Category: Press Releases

100,000 times sweeter than table sugar

Bedford, Mass., March 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Food and beverages brands get two more tools for their sugar reduction toolkits as Conagen announced the successful scale-up production of two new high-intensity sweeteners, thaumatin I and thaumatin II. The development will expand commercial partner Sweegen’s robust sugar reduction solutions of zero-sugar natural sweeteners.

Thaumatin is a group of proteins found in the fruits of the tropical plant Thaumatococcus danielli. Each protein, thaumatin I and thaumatin II, varies slightly in sweetness profiles. Both proteins have been evaluated as 100,000 times sweeter than sugar on a molar basis and 3,000 times sweeter on a weight basis. The high sweetness factor can translate into a strategic cost-effective sugar reduction solution for brands seeking to get the most out of a natural sweetener.

The thaumatin proteins were developed from Conagen’s peptide production platform, which had previously been used for the scaled production of another peptide sweetener, brazzein. “Conagen constantly improves its protein and peptide production platforms to generate more exciting new products,” said Casey Lippmeier, vice president of innovation at Conagen. “In this case, the platform has been leveraged to make thaumatin by several innovative approaches, but under a significantly shorter R&D timeline.”

These two new, high-purity thaumatin proteins add to Sweegen’s creative portfolio of sugar reduction solutions to help brands make low-calorie products. Brands can now explore the synergistic benefits of formulations that contain thaumatin and other products from Sweegen’s Signature Sweetener portfolio, including brazzein and stevia. This diversity of natural, high-intensity sweeteners represents the most cost-effective approach for reducing sugar in food and beverages to deliver the best tasting match for the sweetness of sugar.

The desire for natural sweeteners will drive the demand for fruit and plant-based sweeteners, such as thaumatin and stevia, respectively. The main advantages to sweetening food and beverages with thaumatin are its familiarity and acceptance by consumers and the fact that it is approved for use in products by the majority of the countries in the world.

Health-conscious consumers are generally more accepting of natural sweeteners than sugar and artificial sweeteners. According to FMCG Gurus, Top 10 Future Trends 2030, “60% of global consumers currently believe natural sweeteners are healthier alternatives to sugar.” The trend report further stated, “Increasingly, consumers will want only products that contain real and authentic ingredients, and sweeteners will be no exception to the rule. As such, this will drive demand for sweeteners sourced directly from fruits and plants, something that the industry will respond to.”

Like most other proteins, when thaumatin proteins are consumed, they are digested into amino acids.  However, because thaumatin communicates such a strong sweet taste, the levels used in most applications contribute almost no calories. It is one of the most intense sweeteners ever discovered.

Consumers increasingly expect to stock their pantries with low-to-no sugar products with food and beverages that fit into their lifestyle and diets. Thaumatin can complement a number of consumer lifestyles, such as diabetic, ketogenic, or low-to-no carbohydrate diets. These sweet proteins are low on the glycemic index.

“Thaumatin is the second announced product generated from our peptide platform, which fits well into our existing world-scale, precision fermentation infrastructure.” Lippmeier further added, “Peptides and small proteins like brazzein and thaumatin can be very difficult to make economically; however, now that we have successfully scaled multiple peptides and proteins, we are willing to collaborate with other customers to make other novel peptide products.”

Regulatory approval for thaumatin as natural sweeteners has passed in the European Union (E957), Israel, and Japan. In the United States, it is generally recognized as safe as a flavoring agent (FEMA GRAS 3732).

About Conagen
Conagen is a product-focused, synthetic biology R&D company with large-scale manufacturing service capabilities. Our scientists and engineers use the latest synthetic biology tools to develop high-quality, sustainable, nature-based products by precision fermentation and enzymatic bioconversion. We focus on the bioproduction of high-value ingredients for food, nutrition, flavors and fragrances, pharmaceutical, and renewable materials industries. www.conagen.com

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• Conagen produces two thaumatin protein natural sweeteners at scale 

Ana Arakelian, head of public relations and communications
Conagen
+1.781.271.1588
ana.arakelian@conagen.com

PEB Steel Buildings Co., Ltd

The rebrand supports Pebsteel’s long-term vision during a new development phase

HOCHIMINH CITY, Vietnam, March 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — PEB Steel Buildings Co., Ltd. (Pebsteel), a leading company in the pre-engineering steel construction industry, launches its refreshed brand identity to the market. The rebrand supports Pebsteel’s long-term vision of offering customers innovative, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions during a new development phase.

Construction and industrial sectors are expected to recover strongly after COVID, resulting in enormous demand for pre-engineered steel buildings, steel structures. According to Global Industry Analysts, the world market for pre-engineered steel construction is estimated to grow from $27.1 billion in 2020 to $49.1 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate of 10.1%. Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing market for pre-engineered buildings and steel structures due to rapid industrialization and urbanization in emerging economies.

Additionally, pre-engineered buildings have become increasingly popular in the construction market thanks to their numerous advantages. They are more cost-effective and energy-efficient than conventional construction methods. Warehouses, office complexes, hangars…are among other various applications.

