Fugeia and Nestlé to Collaborate on Brana Vita[TM Soluble Fiber From Wheat Bran

LEUVEN, Belgium, November 8, 2011 -

FUGEIA today announced that it has engaged in a collaboration with Nestlé on the development of food products containing Brana Vita^[TM].

Brana Vita^[TM] is a food ingredient product rich in arabinoxylan oligosaccharides (AXOS), soluble fibers derived from the cell walls of wheat bran. The AXOS in Brana Vita^[TM] are potent prebiotics, stimulating the growth of beneficial colon bacteria such as bifidobacteria. They also exert strong antioxidant activity due to the presence of AXOS-bound polyphenols.

The ingredient recently won novel food approval in the European Union and obtained GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status in the USA.

“We are excited to work together with a world leading nutrition company,” says Willem Broekaert, Managing Director and co-founder of Fugeia. “This collaboration first of all aims to strengthen scientific evidence for the benefits of Brana Vita^[TM]. With our combined capabilities I am confident that we will develop novel applications addressing well defined nutritional requirements, based on the newest scientific insights.”

Financial and other terms of the collaboration are not disclosed.

About Fugeia (www.fugeia.com)

FUGEIA develops proprietary ingredients and processes for innovative value-added foods with health benefits. The Company was founded early 2008 in Leuven (Belgium) as a spin-off from the University of Leuven and KaHo University College. The Company’s international investor consortium includes Tate & Lyle Ventures, Agri Investment Fund, Gemma Frisius Fund, KBC and BNP-Paribas-Fortis.                                                                                  

For further information, please contact: Willem Broekaert
FUGEIA NV, Gaston Geenslaan 1, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium, Tel.: +32-16-751375, Fax: +32-16-751378, E-mail: info at fugeia.com