The low-calorie noodles are made with plant-based ingredients, and are also high in dietary fibre, while preserving a similar taste and texture to the yellow noodles commonly consumed by Asians.
Hafnium Ventures and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have entered an exclusive license agreement, enabling the commercialisation of a low-calorie noodle formulation by NOBA, a spinoff from A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI).
Professor Christiani Jeyakumar Henry and his team of scientists at A*STAR’s SIFBI was developed the first in the pipeline of several healthy noodle formulations, and the innovation process and formulation.
Dr Hazel Khoo, Executive Director, SIFBI said “This low-calorie noodle is an example of how SIFBI is continuously building on our R&D capabilities and partnerships to create or improve healthier foods for the Asian consumer and palate. Given an increasing global demand for healthy foods, we see more opportunities to develop healthy and innovative food products and contribute significantly to the food-tech landscape. We look forward to more public-private collaborations with our ecosystem partners to bring about better health outcomes for consumers.”
Ms Joyce Chew (CEO – NOBA lead, Hafnium), who commented, “We are excited to work with Professor Jeya and his team to bring this innovative and healthy noodle to the market. We see a growing demand from noodle manufacturers both in Singapore and internationally for innovations like this to meet the shift in consumers’ appetite for healthier versions of traditional products.”
Tan Sze Wee, Assistant Chief Executive of A*STAR’s Enterprise Division said “Food innovations such as this low-calorie noodle formulation are a result of strong public-private partnerships across the R&D ecosystem to transfer A*STAR’s nutritional knowledge and technologies to the industry. As consumers are increasingly health conscious, the demand for healthier, innovative food products creates exciting opportunities for the food innovation ecosystem.”
