UK-based deeptech foodtech company MicroLub has secured £7 million in a funding round, including a £4 million investment from Northern Gritstone, with participation from its existing investors, including NPIF II – PXN Equity Finance, managed by PXN Ventures.
- Founded in 2023 by Professor Anwesha Sarkar and led by CEO David Peters, MicroLub develops protein-based ingredients that help food manufacturers reduce fat and calorie content while maintaining taste, texture, and mouthfeel.
- Its technology uses water-based protein structures coated with polysaccharides to replicate the lubricating properties of fat. According to MicroLub, the approach can reduce fat and calorie content by up to 75%, while also increasing protein content and reducing the need for emulsifiers and thickeners.
- The company has progressed from laboratory research to industrial-scale manufacturing and is working with food and ingredient companies to test its technology across different applications. MicroLub operates a food innovation laboratory at Nexus in Leeds and continues to collaborate with the University of Leeds.
Details of the deal
- With the fresh capital, MicroLub plans to expand its team, enter the US and Asian markets, convert customer trials into commercial agreements, and further develop its proprietary technology.
- The funding will support the company as it moves from industrial-scale testing toward wider commercial adoption of its fat-reduction technology.
