Amai Proteins has been awarded several regulatory approvals for its calorie-free sweet protein, sweelin. These include self-affirmed GRAS (generally regarded as safe) and FEMA-GRAS (Flavour & Extract Manufacturers Association).
sweelin is a 100% sweet protein that reduces sugar content by 40-70% without compromising on taste, health, and sustainability. A serendipity berry sweet protein, sweelin is an affordable, stable, consumer- and planet-friendly sweetener.
The aforementioned approvals will enable sweelin to be used as a safe ingredient and flavour in the US and beyond in applications ranging from food and beverages to dietary supplements. Amai is working towards obtaining additional regulatory clearances around the world including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified GRAS status.
Dr Ilan Samish, CEO and founder of Amai, said: “Amai, ‘sweet’ in Japanese, addresses the challenge of making a global impact on the health of our people and the health of our planet. What sets sweelin apart from other sugar reduction agents is its clean taste, unique stability, sensory profile, safety profile, biomanufacturing process and affordability.”
“sweelin, just like any protein, is readily digestible to amino acids, the building blocks of all proteins. The most sweet and stable protein in the world is inspired by proteins that reside in harsh conditions (eg, the Dead Sea, hot springs, acidic swamps) and are thus fit for the requirements of the mass market. These include soft drinks, juices, dairy, alternative dairy products, sauces, spreads, snacks, ketchup, chocolate, peanut butter, energy bars, chewing gums, functional foods, dietary supplement formats such as gummies, shots, powders and more.
“sweelin is also a product of Amai’s Pro3 Platform: Pro-Design AI-CPD (computational protein design), Pro-Planet microbial precision fermentation, and Pro-Taste food technology. We congratulate David Baker who just won a Nobel Prize for computational protein design. Biomanufacturing by a protein brewery, akin to the method used for beer production, ensures consistent, scalable, and sustainable production.
“Amai has since won numerous competitions including Extreme Tech Challenge, the world’s largest startup competition where 2,000 startups are judged for market disruption, impact, and team. Indeed, numerous food and beverage multinationals who evaluated sweelin via fee-bearing collaborations, were all amazed by its’ performance.”
Rick Greubel, chairman of Amai’s board of directors, added: “Achieving these regulatory milestones brings us closer to commercialisation. Historically, the ingredient industry has struggled to meet the demand for healthy sweetness. sweelin is about to disrupt this industry.”
With these milestones achieved, Amai is eager to collaborate with food, beverage, and dietary supplement manufacturers to co-create a healthy and sustainable future for consumers and the planet.
