Grant DuBois talks sweetener science in Close Up Radio feature

By AI, Created 4:58 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Close Up Radio featured Almendra Chief Scientific Officer Grant DuBois in an interview that highlighted his work on natural, zero-sugar sweeteners and taste modulators. The conversation centered on Almendra’s System GÔ technology and its push to improve sugar-like taste, reduce lingering aftertaste and expand options for food and beverage makers.

Why it matters: - Grant DuBois’ work sits at the center of a big food-industry problem: how to cut sugar without losing taste. - Almendra’s taste-modulation technology targets that gap for beverage and food makers seeking cleaner-label, lower- or zero-sugar products. - The interview also spotlighted a broader shift in sweetener science toward natural ingredients, sensory quality and affordability.

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 feature presented DuBois’ career path from pharmaceutical chemistry to food ingredient innovation. - DuBois discussed Almendra’s work on stevia-based sweeteners and taste modulators.

The details: - DuBois studied organic chemistry at Stanford University before joining Dynapol, a Palo Alto startup focused on food dyes, antioxidants and non-caloric sweeteners. - At The Coca-Cola Company, DuBois spent two decades and helped initiate the discovery of the first positive allosteric modulators of the sweetener receptor in a collaboration with Senomyx. - SucroGEM, a modulator from that program, was shown to enable a 50% reduction in sugar content in beverages with no change in taste. - DuBois also helped drive development of stevia-based sweeteners for Coca-Cola. - Coca-Cola’s stevia program focused on rebaudioside A, a sweetener known for lingering aftertaste and delayed sweetness onset. - DuBois and the Coca-Cola team commercialized rebaudioside A, helping enable reduced-calorie products including Simply juices and Fairlife high-protein milk in the U.S. - After retiring from Coca-Cola, DuBois joined Almendra, based in Thailand, to address stevia’s aftertaste and cost issues. - DuBois said taste discovery uses methods similar to drug discovery. - He also said the human sweetener receptor was identified in 2002 after the Human Genome Project helped accelerate taste research. - DuBois developed System GÔ, a blend of magnesium, calcium and potassium salts. - Almendra says System GÔ shrinks the mucus hydrogel on the tongue, helping non-caloric sweeteners reach sweet receptors faster and reduce lingering aftertaste. - Almendra says the technology also improves mouthfeel and can make zero-sugar foods and beverages taste more like sugar-sweetened products. - DuBois speculates the mouthfeel effect may come from activation of the calcium-sensing receptor in some taste-bud cells. - The company said System GÔ may also help address mineral shortfalls in the U.S., citing reported intake levels below the RDA for potassium, magnesium and calcium. - Almendra says System GÔ improves the sensory qualities of all non-caloric sweeteners and can also increase the mouthfeel of sugar-sweetened products. - DuBois set five evaluation metrics for sweeteners: taste quality, safety, solubility, stability and cost. - Almendra says safety, solubility and stability were already demonstrated at the start of its stevia program, while System GÔ addressed taste quality. - Almendra is developing cost-reduction technology aimed at making the company a low-cost manufacturer of stevia sweeteners. - DuBois’ publications are described as required reading for companies working in sweeteners. - Listen to the podcast - Listen on iHeartRadio - Listen on Spotify - More information about Grant DuBois

Between the lines: - The interview doubles as a profile of a long-running scientific effort to replace sugar and synthetic sweeteners with plant-based options that taste closer to sugar. - Almendra is positioning its technology around both sensory performance and price, two of the hardest problems in commercial sweetener reformulation. - DuBois’ career arc reflects how sweetener research has moved from chemistry labs into a broader consumer-health and formulation strategy.

What’s next: - Almendra is pushing System GÔ into the market for food and beverage manufacturers. - The company is also pursuing cost-reduction work to widen adoption of its stevia sweeteners. - DuBois’ comments suggest future sweetener development will continue to focus on taste quality, safety, stability and affordability as core benchmarks.

The bottom line: - Almendra is betting that the next generation of sweeteners will win on both taste and nutrition, not just fewer calories.