Better Juice has announced a collaboration with GEA Group to scale up and expand. 

Better Juice and GEA have agreed to collaboratively construct and install the company’s sugar reduction technology to reduce all types of sugars in orange juice and market the system globally. 

Under the partnership GEA will engineer, design, manufacture, and install the bioreactor that reduces sugars via Better Juice’s proprietary enzymatic process. Better Juice will produce the immobilised microorganisms for the enzymatic process. 

The startup’s enzymatic technology uses all-natural ingredients to convert fructose, glucose, and sucrose into prebiotic dietary fibres and other non-digestible molecules. It can reportedly reduce up to 80% of sugars in orange juice. The non-GMO technology is designed to target the specific sugar composition in orange juice to naturally create a low-calorie, reduced-sugar product with a ‘delicate sweetness’, the company says, without sweeteners or other additives used to replac the sugars. 

“This exciting collaboration marks a major milestone in Better Juice’s scale-up plans and advances the commercialization of our technology,” said Eran Blachinsky, founder and CEO of Better Juice. “GEA possesses a sterling reputation in the field of process technology and will be a strong engineering partner. This collaboration will allow for smooth integration of our enzymatic technology into juice production companies seeking to meet the sugar-reduction trend. It will undoubtedly open doors for us and accelerate sales growth internationally”. 

“GEA is constantly seeking to work with companies developing innovative solutions and cutting-edge, sustainable technologies that benefit consumers’ nutrition and lifestyles,” said Colm O’Gorman, Head of Sales Management for GEA’s Global Technology Center for Non-Alcoholic Beverages. “Better Juice is an excellent fit, and we are eager to help them develop the market for sugar-reduced juices." 

GEA will design three instruments with small, medium, large production capacities within several months to address various requirements of juice companies. The 200 L device will launch within a few months. Each device will be customised to the manufacturer’s needs and limitations, with Better Juice & GEA providing full-service support.