Pebsteel is a long-standing company with a solid record of 6,000 pre-engineered buildings and steel structures in over 50 countries. Pebsteel’s outstanding projects include the highest Unilever factory in Indonesia with a height of 68 meters; the largest clear span of 128 meters for the Lufthansa hangar in the Philippines; and the longest FCB Warehouse building in Thailand with a total length of one kilometer. Pebsteel also broke its own record by building a 14-story office tower in Manila, as well as creating a unique curved corridor for the Okada Manila hotel and resort complex.

Founded in 1994 by Sami Kteily and Adib Kouteli in Europe with Japanese stakeholders (Nippon Steel and Okaya & Co., Ltd), Pebsteel operates in 10 regional sales offices and has the headquarters in Vietnam. Sami Kteily, Executive Chairman of Pebsteel, said: “The rebrand is an important milestone for Pebsteel. After 27 years of development, Pebsteel reaffirmed its leading position as a total solution provider for pre-engineered steel buildings and steel structures. Amidst the ever-evolving fast-paced construction market, Pebsteel has introduced a new brand tagline – ENGINEERED BUILDING SOLUTIONS – to reflect its aspiration of creating effective solutions for a prosperous future. The company has also updated the logo to demonstrate its efforts to evolve and move towards prosperity with its customers, partners, and employees.”

Media contact : marketing@pebsteel.com.vn

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f73e0d2a-94de-4cf7-905f-4097b942c582

iPrice Group Leadership Team

iPrice Group Leadership Team

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — iPrice Group, Southeast Asia’s leading price comparison platform helping online shoppers save money, announced today that it has raised $5 million of additional funding.

The capital was raised from Japan-based firms Itochu Corporation and the KDDI Open Innovation Fund III (operated by Global Brain Corporation).

The additional funding will bolster iPrice’s role in finding shoppers the best deals as Southeast Asia’s e-commerce market becomes increasingly difficult to navigate.

A Facebook and Bain & Company report indicates that in 2021, the number of platforms used by SEA digital consumers has steadily risen to 7.9 websites per user on average, nearly 52% more than 2020.

This trend creates a reinforced need for a curated catalogue to provide transparency across platforms and help users save money among multiple marketplaces. iPrice addresses this need by aggregating the best offers from more than 7 billion products and 8 million sellers on a single platform.

“Besides comparing products, prices, sellers’ reputations, and delivery conditions, we are continually deepening our expertise to help shoppers in various ways – be it aggregating seller vouchers, creating an app that alerts users of their desired products’ price drops, or finding the cheapest loans to fund their purchases,” said iPrice Group CEO Paul Brown-Kenyon.

As the newest addition, iPrice recently launched a Price Watch service allowing users in Indonesia to receive alerts of their desired products’ price drops directly at the iPrice App. The service will continue to roll out in Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand throughout 2022.

With the new funding, iPrice will expand its services to the lending market by helping users find not only the best e-commerce offering but also the best consumer loans to fund their purchases. A Google report predicts that digital lending will hit $92 billion in transactions by 2025 due to its current acceleration in Southeast Asia, and the leading comparison platform intends to meet consumer demand.

That said, iPrice is excited to welcome Itochu as part of the capitalization table. Although known for its trading operations, Itochu has vast experience in the area of lending and operates a lending business in Indonesia under the brand Payku.

“We’re very excited that we can leverage our investors’ extensive lending experience. The first step in our strategic cooperation will be adding Itochu’s subsidiary, Payku, as a key lending partner in Indonesia. Their expertise will be vital as we further penetrate the lending market,” added Brown-Kenyon.

Aside from Payku, iPrice’s other lending partners include Home Credit (Indonesia), Julo (Indonesia), Cashalo (Philippines), Smartpay (Vietnam), and ZIP (Singapore, launching in H1 2022).

iPrice Group is Southeast Asia’s leading online shopping companion, operating in seven countries across Southeast Asia namely Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.

Media Contacts

Isabelle Karina C. Romualdez: isabelle.karina@ipricegroup.com

Jeremy Chew: jeremy.chew@ipricegroup.com

Related Images

Image 1: iPrice Group Leadership Team

(L-R) Paul Brown-Kenyon, CEO, David Chmelař, Co-Founder & Executive Vice-Chairman and Heinrich Wendel, Co-Founder, CTO & CPO.

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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• iPrice Group Leadership Team

“Baseball: America’s Home Run” Opens April 9

Baseball: America’s Home Run

“Baseball: America’s Home Run” at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The National Postal Museum’s exhibition “Baseball: America’s Home Run” explores America’s national pastime through the unique lens of stamps and mail. On view Saturday, April 9, through Jan. 5, 2025, it invites visitors to explore exciting and memorable stories about how the game of baseball became an integral part of American history and tradition.

Featuring hundreds of U.S. and international stamps commemorating great players and historic moments, and drawing on original artwork and archival material from the U.S. Postal Service’s esteemed Postmaster General’s Collection, the exhibition approaches the story of baseball from a unique, worldwide perspective.

The display of stamps and mail will be complemented by dozens of objects loaned by other Smithsonian museums, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, law enforcement agencies and renowned private collections that have never before been on public display. These rare artifacts—exclusively shared with the public as part of the exhibition—showcase a treasure trove of historically significant game-worn uniforms, jackets and hats, game-used bats and memorabilia from America’s pastime.

