The market
The global market for intense synthetic sweeteners reached $2 billion in 2010. Artificial sweeteners mimic the taste of natural sugar without the calories. The market is expected to grow by more than 8% annually. The first synthetic sweetener was saccharin, discovered by accident more than 140 years ago. It can be 500 times sweeter than sucrose. Aspartame—200 times sweeter—was discovered in 1965, then acquired by Monsanto, approved by the FDA in 1980, and reached global sales of over $1 billion by the beginning of the century. Consumers clearly prefer natural alternatives like stevia, agave, and sugar alcohols to synthetic alcohols as a way to enjoy sweetness while avoiding excessive calories and reducing the risk of tooth decay.
By 2015, natural sweeteners are expected to equal or surpass global sales of intense synthetic sweeteners. The market for stevia-derived sweeteners manufactured by Cargill, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo already represented 14% of the global market in 2010, compared to just 1% in 2007. Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved stevia, its sales volume has increased from $21 million in 2008 to $2 billion in 2011. In four years (2004-2008), some 2,000 new stevia-based products were launched worldwide. The EU's approval of stevia-based sweeteners in April 2010 will lead to double-digit sales growth starting in 2011.
Innovation
The search for ever sweeter sweeteners continues. Sucralose, a chlorine-modified sugar molecule produced by Tate & Lyle and marketed under the Splenda brand, is 600 times sweeter than sugar. Alitame and neotame are respectively 2,000 and 8,000 times sweeter than sucrose. Unfortunately, although the effects on taste and absorption in the body have been studied in detail, the long-term effects of these sugar alternatives on the surface tension of gastric acid in the stomach are poorly understood and require further research. Reduced gastric acid tension allows undigested food and bacteria to pass through the stomach wall into the bloodstream by circulating semi-digested proteins and acidophilic bacteria across the natural barriers. The search for natural alternatives continues, including lua han guo fruit extract from southern China, produced by Saraya Co. of Osaka, Japan. The main challenge for all types of alternatives to traditional cane or beet sugar remains cost and taste. Perhaps the greatest challenge is identifying the multiple functions of sugars. Kazuhiko Maruta, working for Hayashibara, a family-owned company in Japan, studied the resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides), a plant named for its ability to recover from death. Under drought conditions, the plant dries out to form a brown mass of biomass. He knew that this plant survives thanks to trehalose, a type of sugar that ensures its survival under stress. This sugar is not about sweetness; rather, its function is to retain moisture and protect proteins from damage. Trehalose has excellent commercial potential as a food additive beyond just sweetening. It maintains freshness, stops discoloration, prevents moisture absorption, and even preserves the shape and taste of frozen foods. All of this was well known to scientists. The problem was the cost. However, Kazuhiko discovered how to mass-produce trehalose from starch, using only enzymes from natural microorganisms. This new process reduced production costs by a factor of 100 and led to exponential sales growth, reaching approximately 30,000 tons in 2010, sold under the Treha© brand. This innovative sugar has evolved into a platform technology with applications beyond the food industry. In addition to its food preservation capabilities, it can prevent dehydration and protect skin and hair—a key factor for success in the cosmetics industry. It even keeps organs fresh for transplantation, thus becoming a critical additive contributing to the success of medical care. One day, it could lead to the manufacture of vaccines without the need for refrigeration. This multifunctionality of trehalose makes it an ideal innovation, generating multiple cash flows far beyond what we have associated with sugars over the centuries.
The first cash flow
Because the industry was well aware of the potential, and Kazuhiko took on the manufacturing challenge, the breakthrough in supply triggered strong demand. The innovative production method for trehalose was first discovered in 1994, and just 15 years later, it was already found in 20,000 products manufactured by 7,000 companies. Hayashibara, the family business specializing in starch-based products, was already a pioneer in low-calorie sugars (1968) and edible starch-based plastics (1973). Trehalose propelled the company to the forefront of biotechnology, demonstrating once again that innovations penetrating multiple industries offer unique opportunities to set new standards. The fact that both the product and the process are inspired by a natural system adds to the wonder of this design.
The opportunity
The life force of the fern is the basis for a whole range of functional foods. Tests on mice suggest that one day, people who rely on a high-fat diet and drink water containing 2.5% trehalose will have better health indicators than those who drink any other sugar. Trehalose inhibits the growth of fat cells. More importantly, it regulates the body's production and potency of insulin. The combination of obesity, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. With approximately 150 million people worldwide suffering from a combination of these two debilitating and deadly conditions, this sugar could offer a way to control this global health threat by preparing functional drinks and foods. And one day, it is hoped that Kazuhiko's pioneering work will lead to vaccines being brought to market without the need for refrigeration (see case 17). This would contribute enormously, not only to the health and human development agenda, but also to reducing our excessive dependence on energy, particularly fossil fuels, for a wide range of applications, starting with vaccines, but also the growing trend of freezing food as a means of preservation. These multiple advantages make it an ideal innovation for achieving the blue economy.
