• New manufacturing facility in Mexico will produce ASTRAEA® Allulose to be marketed across the Americas by Ingredion based upon technology licensed by Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Japan's leading producer of specialty ingredients

Mexico City, November 12, 2019 -- Today, Ingredion (NYSE: INGR), a leading global provider of ingredient solutions to diversified industries, officially opened its first allulose production plant in San Juan del Río, Mexico. At this location, the Company will manufacture the sweetener ASTRAEA^® Allulose, which will be marketed and sold across the Americas by Ingredion. In addition to licensing certain allulose-related intellectual property to Ingredion, Matsutani will market and sell ASTRAEA Allulose across most of Asia. ASTRAEA Allulose will enable food and beverage manufacturers across the Americas to reduce calories from sucrose and other caloric sweeteners in a wide range of products, including beverages, dairy, bakery and confectionery items. 

"We are advancing our specialties strategy with the unique value proposition offered by allulose for sugar reduction by aligning with one of the most important food and beverage trends shaping our industry and impacting our customers,” said Ingredion’s president and chief executive officer Jim Zallie. “We look forward to working with Matsutani and bringing further innovation to the marketplace that meets the evolving needs of today’s global consumers."

The new production plant was inaugurated in the presence of the governor of Querétaro, Francisco Domínguez Servién, who thanked the trust of both companies to invest in a project in a state with one of the most dynamic economies in Mexico. 

“At Ingredion, we are innovating with ingredients that consumers are looking for,” said Rob Ritchie, president and director general, Ingredion México. “Today, we are pleased to also welcome the second Ingredion Idea Labs^® to Mexico, where in collaboration with our scientists and culinary teams, we can deliver innovative ideas and solutions to food and beverage manufacturers.” 

During the construction phase, the allulose plant created nearly 600 direct and indirect jobs. 

“Matsutani has been developing, researching and fine-tuning a new generation of sugars, including ASTRAEA Allulose, for more than 15 years,” said Yoshinobu Matsutani, Executive Vice President, Matsutani. “Matsutani is the company with the most clinical studies and research regarding this ingredient. We are excited about opening this plant and we see now a reality where Ingredion will produce ASTRAEA Allulose through our collaboration and it will be a great solution for the food and beverage industries, both of which look for this sweetener all over the American continent.”

ASTRAEA Allulose is a sweetener that tastes and functions like sucrose and is in the family of rare sugars. Allulose is absorbed by the body, but not metabolized, making it nearly calorie-free. Allulose is one of the many types of monosaccharides that exist in nature in small quantities and can be found in certain fruits, including figs, raisins and jackfruit. Allulose has a texture and performance behavior similar to sucrose providing comparable bulk, sweetness and functionality (e.g., browning, freeze point depression). These properties make allulose an ideal ingredient for formulators as they look for ways to reduce calories from sucrose in the products they develop. According to Ingredion´s Consumer Market Research conducted in 2016 74% of Mexicans believe it’s important to reduce their sugar consumption in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

ASTRAEA Allulose has been approved by COFEPRIS as a non-caloric sweetener that can be used in different food and beverage segments, and it’s exempted from being included in the nutrition facts. It’s 70% as sweet as sugar; it helps producers reduce sucrose in their recipes and develop calorie-reduced foods and beverages to meet the growing consumer demand. 

To learn more about ASTRAEA Allulose or to contact one of the application experts from Ingredion Idea Labs^®, visit: http://www.ingredion.mx/ingredientes/productos/astraea-alulosa.html.

About Ingredion:
Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR) headquartered in the suburbs of Chicago, is a leading global ingredient solutions provider serving customers in more than 120 countries.  With 2017 annual net sales of nearly $6 billion, the company turns grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant materials into value-added ingredients and biomaterial solutions for the food, beverage, paper and corrugating, brewing and other industries. With Ingredion Idea Labs^® innovation centers around the world and more than 11,000 employees, the Company develops ingredient solutions to meet consumers' evolving needs by making crackers crunchy, yogurt creamy, candy sweet, paper stronger, and adding fiber to nutrition bars. For more information, visit Ingredion.com.

Acerca de Ingredion México:
Ingredion México es la empresa líder en México y la de mayor alcance en Latinoamérica en el desarrollo de soluciones en ingredientes, con ventas por casi $1,000 millones de dólares en 2018. Transformamos granos, frutas, verduras y otras materias primas en ingredientes de valor agregado y soluciones biomateriales, para las industrias de alimentos, bebidas, papel y corrugado, cervecería, entre otras. Ingredion México tiene su sede en Guadalajara, Jalisco, opera tres plantas y nueve centros de distribución en el país. Es subsidiaria de Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR). Con sede en suburbios de Chicago, atiende a clientes en más de 120 países. Con los 28 centros de innovación Ingredion Idea Labs^® en todo el mundo y más de 11,000 empleados, la compañía desarrolla soluciones de ingredientes para satisfacer las cambiantes necesidades de los consumidores, para hacer que sus galletas sean crujientes, yogurts cremosos, caramelos dulces, papel más resistente y añadir fibra a las barras nutritivas. Para más información visite: www.ingredion.mx

Acerca de Matsutani:
Matsutani Chemical Industry Co. Ltd es el mayor fabricante de almidones modificados de Japón y fue fundada en 1919.Actualmente, Matsutani produce almidones modificados y sus derivados y varios de sus ingredientes funcionales son utilizados ampliamente en los mercados globales. Matsutani es pionero en la comercialización de azúcares raros en Japón. Con ventas netas anuales por más de $500 millones de dólares y aproximadamente 400 empleados, la compañía contribuye a hacer los alimentos más sabrosos, saludables y funcionales. Más de 30 por ciento de los productos para alimentos funcionales en el mercado japonés utilizan ingredientes elaborados por Matsutani. Para más información visite: http://matsutani.co.jp/english/index.html