Israeli food-tech start-up Better Juice has announced a strategic collaboration with Ingredion, a global leader in specialty ingredients for the food and beverage sector. Ingredion Ventures, the venture investment arm of Ingredion, will lead the Series A funding round for Better Juice, propelling the company’s innovative sugar reduction solution into the competitive US juice market.
Better Juice has developed an innovative enzymatic technology capable of removing simple sugars from juice-based beverages, concentrates, and other naturally sugar-containing liquids. This process transforms sugars into non-digestible compounds, including dietary fibers and non-digestible sugars, while preserving the natural profile of vitamins, minerals, and organic acids in the final product.
Ingredion was impressed by Better Juice’s non-GMO technology and its versatility across various applications. “The Better Juice technology adds a completely new dimension to our portfolio of sugar reduction solutions for food and beverage brands on a mission to meet increased consumer demand for less sugar,” said Nate Yates, Sugar Reduction Business Leader at Ingredion.
The environmentally friendly clean-label conversion process developed by Better Juice involves proprietary beads composed of non-GMO microorganisms that produce enzymes. These enzymes convert fruit sugars in juices into prebiotic fibers and other non-digestible molecules, allowing for a significant reduction in sugar content by 30 to 80%.
Just the first step
Eran Blachinsky, Ph.D., co-founder and co-CEO of Better Juice, highlighted the potential of this alliance to extend the technology to other liquids with natural sources of sugar, such as milk, beer, and wine, with Ingredion’s capital support.
Better Juice, founded in 2018, initially funded and supported by The Kitchen Hub, has raised $8 million in seed-round investments. The company boasts an advanced plant ready to meet the growing demand for sugar-reduced juice, with a capacity to process 250m. liters per year.
Gali Yarom, co-founder and co-CEO of Better Juice expressed excitement about the collaboration, stating, “This important partnership step is truly exciting. It dovetails perfectly with the Better Juice strategy to penetrate the North American market. This move will open doors to leading food and beverage companies seeking sugar-reduction solutions for their products.”