A salt substitute patented by Michigan State University (MSU) is being used in an improved version of Heinz's no-salt-added ketchup.
Created
by MSU researchers Kris Berglund and Hasan Alizadeh, the product—sold
commercially as AlsoSalt—was patented in 1999 and is produced by Diversified Natural Products (DNP) in Scottville, Mich.
According to Berglund, the 10-year period between the patent date and new 
product isn't unusual. "It takes time to successfully commercialize a product."
"There's no sodium in AlsoSalt," Berglund says. "It's made from lysine, which is fermented from corn starch. It's an example of the other bioproducts that can be made from some of the same processes that produce ethanol."
The Corn Marketing Program of Michigan, funded by Michigan corn growers, was an early supporter of the research to develop AlsoSalt. "We're excited to see a large company such as Heinz get behind the product and use it in ketchup," says Jody Pollok-Newsom, executive director.
AlsoSalt is just one of a number of bioproducts that have resulted from Berglund's research. His work has spawned enterprises in Michigan, Sweden and France.
Working Bugs, LLC, an East Lansing-based company, and its Swedish counterpart Working Bugs AB, co-founded by Berglund, identify microbes that could be used in fermentation processes to make products from renewable resources, as well as intermediate chemicals that are used to make other biobased products.
"AlsoSalt production is another example of biorefining that can produce a full complement of biobased chemicals, fuels and other products," Berglund says. "This approach creates a diversified operation that isn't subject to the ups and downs of a single market or product."
Berglund's research is supported by the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.
Source: MSU
Gretchen Cochran, Innovation & Jobs editor, may be reached here.
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