MicroLub Raises £3.5M Seed Round to Bring Fat-Replacement Technology to Food Manufacturers

October 21, 2024

MicroLub, an ingredients technology spinout from the University of Leeds, has secured £3.5 million in seed funding to commercialise a fat-replacement technology with the potential to reshape how food manufacturers approach low-calorie and plant-based product development. The round was led by Northern Gritstone, the investment vehicle backed by the Universities of Leeds, Manchester, and Sheffield, with co-investment from LIFTT and NPIF II – Praetura Equity Finance, the latter operating as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II.

Obesity is a defining public health challenge of our era. With more than half the world's population projected to be overweight or living with obesity within the next decade, and the condition contributing to a global annual health bill estimated at $4.3 trillion, food companies face mounting pressure to reformulate products without alienating consumers. The problem has long been the sensory gap: remove the fat, and you remove the texture, richness, and mouthfeel that make food enjoyable. Existing alternatives have largely failed to bridge that divide at scale.

MicroLub's approach centres on molecular-level engineering. The company has developed a system of microscopic scaffolds built from protein and water, coated in polysaccharides, that mimic the lubricity and creaminess of conventional fats. The technology can reportedly reduce fat content and calorie counts by up to 75% with no perceptible change in sensory experience. Beyond calorie reduction, it also addresses one of the persistent weaknesses of plant-based protein foods — their tendency to feel dry and astringent on the palate — opening up new formulation possibilities for the alternative protein industry. The company was founded by Professor Anwesha Sarkar, a specialist in Colloids and Surfaces at Leeds and a partner in the UK's National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre.

MicroLub has already established commercial traction with some of the largest food and ingredients companies in the world, according to CEO David Peters, who noted strong interest from dairy and food firms seeking credible routes to healthier, more sustainable product lines. Retail sales of reduced-fat dairy and plant-based foods across Europe, the US, and the UK alone are valued at more than $120 billion, underscoring the scale of the addressable market. The new capital will support product development with collaboration partners, technology scaling with co-manufacturing partners, and team expansion.

For Northern Gritstone, the investment continues a thesis around backing deep-science spinouts from its founding universities. CEO Duncan Johnson cited the global scale of the obesity challenge as core to the rationale for backing MicroLub's team. LIFTT and Praetura Ventures, through NPIF II, bring additional European and Northern England networks respectively, extending MicroLub's reach as it moves toward broader commercialisation.

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