Amyris, Ingredion focus on sugar reduction-based food ingredients

The combination of Amyris’s leading synthetic biology technology platform is to develop, scale, and produce fermentation-based products

Amyris, Inc., a leading synthetic biotechnology company active in the Clean Health and Beauty markets through its consumer brands and a top supplier of sustainable and natural ingredients, has announced that it has signed an agreement with Ingredion Incorporated, a leading global ingredient solutions provider to the food and beverage industry, for the exclusive licensing of Amyris’s zero-calorie, nature-based, fermented Reb M sweetener. 

The combination of Amyris’s leading synthetic biology technology platform is to develop, scale and produce fermentation-based products with Ingredion’s global market and customer reach, formulation capabilities, and commercial teams will accelerate the availability and adoption of zero-calorie, nature-based sweeteners and other clean labeled fermentation-based food ingredients to the world’s leading food and beverage companies.

Ingredion, via its PureCircle subsidiary, will become the exclusive global business-to-business commercialization partner for Amyris’s sugar reduction technology that includes fermented Reb M.

The transaction value is estimated to be $100 million. This includes $75 million for the exclusive license to sell and market Reb M from fermentation plus a contribution for participation in the Brazil manufacturing joint venture.

Moreover, the parties will enter into an R&D collaboration agreement to create and advance the development of sustainably sourced, zero-calorie, nature-based sweeteners and potentially other types of fermentation-based food ingredients.