crops.

US-based infant formula producer ByHeart is slated to complete its purchase of Cascadia Nutrition – an FDA-registered blending and packaging facility – giving the company end-to-end oversight and control of the product manufacturing process. ByHeart stated that the acquisition would help the company to build a resilient and diverse infant formula production process and supply chain. The company plans to have the plant operational and begin its first shipments in Q2 of 2023.

In brief: Research and studiesByHeart states that its purchase of Cascadia Nutrition will help it build a more resilient infant formula supply chain.
According to a six-month study published in Neurology, a modified Atkins diet with high fat and low carbohydrate content, combined with medication, may reduce seizure episodes in those with hard-to-treat epilepsy. The researchers found that the combination of the Atkins and the ketogenic diet – with food items like butter and oils, heavy cream, animal proteins like eggs, chicken, fish, and bacon and leafy green vegetables – reduced seizures by 50% within the 160-person test group. Comparatively, medicine alone only reduced the incidence of seizures by 26%. However, the researchers also noted that 33% of participants could not finish the trial due to poor diet tolerance. The researchers said that further research must be done to identify specific genetic biomarkers and other factors associated with the response to this diet.

At the same time, researchers from Osaka University in Osaka, Japan, found that decanoic acid precursor, tricaprin, a readily available dietary supplement was able to dramatically reverse the effects of heart disease in some patients – even reversing the lesions caused by atherosclerosis. Specifically, the researchers noticed the greatest improvements among patients with a specific type of coronary artery disease (CAD) called triglyceride deposit cardiomyovasculopathy (TGCV). According to the study, published in the European Heart Journal, TGCV is one of the most challenging forms of CAD to treat as it is usually resistant to routine interventions such as medicine and surgically implanted stents. The authors stated that the findings provide a multifaceted approach to CAD treatment that could significantly extend the lifespan of CAD patients.

In brief: Regulatory news
The Natural Products Association (NPA) revealed that, despite California Governor Gavin Newsome’s veto of a bill prohibiting the sale of dietary supplements to minors, the state’s lawmakers are introducing an identical bill for the 2023-2024 legislative session. The vetoed bill, AB1341, would have restricted access to some and even made some supplements unavailable without a doctor’s prescription. Moreover, it would have required brick-and-mortar retailers to post warning signs about dietary supplements stating that some are known to have serious adverse effects and that some could cause organ failure, stroke and even death.

By William Bradford Nichols 

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