Incredo, the Israeli startup behind patented technology that makes sugar taste sweeter, has struck a manufacturing and commercial distribution deal with Miami-based sugar refiner Sucro.
Starting this month, Incredo Sugar—which is manufactured at Sucro’s plant in Buffalo, New York—will be added to Sucro’s portfolio, giving Incredo access to customers across the Americas looking to reduce sugar, says Sucro, which is seeing consumers make a “significant shift” away from products containing sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners.
“Sweetlife by Sucro is now our exclusive distribution partner in the US. Their focus on innovative products makes them a great partner.”
Co-founded in 2014 by Eran Baniel and Avraham Baniel, Incredo uses silica as a tasteless, odorless and calorie-free carrier for sugar molecules. The sucrose molecules surround and coat the silica particle to form structures that human taste receptors perceive to be sweeter than a comparable amount of sugar in free unassociated form, enabling sugar reductions of 30-70%.
It has since developed a new formulation—Incredo Sugar G2—which uses dairy or plant-based protein as a carrier, the firm told AgFunderNews. “Both products enable a sugar reduction of up to 70% while maintaining a clean-label profile.”
Incredo Sugar with the silica carrier can be listed simply as ‘sugar’ on the ingredients list in most jurisdictions as the silica serves as an incidental additive and does not have to be included on product labels. Incredo Sugar G2 is labeled as sugar and protein.
‘Some of the world’s most iconic food brands are developing products using Incredo Sugar’
As sugar is water soluble, Incredo’s structure breaks down in beverages or applications with high water activity. However, it retains its structure and works well in lower-moisture applications, says the firm.
“Some of the world’s most iconic food brands are developing and testing products using Incredo Sugar. We have 21 products in the marketplace across the US, Europe, and Israel, with full pipelines of development projects in these regions and selected projects in Asia. South America remains an area of future interest. Additionally, we have extended our exclusivity with Blommer Chocolate and expanded our partnership into Canada.”
Incredo Sugar is being utilized across a wide range of products, including gummies, spreads, bakery items, snacks, and various chocolate applications, says the firm. “Notably, sugar-reduced chocolate chips and coatings are part of Blommer Chocolate Company’s innovative Discovery product line. Also, we have seen expanded interest in bakery and breakfast items due to recent school lunch regulation changes. This includes cereal coatings, chocolate inclusions and coatings, bars, and other kid-friendly bakery items.
“There is also significant growth in snack foods, particularly with the rising popularity of sweet, spicy, and salty flavors, such as caramel popcorn, BBQ chips, and more.”
*Silica is a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) food additive that is widely used in the food industry as everything from an anti-caking agent to an emulsifier (currently the FDA permits the use of silicon dioxide at up to 2% by weight of a food).
