Fermi develops precision fermentation technology to solve the health problems facing our communities.
Discover sweet proteinFermi Life Science is a Vietnamese biotechnology company specialising in precision fermentation. We believe people should not have to choose between the taste they love and their health — so we make thaumatin, a protein that tastes sweet with no sugar and no calories.
Reference figures from Vietnam's Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization.
Milk tea, soft drinks, sweetened coffee — sugary drinks have become a daily habit, especially among young people. Vietnamese consumers now eat considerably more free sugar than the WHO recommends, and overweight, obesity, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases are appearing at ever younger ages.
From 2027, Vietnam will levy an 8% special consumption tax on soft drinks containing more than 5 g of sugar per 100 ml, rising to 10% in 2028. It is a step in the right direction. But when a 10,000-dong drink costs only about 1,000 dong more, habits are unlikely to change — the WHO recommends a price increase of at least 20% for a meaningful effect.
Consumers do not want to give up sweetness, and they are increasingly wary of artificial sweeteners. Rather than simply making sugary drinks more expensive, Fermi uses precision fermentation to make sweet protein — so manufacturers can cut sugar while keeping great taste and a clean label.
DiscoverThaumatin is a small protein of 207 amino acids that binds to the sweet taste receptor at extremely low concentrations. It is digested like any other dietary protein, has no meaningful effect on blood glucose at use levels, and is approved as a sweetener and flavour modifier (E 957) in many markets worldwide.
High-purity thaumatin for sugar reduction in beverages, dairy and confectionery.
Sub-sweet dosing that masks bitterness and off-notes from plant proteins, vitamins and actives.
Tailor-made sweetening systems co-developed with your R&D team for your matrix.
We teach microorganisms to produce the very same thaumatin protein found in the katemfe fruit. Like brewing — but instead of beer, the result is one of the sweetest substances known.
We take the “blueprint” for thaumatin — the gene that encodes the protein in the katemfe fruit — optimise it and introduce it into a safe, food-grade microorganism. From then on, the microbe knows how to make thaumatin by itself.
The strain is grown in closed stainless-steel fermenters, much like brewing beer. Fed with sugar and minerals, the microbes multiply quickly and continuously secrete thaumatin into the broth over several days.
After fermentation, all microbial cells are removed by centrifugation and filtration. The thaumatin-rich liquid then passes through membrane filters that concentrate it and remove impurities, leaving only pure sweet protein.
The protein solution is dried into a fine, off-white powder. Every lot is tested for purity, sweetness and food safety before it is packed and shipped to manufacturers.
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