Tate & Lyle has signed an agreement with Nandi Proteins, a spin-out of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, to develop an early-stage protein ingredient technology for use in the food texturants space.
The agreement grants Tate & Lyle an exclusive worldwide licence for the technology for food and beverage use while Nandi Proteins Ltd retains the rights to develop the technology for other applications such as pharmaceutical. Tate & Lyle will be responsible for developing and in due course commercialising the technology including its manufacturing, applications development, sales and marketing.
Tate & Lyle’s partnership with Nandi Proteins was delivered through its Open Innovation team which is part of its Innovation and Commercial Development group. Tate & Lyle’s Open Innovation team leverages its global network to develop partnerships with universities, research institutes and start-ups specialising in food science with the aim of commercialising their technologies and bringing new products to market.
“We look forward to further developing Nandi’s food ingredient technology which has the potential to be an excellent addition to our texturants offering,” said John Stewart, Open Innovation Manager at Tate & Lyle. “This agreement represents another example of Tate & Lyle’s Open Innovation team successfully developing strong, mutually beneficial partnerships with early-stage companies.”
“Our agreement with Tate & Lyle is a powerful validation of Nandi’s approach of developing partnerships with major food industry players,” said Mike Brennand, Executive Chairman of Nandi Proteins. “Tate & Lyle’s technical resources and global customer reach combined with our technology make this a ‘win-win’ partnership and we look forward to a long and successful partnership in the years to come”.