The exhibition pays tribute to many of the game’s greatest legends, including Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Lefty Grove, Lou Gehrig and countless others. Of the more than 60 baseball stamps issued by the United States since 1939, the vast majority commemorate individual players. Many of these postal portraits feature specially commissioned artwork designed to mimic the look and feel of classic baseball cards and recall players whose achievements on and off the field made them household names. On display for the first time, original stamp art and production material from the Postmaster General’s Collection is paired with actual game-used artifacts as a powerful visual reminder that these players—whom most know of only from photographs and old footage—were once flesh and blood.

The lives and careers of some of baseball’s greatest players, including those from the Negro Leagues, are examined through the postage stamps that tell their stories. For a number of stamps, the museum is able to show the original artwork commissioned by the U.S. Postal Service, picturing various players along with the actual uniform they wore in the artwork, such as Jackie Robinson’s road uniform from the 1948 season. Uniforms and game-used bats of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and other great players from the 20th century will be on display.

These tributes are especially meaningful at the 75th anniversary of Robinson being called up to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 as Major League Baseball’s first African American player and the 50th anniversary of Clemente’s death (1934–1972), who was born in Puerto Rico and played 18 seasons at right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“We are proud to have Institution-wide cooperation from the Smithsonian, participation from the greatest organizations dedicated to the sport of baseball and support from businesses and private collectors who love the game,” said Elliot Gruber, director of the museum. “I would like to offer special thanks to the lead sponsors of the exhibition—the Washington Nationals Ball Club, Heritage Auctions, Milwaukee Tool, the National Postal Museum Society, Ricos Products Co. and Smithsonian-published author Stephen Tsi Chuen Wong who also serves as honorary advisor to the exhibition, for their generous support.”

The exhibition will be presented in English and Spanish through a collaboration with the Smithsonian Latino Center, creating broad appeal to collectors of stamps and memorabilia, family audiences and baseball fans.

“The exhibition examines the mythologies of the game of baseball and the role postage stamps have played in creating and enforcing that mythology,” said Daniel Piazza, chief curator of the museum. “We tell some of the lesser-known stories about the game of baseball through the medium of stamps and mail and explore fascinating details about the game in new and unique ways.”

Special exhibition themes examine the game of baseball:

“Creating Baseball” looks at early U.S. baseball-themed stamps and the myths they reflect about the origins of the sport. The Centennial of Baseball stamp gave tacit federal recognition to the now-discredited claim that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in 1839 at Cooperstown, New York. Similarly, a 1969 stamp honoring Anna “Grandma” Moses shows “July Fourth,” her painting of a small-town Independence Day baseball game, reinforcing misconceptions about the sport’s rural American origins, when it was, in fact, a big-city game that evolved from British antecedents.

“We All Play Ball” examines baseball’s global spread in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With modest equipment needs, baseball was played by American soldiers on military posts around the world and quickly adopted by local people. International baseball stamps will be complemented by memorabilia and military-issued equipment. Watching and playing baseball helped the Irish, Italians, Jews, Poles and other immigrant groups break down ethnic walls and show their determination to integrate into American communities. Europeans learned baseball in this country, but most Latino immigrants came already knowing and playing the game, making them one of baseball’s fastest growing audiences and comprising more than 25% of professional baseball players.

“The Negro Leagues” takes its inspiration from U.S. Poet Laureate Donald Hall, who described a passion for baseball as “a kind of citizenship perhaps more authentic than anything which can be on a piece of paper.” However, African Americans were denied the opportunity to play Major League Baseball until 1947, so they formed their own professional leagues and teams—in the process reaffirming their Americanness to a country that refused to acknowledge their equality.

“Legendary Playing Fields” explores the sense of community that accompanies the familiar surroundings of a favorite baseball park—whether it is a classic stadium like Wrigley Field in Chicago or a newer green cathedral such as Washington, D.C.’s Nationals Park. In the early years, stadiums were generally built on undesirable land in the worst parts of town. One of Washington’s earliest baseball grounds, Capitol Park, was located in an underdeveloped working-class Irish neighborhood dubbed Swampoodle for the tendency of its unpaved streets to flood. Coincidentally, this very plot of land is now the home of the National Postal Museum. “Baseball: America’s Home Run” explores the history of Capitol Park and other parks, including production material for the 2001 U.S. Postal Service’s stamp, Baseball’s Legendary Playing Field Issue, paired with signs, seats, architectural elements and other artifacts from the stadiums depicted on the stamps.

A special website makes available the stories, themes and historical artifacts presented in the exhibition, and it provides multi-media storytelling by some of the most significant organizations and people associated with the game of baseball. Schedules and information regarding public programing and events associated with the exhibition are outlined as well, providing experiences for both on-site and online visitors.

About the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum
The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Ave. N.E., Washington, D.C., across from Union Station. The museum is currently open Friday through Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information about the Smithsonian, call (202) 633-1000.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f8b5a1f3-1ac5-469b-a7b3-da1fa61f252f

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.