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Tate & Lyle has expanded its collaboration with food-tech company BioHarvest Sciences, broadening the scope of their project to include multiple plant-based sweetener molecules.

Building on the initial agreement signed in 2024, the expanded collaboration reflects the two companies’ technical progress so far. It aligns with Tate & Lyle’s ambition to provide F&B manufacturers with a flexible range of sweetener solutions that can be tailored to different formulation needs.

Tate & Lyle’s approach focuses on developing sweetener solutions that can be used independently or together, aiming to enable product-specific optimisation that allows customers to met goals around sugar and calorie reduction, clean labelling and cost efficiency.

The partnership draws on BioHarvest’s Botanical Synthesis platform. This technology supports the development of plant-based, non-GMO ingredients, reducing the industry’s reliance on traditional agricultural extraction for rare or hard-to-source botanicals.

A 2025 study from Tate & Lyle across seven global markets found that over half of respondents planned to reduce their sugar consumption in the following 12 months, with strong consumer interest in sweeteners derived from fruit and plants. Additionally, the intent to reduce sugar was shown to be greater than intent to reduce calories and fat.

Victoria Spadaro-Grant, chief science and innovation officer at Tate & Lyle, said: “As we define what customers ultimately look for in next generation sweeteners – sugar-like taste, solutions anchored in nature, reduced calories and responsible use of resources – it is clear that several unmet needs in the market today are unlikely to be addressed with a single sweetener”.

She explained that the expanded collaboration with BioHarvest provides “critical” flexibility, adding: “This programme strengthens our innovation pipeline in a disciplined and efficient way, and reinforces our commitment to advancing the future of sweetness through differentiated, science-led solutions.”