30 July, 2008 - Senomyx announced it has started development activities for a new sugar enhancer that allows for a reduction in the presence of sucrose by up to 50% while maintaining the flavour of natural sugar, said the company.
The California-based flavour firm, which develops novel flavour ingredients for the food and beverage sectors, said it had already carried out tests of the sucrose enhancer S6973 in prototype products.
Kent Snyder, Senomyx President, Chair of the Board and CEO, said: "Senomyx believes that S6973 has the potential to be used to enhance the sweet taste of sucrose in numerous food and beverage products.
"The discovery of S6973 is a major scientific accomplishment and represents a significant commercial opportunity for Senomyx. Flavour ingredients that enable a meaningful reduction in sucrose without compromising taste would provide consumers with new choices for products with lower calories and therefore improved nutritional profiles."
The company claimed that unlike some alternatives to sugar, S6973 had a neutral taste.
"Taste tests conducted by Senomyx have shown that S6973 enhanced the sweet taste of yogurt, cereal, and cookie prototypes, as well as powdered and other beverages," said John Poyhonen, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial and Business Officer.
He added the company also planned to test its enhancer in ice-cream, other dairy products, sauces, topping s and baked goods."
A company statement said: “The development phase includes scale-up activities and safety studies to support regulatory filings for S6973 in the U.S. and elsewhere.”
Senomyx is also developing a sweetener enhancer, S2383, which it claims enables a 75% reduction of sucralose. The company expects the product to receive a Generally Recognised as Safe regulatory status by the end of the year.
Mark Zoller, Ph.D., Senomyx's Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of Discovery and Development, said: "We are excited to have achieved such important breakthroughs in our Sweet Enhancer Program. Reducing sugar consumption is a priority for consumers who have dietary concerns, particularly those related to obesity and diabetes.”