Amyris, Ingredion’s RealSweet joint venture draws to a close

BRAZIL – Amyris and Ingredion have ended their RealSweet joint venture, with Amyris acquiring Ingredion’s 31% stake and assuming full ownership of the precision fermentation facility in Barra Bonita, Brazil, which is focused on stevia-derived sweeteners.

Amyris, Inc., is a vertically integrated synthetic biology company and innovator in the field of industrial biotechnology, and Ingredion Incorporated is a global provider of ingredient solutions to the food manufacturing industry. 

As part of the agreement, Amyris will take full ownership of the Precision Fermentation Plant, while Ingredion will exclusively utilize Amyris’ technology to manufacture and commercialize fermented Reb M, a high-purity stevia sweetener. This sets the foundation for commercial success and future collaboration between the companies.

Following the approval and funding of the company’s 2030 strategic plan, Amyris is completing construction of the fourth independent precision fermentation line at the Barra Bonita plant. 

This line, which will be operational in early 2026, will further increase capacity and flexibility for producing specialty ingredients.

“Resuming full ownership and control of our state-of-the-art precision fermentation facility in Barra Bonita is an important milestone that will enable us to optimize our manufacturing portfolio to drive profitability and serve our customers most effectively,” said Kathy Fortmann, Amyris’ Chief Executive Officer. 

“We are also delighted to announce our additional investment in capacity at Barra Bonita, which will maximize flexibility of our plant and accelerate development and commercialization of innovative and sustainable products,” Kathy added.

With over two decades of experience, Amyris collaborates with companies to co-create innovative ingredients at unprecedented speed and scale. This enables partners to deliver products with differentiated performance that meet sustainability and economic objectives.

Ingredion’s exclusive access to Amyris’ fermented Reb M technology will have Amyris earning royalties on Ingredion’s future sales of the sweetener.

“With exclusive access to Amyris’ fermented Reb M technology, we are excited about meeting the growing global demand for our comprehensive Stevia portfolio, what we call the ‘perfectly sweet trifecta’ of extracted, bioconverted and fermented Reb M,” commented Jim Zallie, Ingredion’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

With 2024 annual net sales of approximately US$7.4 billion, Ingredion turns grains, fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based materials into value-added ingredient solutions for the food, beverage, animal nutrition, brewing and industrial markets. 

“This trifecta enables us to provide nature-based, clean-label sugar-reduction solutions meeting the needs of all our customers. We look forward to continuing to grow the market for fermented RebM,” added Nate Yates, Vice President and General Manager of Sugar Reduction and Fiber Fortification at Ingredion.

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