IRELAND – Kerry has launched a non-GMO yeast solution which it says has the ability to reduce acrylamide levels in various food and beverage applications by 90%.

The yeast, which is also a clean-label solution is called Acryleast, and has been developed and introduced by Kerry in partnership with Renaissance BioScience, a developer of proprietary yeast-based technology solutions.

Kerry said the product will focus its initial application in baked goods but this will be expanded in other applications including in biscuits, crackers, French fries, potato crisps, coffee and infant food.

Acryleast is a rich in asparaginase enzyme that is critical in reducing levels of acrylamide, related to carcinogenic effects.

“Across our entire taste and nutrition portfolio, we are keen to ensure that the functionality of our ingredients is reliable and consistent.

On this basis, we repeatedly tested Acryleast’s effectiveness in reducing acrylamide levels across a range of biscuit and cracker applications,” said Matthew May, Kerry’s bakery lead for Europe and Russia.

“This involved testing in both our own laboratories and in scaled-up plant trials, where reductions of greater than 90% were achieved.

Importantly, these trials also demonstrated no impact on taste or texture, confirming that Acryleast is a very effective and versatile solution for acrylamide reduction, that requires no or minimal changes to existing manufacturing processes.”

Kerry is responding to growing concerns about the health impacts of acrylamide, which the National Toxicology Program’s Report considers to be reasonably anticipated human carcinogen, based on studies in laboratory animals.

This has been introduced barely two months after Kerry agreed to supply Renaissance’s acrylamide-reducing yeast technology.

“For customers looking for peace of mind and a more natural, non-GMO, sustainable solution to a naturally occurring problem, Acryleast is the perfect natural and clean-label solution.

Couple this with Kerry’s global scale and unmatched taste, applications and sensory expertise, and you have the recipe for long-term success,” said Dr Cormac O’Cleirigh, chief business development officer at Renaissance BioScience.

Kerry is rolling out Acryleast globally, with exception of 11 markets where Orkla Food Ingredients has a license agreement with Renaissance BioScience Corp to promote its own acrylamide-reducing yeast enzyme.