MicroLub: Yorkshire food firm with calorie-cutting technology gets £3.5m investment as 'huge opportunity' looms

A food technology company in Yorkshire researching ways to cut calories in food while retaining taste is receiving a £3.5m seed round fund investment.

University of Leeds spinout MicroLub develops innovative process technologies to engineer food molecules at a microscopic level to improve their lubrication.

New financial support for the firm’s efforts has now been announced by investment company Northern Gritstone and co-investors LIFTT and NPIF II – Praetura Equity Finance, which is managed by Praetura Ventures as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II. The investment will allow the company to develop commercial partnerships and expand its team.

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A spokesperson said: “Fats and oils make foods texturally appealing and tastier by adding ‘lubricity’ and a ‘creamy’ mouthfeel. However, they also increase calorie content.

The MicroLub team. Picture: Heather MagnerThe MicroLub team. Picture: Heather Magner
The MicroLub team. Picture: Heather Magner

"The spinout’s technology adds lubrication to foods without losing mouthfeel through unique ‘scaffolds’, made of protein and water and coated by polysaccharides.”

It is hoped the technology will also assist sustainability goals by improving the taste of plant-based foods.

Duncan Johnson, CEO of Northern Gritstone, said: “Obesity is a challenge in many countries reducing the quality of life of an individual and often shortening it. MicroLub shows that innovation coming out of the University of Leeds has the potential to help solve these global challenges.”

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Professor Anwesha Sarkar, Founder of MicroLub, said: “When we discovered the technology and tested lubricity, we knew it had many potential applications, which we can now explore with this investment led by Northern Gritstone.”

David Peters, CEO of MicroLub said “There is a huge market opportunity in food for MicroLub. We already have strong traction with ingredients giants and some of the largest food and dairy companies, who are looking for innovative ways to make their products healthier, more nutritious and more sustainable. I am very excited at the journey ahead with our customers.”

Professor Nick Plant, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation at the University of Leeds, said: “This groundbreaking research is addressing a major global challenge while placing the UK at the forefront of the quest to reduce health inequalities. We are proud of our track record of transforming academic research into commercial success.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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