LoGiCane

by Mark Fenton-Jones

published by Australian Financial Review, March 2009

Life couldn’t be sweeter for the inventors of a 100 per cent natural low glycemic index cane sugar. Developed by scientists Barry Kitchen and David Kannar at Melbourne-based R&D company Horizon Science, which they founded in 2004, the sugar – sold under the brand name LoGiCane – is touted as a world first. Dr Kitchen and Dr Kannar worked on the project for three years with $5.4 million funding from the federal and Queensland governments. Venture capitalists Swiss-based Inventages and New-Zealand BioPacific Ventures also invested in the project for an equity position. Inventages, with $US1.5billion (2.3 billion) under management and 15 per cent of its portfolio in Australasia invests primarily in life-sciences and nutrition areas. BioPacific Ventures typically invests between $NZ2million ($1.6 million) to $NZ10 million in life sciences. Horizon Science’s chief executive Ashok Dhanrajgir said that food and beverage trials with a number of major global manufacturers were under way. “With diabetes and obesity on the rise worldwide, being able to create a low GI version of one of the worlds most widely used food ingredients is a major breakthrough. We are currently exploring opportunities to collaborate internationally,” Mr Dhanrajgir said. LoGiCane has a low GI of 50, based on independent testing by Sydney University Glycemic Index Research Service, compare to white sugar which has a medium GI of 65 (average). Dr Kitchen said that low GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion absorption and/or metabolism, produce a less pronounced rise in blood glucose and insulin levels. Low GI diets have been shown to reduce blood glucose levels in people with diabetes and also have benefits for weight management. The sugar has been available in some Coles and Woolworths supermarkets, and will be more widely available following its official launch this week. It is distributed by CSR.