Mane licenses AI-designed stevia technology

Mane has secured an exclusive global licence to manufacture and commercialise ViaLeaf Reb M, an enzymatic stevia sweetener technology developed by protein-design company Arzeda.

The agreement gives Mane responsibility for the complete commercial chain, from industrial production to formulation support and market supply. Arzeda will continue to contribute its protein-design expertise, having developed the enzymes used to convert stevia extracts into high-purity rebaudioside M, commonly known as Reb M.

Reb M is one of the steviol glycosides most closely associated with a clean, sugar-like taste, although it occurs naturally in stevia leaves at much lower concentrations than more common fractions such as Reb A. Direct extraction can consequently require large quantities of leaf material, while enzymatic conversion offers a route to produce more Reb M from the same botanical feedstock.

ViaLeaf uses computationally designed enzymes to transform more abundant steviol glycosides into the target molecule. By increasing conversion yield and making better use of the extracted material, the process is intended to improve production economics without abandoning stevia as the underlying raw-material source.

Mane and Arzeda began working together on the technology before expanding their relationship into the new licensing structure. Arzeda brings enzyme engineering and protein design, while Mane contributes manufacturing capacity, sensory assessment, applications development, flavour creation, and access to global food and beverage customers.

The sweetener is approximately 285 times sweeter than sucrose by weight, so only small quantities are required to achieve the desired sweetness intensity. Concentration alone does not determine performance, however, because the onset, peak, duration, and aftertaste of a high-intensity sweetener can become conspicuous once sugar is removed from a formulation.

Stevia systems have historically presented formulators with bitterness, liquorice notes, delayed sweetness, and a lingering finish, particularly at higher replacement levels. Reb M generally produces a more sugar-like sensory profile than earlier steviol glycosides, although finished-product performance still depends on the wider recipe and processing conditions.

Reformulation extends beyond sweetness

Sugar contributes bulk, viscosity, browning, water activity, freezing-point control, preservation, and mouthfeel as well as sweetness. A beverage may need acids, fibres, hydrocolloids, or additional sweeteners to restore body and temporal balance, while bakery, dairy, and confectionery applications can require more extensive changes to solids, structure, and processing.

Mane plans to combine ViaLeaf with its flavour and taste-modulation portfolio, allowing the sweetener to be developed as part of a complete sensory system rather than treated as a direct sucrose substitute. That approach can address bitterness and flavour gaps while rebuilding the rounded sweetness profile associated with sugar.

Manufacturers are already expanding the range of natural reformulation tools used to simplify declarations without sacrificing preservation or sensory performance. Enzymatically produced Reb M adds another option, although any commercial formulation will still need to pass shelf-life, process, sensory, and cost validation.

Production consistency will be central to scale-up. Enzyme performance, feedstock composition, purification, residual compounds, microbiological controls, and final particle characteristics must remain within specification across batches, particularly where customers are replacing an established sweetener in high-volume products.

Cost in use will also determine how widely the technology is adopted. High-intensity sweeteners are used at low inclusion rates, but manufacturers must account for the accompanying bulking agents, flavours, fibres, stabilisers, and process changes required to rebuild the functions previously supplied by sugar.

Regulatory status will vary by territory and production method. Customers will require documentation covering ingredient identity, purity, processing aids, traceability, allergen status, and permitted conditions of use, together with confirmation that the enzymatic route is authorised in each intended market.

The development reflects a broader expansion of precision bioprocessing across the ingredients sector. Computational protein design and engineered enzymes are being used to produce flavours, fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and functional ingredients that are difficult to extract efficiently from conventional agricultural sources.

Agricultural exposure is reduced rather than removed. Stevia cultivation, extraction yields, crop quality, energy, water, and transport remain part of the chain, but higher conversion efficiency can reduce the quantity of leaf material required for each kilogram of finished Reb M.

That efficiency becomes more valuable as sugar-reduction programmes spread beyond premium products and into mainstream ranges, where manufacturers have less room to absorb higher ingredient or processing costs. A technically effective sweetener must therefore deliver a stable sensory result at a price compatible with existing retail architecture.

Mane will now move ViaLeaf from a development partnership into wider industrial production, supported by its network of manufacturing and research sites. The technology’s prospects will rest on repeatable output, regulatory acceptance, and its performance in finished foods rather than the computational method used to design the enzymes.

If those requirements are met, the licence could improve access to a stevia fraction that has traditionally been constrained by its low natural abundance, giving manufacturers greater flexibility as sugar reduction becomes a more demanding formulation and production exercise.