Cargill buys dietary fibre technology from KU Leuven spin-off company Fugeia

Cargill’s starches and sweeteners business has completed the purchase of technology and corresponding intellectual property for the extraction and purification of the dietary fibre and antioxidant source of wheat bran from the innovative health and nutrition company FUGEIA. With the agreement, signed on Friday 22 February, FUGEIA‘s proprietary products, permits and technologies become an integral part of Cargill's starches and sweeteners business in Europe.

FUGEIA, a spin-off from the University of Leuven, is an innovation-driven company active in the field of health and nutrition with a focus on digestive health. It has developed a proprietary method for extraction and purification of the fibre and antioxidant source of wheat bran. The resulting product is a neutral smooth tasting product consisting of arabinoxylan-oligosaccharides (AXOS). AXOS is highly soluble in water and can be mixed in any food or beverage product, including dairy and non-dairy beverages, ready-to-eat cereals, cookies and biscuits, bread and pastry, as well as dietary supplements and therapeutics, so delivering the health benefit potential of wheat bran across a range of products.

The acquisition is a natural extension of Cargill’s starches and sweeteners’ strategy to continuously explore new markets and technologies in order to develop the full potential of its products. In addition to starch and starch derivates, Cargill produces a wide range of vegetable proteins and fibres for applications in both the food and the feed industry. “This is a very important acquisition for our starches and sweeteners business.  We believe this technology will become a new product line for developing sustainable solutions that create value for our customers and consumers," says Kathy Fortmann, head of Cargill's starches and sweeteners business in Europe.

Willem Broekaert, co-founder and managing director of Fugeia, commented on the acquisition: “It is very rewarding to see that this technology is now well on its way to reaching the market. We are very pleased that Cargill, a global well-trusted producer and marketer of food ingredients, has recognized the potential of AXOS as an innovative food and feed ingredient. With its global R&D, production, sales, and marketing capabilities, Cargill is very well placed to make AXOS a success.”