NEW TECH FOODS

UK-based biostimulant developer SugaROx has raised £1 million in a seed round extension to accelerate field testing of its Trehalose-6-Phosphate (T6P) product.

The funding includes a £400,000 strategic investment from fertiliser producer The Mosaic Company, with the remaining £600,000 from existing investors Future Planet Capital, Regenerate Ventures and UK-based angel investors.

T6P is a proprietary biostimulant designed to improve plant growth by regulating sugar signalling. It works by inhibiting SnRK1, an enzyme that triggers a plant’s energy-conservation mode under stress, allowing crops to maintain growth and productivity in challenging conditions.

Safety tests completed earlier this year indicated a positive regulatory outlook for T6P, prompting potential commercial partners to request samples for trials.

The partnership with Mosaic will provide SugaROx with access to US trial sites and the company’s TruResponse digital platform to monitor and analyse field data.

Mark Robbins, chief executive officer of SugaROx, said: “In response to increasing demand for product samples, we decided to accelerate our manufacturing timeline, fast‑tracking the shift from in‑house lab production to a pilot facility. The Innovate UK grant and additional investment allows us to do that”.

“Our existing investors were quick to subscribe to the seed round extension, which we are delighted to complete with Mosaic as a strategic partner. We have the ambition to transform the biostimulants industry with science-based solutions – something that is only achievable in collaboration with other players.”

SugaROx plans to launch its T6P wheat biostimulant in the UK in 2027 and the EU in 2028, with soybean and maize trials underway in preparation for entry into the US and Brazilian markets.