Phynova is a UK SME applying cutting-edge technology to develop functional food ingredients using medicinal plants. Phynova has developed Reducose, a water extract of white mulberry leaves, which blocks alpha-glucosidase in the small intestine, allowing carbohydrates to pass through undigested. Clinical trials have proven that Reducose lowers blood glucose (BG) after eating foods containing sugars and other carbohydrates, without side-effects. Reducose lowers the glycaemic index (GI) of sugar, starch, and bread to low GI levels (i.e. <55). The challenge in this project is to reformulate Reducose into "ReducosePlus" so it can be incorporated straight into food manufacturers' product lines (bread, pasta, ready meals, convenience foods) without affecting the flavour, physical properties of the food, including the overall weight (active dose 250mg). ReducosePlus has the potential to transform the food industry's response to the carbohydrate problem, and significantly improve the ability of manufacturers to offer low GI foods/meals as it removes the need for extensive reformulation involved in reducing carbohydrate content.

IminoNorm™, Phynova's lead candidate product, is a novel, proprietary functional food ingredient developed to help consumers to maintain normal blood sugar levels. The product is intended for use in medical foods, food and drinks and other nutritional products to reduce post-prandial blood sugar levels and lower the effective glycaemic index of foods. The proposed project will enable Phynova to capture a greater share of the product’s value chain, increase UK R&D investment & open up global commercial markets.

The project combines the expertise of 4 UK partners to characterise, formulate & develop a UK supply chain for IminoNorm™, a proprietary natural ingredient that, when incorporated into foods & beverages, can address diet-related health conditions such as diabetes and obesity. IminoNorm™ is derived from mulberry leaves which have a strong traditional history of use, particularly in South East Asia (SEA), for blood sugar management. The project will enable the partners to capture a greater share of the product’s value chain, increase UK R&D investment & open up global commercial markets.