Resugar attracts $3M investment to fuel global expansion of ‘no-compromise’ sugar substitute
Israeli foodtech start-up Resugar has closed its series A funding round at $3 million (£2.2 million).
Resugar claims to have the capacity to deliver the world’s first ‘no-compromise’ sugar substitute. Its all-natural compound tastes and behaves identically to sugar without any of sugar’s harmful health effects, founders Niv Ben-Ami and Ron Livny say.
The money attracted in this funding round will go towards the start-up’s global expansion, with the company hoping to integrate it into large-scale industrial operations.
Resugar’s proprietary compound is made using an enzymatic process developed in partnership with the Israel Institute of Technology.
The result of this process is a 1:1 sugar replacement which boasts 70-80% less sugar content and 50% fewer calories. It is also completely plant-based and has a low glycemic index, making it potentially better for those with diabetes.
Rising sugar consumption is a hugely important issue around the world, and is linked to diabetes, obesity and hypertension.
In the UK, the Government is pushing ahead with HFSS legislation which it hopes will curb sugar consumption by way of an advertising ban.
Elsewhere in the world, focus is being centred on sugar replacements and product reformulations.
Resugar is one of several currently working in this field. Fellow Israeli start-up B.T. Sweet has developed its own sugar substitute called CAMBYA.
Resugar Co-Founder Niv Ben-Ami says this changing tide comes off the back of “decades of sugar substitutes that underperform on taste, industrial properties, or both”.
“Stemming the tide of global sugar addiction requires harnessing the latest innovations in food science to deliver a flawless all-natural sugar substitute – to literally reinvent sugar, without the drawbacks,” he adds.
According to the company, it is currently in discussions with several multinational food and beverage companies – including Nestlé on the subject of licensing its technologies.
