FERMENTED INGREDIENTS


one of the category’s most persistent formulation challenges: sugar reduction. Launched commercially in the US in


2026, Zukora™ is derived from the honey truffle and produced at scale through fermentation. MycoTechnology positions it as a sweetening ingredient capable of delivering a clean sweetness profile with fewer of the bitter, metallic or lingering notes that can complicate the use of high- intensity sweeteners. In July 2026, the company announced global collaboration


a with Adorvia


Biotechnology to combine Zukora™ with Reb M stevia. The aim is to create a sweetener system that more closely follows the sweetness profile of sugar while reducing calories and addressing some of the sensory shortcomings associated with conventional high-intensity sweeteners. Removing sugar changes bulk, texture, mouthfeel and flavour as well as sweetness. A fermentation-derived ingredient that can improve taste while working alongside other sweeteners therefore has a potentially broader role than simply replacing sucrose. That application illustrates another


direction in which fermentation could influence confectionery. Rather


than


replacing a headline ingredient, it can be used to solve the less visible problems that emerge when formulations are changed –


bitterness, astringency, off-notes,


mouthfeel or an uneven sweetness profile. There is a useful distinction between this approach and the cocoa-alternative technologies being developed elsewhere. The objective can be fermentation being used to modify the performance of an ingredient system. That could prove important as confectionery formulators attempt to navigate several competing demands at once: less sugar, simpler ingredient decks,


cleaner flavour,


nutritional positioning and, ultimately, products that still deliver the sensory experience consumers expect. Fermentation may not solve all of those


problems by itself. But it offers something conventional ingredient processing often cannot: the ability to create new functionality


through the biological transformation of a raw material.


The circular argument The sustainability case for fermentation is becoming increasingly intertwined with its commercial proposition. For Fermtech, the starting point is the part of the cocoa plant that has historically received far less attention than the bean. Cocoa shells are a side stream; fermentation turns them into a higher-value ingredient. The same principle is being explored


18 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • JULY 2026


across other crops. Fermtech says its wider platform is designed to work with agricultural side streams including oats and wheat, reflecting a broader movement towards extracting greater functional value from crops without simply increasing the amount of land required to grow them. The sustainability conversation in food has often centred on producing


THIS IS OUR NEXT


STEP TO BUILDING A MANUFACTURING AND


SUPPLY CHAIN FOR COCOA AND BAKING INGREDIENTS THAT IS MORE RESILIENT, SECURE, AND LOWER CARBON


more efficiently, but there is another route to improving resource efficiency: making more from what has already been produced. Fermentation potentially provides the biological mechanism for doing so. There is a compelling symmetry in the


cocoa story. The industry is looking for ways to reduce its exposure to a crop whose supply is increasingly vulnerable, while simultaneously being asked to reduce waste and improve the environmental performance of its products. A technology that can take a low-value cocoa side stream and turn it into a functional confectionery ingredient addresses both issues at once. Fermtech’s £2.5 million funding round therefore as much an indication of


is


where the industry may be heading as it is a financing story. The company is using the investment to scale Koji Cocoa™ production in the UK and internationally, while building a broader platform around fermentation. That is the point at which many food


technologies either become meaningful to manufacturers or remain interesting laboratory propositions. The ingredient has to be consistent. It has to perform under industrial conditions. It has to fit existing


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