Close Up Radio features Almendra’s Grant DuBois on sweetener innovation

By AI, Created 9:30 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Close Up Radio recently featured Almendra Chief Scientific Officer Grant DuBois in an interview about sugar reduction, stevia taste challenges and new taste-modulation technology. The conversation highlights how food ingredient science is trying to make zero-sugar products taste more like sugar while improving cost and functionality.

Why it matters: - Grant DuBois’ work sits at the intersection of sweetener science, nutrition and food formulation. - Almendra is targeting one of the hardest problems in the category: making non-caloric sweeteners taste and behave more like sugar. - The company is also pushing for lower-cost natural sweetener options for food and beverage makers.

What happened: - Close Up Radio featured Grant DuBois, Chief Scientific Officer at Almendra, in an interview with Jim Masters on Tuesday, May 12, at 2 p.m. Eastern. - The discussion focused on DuBois’ career in sweetener research and his work on natural, non-caloric sweeteners. - The interview also covered Almendra’s taste-modulation technology and stevia development program.

The details: - DuBois studied organic chemistry at Stanford University before entering the food ingredients field. - He began at Dynapol in Palo Alto, where he worked on food dyes, antioxidants and non-caloric sweeteners. - DuBois later spent two decades at The Coca-Cola Company. - At Coca-Cola, DuBois initiated the discovery of the first positive allosteric modulators of the sweetener receptor in collaboration with Senomyx. - SucroGEM®, a PAM from that program, was shown to enable a 50% reduction in sugar in beverages without changing taste. - DuBois also helped develop stevia-based sweeteners for Coca-Cola. - The Coca-Cola work supported reduced-calorie products including Simply juices and Fairlife high-protein milk. - Almendra says its System G™ technology uses a blend of mineral salts — magnesium, calcium and potassium — to change the way non-caloric sweeteners interact with the tongue’s mucus layer. - The company says System G™ speeds sweetness onset, reduces lingering aftertaste and improves mouthfeel. - Almendra says System G™ can improve the sensory profile of all non-caloric sweeteners and also increase the mouthfeel of sugar-sweetened products. - DuBois said the science behind sweetener discovery is similar to drug discovery. - DuBois also established evaluation metrics for sweeteners: taste quality, safety, solubility, stability and cost. - The company says its stevia program has already demonstrated safety, solubility and stability, and is now addressing taste quality and cost reduction. - Almendra describes itself as a global leader in natural sweetener innovation focused on high-purity stevia extracts and proprietary taste modulation technology. - More information is available in the company’s announcement. - The podcast interview is available on Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio and Spotify.

Between the lines: - DuBois’ career tracks a broader industry shift from synthetic sweeteners toward natural, lower-calorie ingredients with better taste performance. - The focus on mucus interaction and taste timing shows how much of sweetener innovation now depends on chemistry at the sensory level, not just sweetness intensity. - The emphasis on cost suggests Almendra is trying to compete on both sensory quality and manufacturing economics.

What’s next: - Almendra is developing cost-reduction technology aimed at making the company a low-cost manufacturer of stevia sweeteners. - The company appears to be positioning System G™ as a platform ingredient for future zero-sugar formulations. - DuBois’ published work is likely to remain a reference point for brands entering the sweetener market.

The bottom line: - Almendra is betting that better taste, cleaner labels and lower cost can make natural sweeteners more competitive in mainstream food and beverage products.