SweetHealth

Why this project?

The demand for healthier sugars and sweeteners for people suffering from diabetes and obesity, among others, is on the rise. Like the demand, the price of these products is also skyrocketing. The SweetHealth project seeks to produce alternative sugar (sweeteners) such as erythritol, isomaltulose, allulose, and cellobiose at a much lower cost than is currently possible. It is produced using engineered yeast strains that enzymatically convert starchy streams to one of the above-mentioned sugar sweeteners very efficiently. These starchy streams may include by-products from the Flemish food industry.

Methodology and expected results

The expected output of this Eurostars project is a range of engineered yeast strains that can be used for highly (cost-)efficient production of healthy sugar sweeteners on a pilot and commercial scale. This process will proceed in accordance with the optimised process steps and downstream processing protocols developed as part of the project. Several starchy by-products from the food industry will be evaluated for their applicability as substrates for the production of erythritol, isomaltulose, allulose, and cellobiose. This circular approach will also be communicated to the Flemish food industry through subcontractor Flanders’ FOOD.

Target group

The SweetHealth project’s results are of interest to:

• Food processors interested in alternative sugars/sweeteners
• Companies producing ingredients interested in alternative sugars/sweeteners (licensing)
• Companies looking to valorise their starchy by-products

Project partners

• NovelYeast (contact: johan.thevelein@novelyeast.com)
• Bioxytol
• Flanders’ FOOD – subcontractor NovelYeast (knowledge circulation and dissemination)

Keen to join?

Does your company have a starchy by-product that you wish to valorise or are you yourself interested in producing/processing low-calorific sugar sweeteners?