JK Sucralose to invest US$30 million in ‘Half Sugar’ Project in China

China-based sucralose manufacturer, JK Sucralose is investing Rmb 200 million (US$30 million) in a research institute cum factory for its half-sugar project, which will be completed by the 2nd half of 2020.
Half-sugar is a combination of sucralose and white sugar, that is 5 times sweeter than sugar. The investment will focus on research, formulation and increasing production.
JK Sucralose also hopes that this project can meet the goal of government-backed ‘Healthy China 2030 Initiative’ which aims to cut sugar consumption among Chinese so as to reduce the growing occurences of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity in the country.
Currently, the company’s sucralose production capacity is at 1,000 tonnes per year, however with the new factory, its capacity will grow to 4,000 tonnes. The first ‘half-sugar’ product is expected to be released by the 2nd half of 2020. According to Alex An, CEO and Founder of JK Sucralose, there are many low-calorie sweetener products in the market however most of them contain artificial or natural non-sugar sweetener, combined with the likes of dextrose and maltodextrin. At present, there is no product yet that contains a combination of sucralose and sugar.
Alex is confident that the half-sugar product will impart a better taste and mouth-feel compared to other sweetener products. It will also come with varying sweetness levels and can be used in beverages, cooking and baking. China’s per capita consumption of sugar stands at 1.3kg, much lower than world average, however sugar has been widely applied in Chinese cuisines, desserts and baked products, particularly in southern part of China.