Reducing sugar and calories with DOLCE

Together with AnalytiCon Discovery and the French Roquette company, BRAIN launched the DOLCE programme for natural sweeteners and sweet taste enhancers in August 2016 to reduce excessive levels of sugar and calories in foodstuffs. The core team’s “SweetBox” grew to encompass some 60 natural products in the 2016/17 business year. The first suitable natural products for specific applications are currently being selected in cooperation with companies from the food and beverages industries. Partners for the breakfast cereals and snacks segments were found in November 2016 via a global market player. In July 2017, a globally active beverages firm came on board with access to DOLCE innovations for non-alcoholic drinks, milk and yogurt drinks, as well as ginger ales and tonics. BRAIN is envisaging entering into partnerships for other product categories.

Healthy nutrition without sacrificing taste with SALT-E & ANTI-BITTER

Based on the patented technology developed by BRAIN for the cultivation of human taste cells in the laboratory, scientists at BRAIN are now examining further ways of improving human nutrition. One focus, for example, is on salt (SALT-E programme) and fat, which, like sugar, can cause health problems if eaten in excessive quantities. The bitter taste is another research topic of the ANTI-BITTER programme, since this is often activated together with other taste receptors. The aim is to develop alternative flavourings for healthier foodstuffs without sacrificing quality. Industrial partnerships will also be set up to pursue these innovations.

Antimicrobial natural substances with PerillicActive & FRESCO

Freshness is a key criterion for the production, marketing and sale of foods. Other market segments are also highly sensitive in terms of hygiene and cleanliness. Harmful organisms such as bacteria, yeasts or fungi have the evolutionary ability to develop resistance against their antagonists. This, and the increasing demand for natural as opposed to chemical cleaning agents and preservatives opens up market opportunities for the bioeconomy. In this context BRAIN and AnalytiCon Discovery run the PerillicActive programe. In the 2016/17 business year, the partnerns also identified several hundreds of promising “jump-start” candidates and initially characterised their effect on various problematic pathogens. Edible plants served as the starting material. Scientists working for the FRESCO programme use this research to identify further product candidates for various fields of application.