Dive Brief:
- Ingredients companies Roquette and Bonumose are joining forces in order to fuel the growth of tagatose, signing an agreement this month to advance the development of the natural sweetener.
- The business will combine Roquette’s starch and sweetener operations with Bonumose’s enzymatic technology, in order to increase the production scale for tagatose, the companies said.
- Tagatose — which does not spike blood sugar levels or cause tooth decay, and contains better-for-you elements like prebiotics — is produced by Virginia-based Bonumose using enzymes in maltodextrin from cornstarch.
Dive Insight:
The collaboration between the two ingredients companies, a large French business and an American upstart, signals the growing interest in more advanced sugar alternatives among food formulators.
Ed Rogers, the CEO of Bonumose, said in a statement the agreement with Roquette will help the ingredient reach a larger global audience.
“Tagatose closely matches the taste, flavor, and cookability of white sugar while offering health benefits such as reduced calories and an ultra-low glycemic index,” Rogers said. “We are excited to collaborate with Roquette, given their engineering prowess, and multiple market routes.”
In March 2023, Bonumose opened a tagatose production facility in Charlottesville, Virginia, which boosted its manufacturing and R&D capabilities. Confectionery giant Hershey was co-lead the funding round that allowed the ingredients company to build a tagatose plant.
Roquette, which launched in 1933 and has an extensive footprint in the international ingredients space, has the potential to help Bonumose’s technology spread beyond the U.S. Anne Hirsch, the French company’s head of sugar management, said Roquette sees the potential for innovation by using Bonumose’s tech.
“Our large-scale starch sweetener production expertise can significantly enhance processing efficiency post enzymatic conversion,” Hirsch said. “This partnership aligns with our long-term vision of sustainable production and meeting the growing global demand for sweetening solutions.”
The adoption of tagatose can help food companies lower the calories of their products while retaining sweetness. The ingredient contains 90% of the sweetness of sugar, according to Bonumose. In 2022, the FDA declared tagatose must be classified as an added sugar in food and beverage products.
As consumers increasingly seek out healthier alternatives, with 55% of global consumers concerned about their sugar intake according to a recent HealthFocus International survey, food and beverage manufacturers are turning to different sources to sweeten their products. Amid fears about negative health effects of artificial sweeteners like sucralose, the industry is increasingly moving toward natural sweeteners, derived from plants. These include sweet proteins like brazzein, used by chocolate and iced tea maker Oobli, as well as monk fruit and stevia.
