Member Article

University of Nottingham awarded for low salt technology

A healthy and innovative low salt ingredient developed by the University of Nottingham has won a prestigious international award, which heralds the product’s salt reducing technology.

Food company Tate & Lyle were responsible for marketing the SODA-LO™ Salt Microspheres ingredient, which won the “Most Innovative Health Ingredient of the Year” in Frankfurt at the NuW Excellence Awards 2012.

The University of Nottingham developed the technology which changes standard salt crystals into free-flowing crystalline microspheres, which provide a salty taste by maximising the surface area of the crystal relative to volume, but are smaller,and have a lower density.

Salt content in food is reduced as a result of the University’s research into SODA-LO™, which Tate & Lyle agreed to commercialise after it signed a contract with Nottingham’s business, Eminate.

Eminate works with the University’s Technology Transfer Office to use academic’s research to create commercial products and services.

The deal with Tate & Lyle included the manufacturing, product development, sale and marketing of the product for it to be brought up as viable product for the market.

David Park, Managing Director of Eminate, said: “It is great news that Tate and Lyle have won this international award for SODA-LO™.

“When we created SODA-LO™, we always knew that it had huge potential across the food sector. Food manufacturers are queuing up to use SODA-LO™ to reduce the salt content in food products, helping to improve the health of consumers around the world.”

Salt levels in food such as bread, cheese, pastry and pie fillings can be reduced by up to 30% by the product without loss of flavour, while levels in salty snacks like crisps and baked goods can be lowered from between 25 to 50%.

Susan Huxtable, Director of Technology Transfer at The University of Nottingham, said: “The success of SODA-LO™ is a great example of ways that businesses can benefit from licensing and commercialising University technologies.

“We have a large portfolio of technologies at The University of Nottingham,developing a diverse range of innovations in areas ranging from nano-particles to drug delivery, sustainable construction to food flavouring and more.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .