Chewing gum containing PHA 

In 2024, Bioextrax (Lund, Sweden) entered into a long-term development agreement (Joint Development Agreement) with a confectionery manufacturer (top 3 globally, with annual sales of more than EUR 28.5 billion/SEK 300 billion).

The candy manufacturer has now informed Bioextrax that its regulatory experts have completed their evaluation of the material and decided to proceed to the next step, which means that a test panel will evaluate chewing gum containing PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates) produced using Bioextrax technology.

The aim of the collaboration is to evaluate the use of Bioextrax PHO (polyhydroxyoctanoates), a form of medium chain length PHA (‘mcl-PHA’), as a biobased and biodegradable component in chewing gum. This type of mcl-PHA is not currently commercially available, but large-scale production is made possible by Bioextrax’s patented extraction method. In December 2025, Bioextrax also filed a patent application for the purification of this type of mcl-PHA. Currently commercially available PHA types do not work for this type of application.

The JDA includes both production upscaling and application testing, and the work is largely funded by the confectionery manufacturer.

The current phase of the development project includes:
– evaluation of the material properties of Bioextrax PHO,
– regulatory evaluation, and
– sensory evaluation conducted by a test panel

As previously communicated, the confectionery manufacturer has approved the material properties. With the positive outcome of the regulatory evaluation, the confectionery manufacturer is now ready to carry out the final step, i.e. the sensory evaluation.

Some preparatory documentation remains to be completed before the test panel can be carried out, and Bioextrax has not yet been informed of the exact date when the sensory evaluation will be completed. If the sensory evaluation has a positive outcome, the project will move on to the next phase, the pilot phase. During the pilot phase, Bioextrax will produce and deliver gradually increasing volumes to the Candy Manufacturer for the development of larger-scale prototypes.

“It has taken longer than we expected to receive this news from the Candy Manufacturer. However, the extended process has been a consequence of an in-depth analysis being carried out, which means that the regulatory conditions have been thoroughly mapped out. As regulatory approval is one of the major risk factors when introducing a new food ingredient, the news we have now received is an important milestone.
This is a project with enormous potential for Bioextrax. The volumes communicated to us by the confectionery manufacturer are significant. The potential value of PHO volumes on a full commercial scale, based on indicated price levels, exceeds EUR 95 million (SEK 1 billion) per year”, says Edvard Hall, CEO, Bioextrax.

Source

Bioplastics MAGAZINE, 2026-01-30.

Supplier

Bioextrax AB

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