KosmodeHealth launches W0W® noodles

KosmodeHealth launches W0W® noodles, bringing Zero-starch, Zero-cholesterol noodles to consumers in Singapore

1 February 2021, Singapore – KosmodeHealth, a food science and technology start-up, today announced that it has launched its proprietary-formulated W0W®[1] noodles. These noodles, which are starchless and do not elevate blood sugar levels (glycemic response) after consumption, are ideal for consumers with blood sugar and weight concerns. KosmodeHealth, which is a spin-off company from the National University of Singapore (NUS), has partnered with SaladStop!, RedDot BrewHouse and CrowdFarmX to launch W0W® noodles in Singapore.

World’s first zero-starch, zero-cholesterol and zero-glycemic response noodles made using zero-waste principles

W0W® noodles are the first functional food in the market with a zero glycemic response, while containing protein and fibre. They also contribute to the zero-waste movement, as these noodles are made from spent barley grains generated from the brewing and malt production industry.

The key benefits of W0W® noodles are:

• Zero starch, zero cholesterol, zero glycemic response.

• Healthy - W0W® noodles contain four grams of protein and six grams of fibre per 100 gram serving; which compares well with other zero-glycemic response noodles.

• Ideal taste and texture – unlike current “no carbohydrate” food, W0W® noodles have a texture that is close to starchy noodles. The noodles take on the flavours of the sauce/soup it is cooked in, making it ideal for use in a wide range of recipes.

• Zero-waste principles – W0W® noodles’ key ingredient is spent barley grains, which would otherwise be discarded.

• No preservatives or chemicals.

“We developed W0W® noodles to address three key concerns – Aging population, high prevalence of diabetes and high wastage of food manufacturing by-products. As our W0W® noodles are made following zero-waste principles, they are healthy not only for consumers, but contribute to sustainable living too!” explained Florence Leong, co-founder of KosmodeHealth. Starting today, W0W® noodles will be available at SaladStop!, which has created the W0W salad side bowl, allowing consumers to try the noodles in bite-sized portions. This is available via Good Food Hood, SaladStop!’s online food delivery platform. W0W® noodles are also available as a 200 gram noodle pack (retailing at S$6.60) on Good Food People and CrowdFarmX.

Florence Leong (co-founder KosmodeHealth) with Adrien Desbaillets (Co-founder and Managing Director SaladStop!)

“During the circuit breaker period, we saw an increase in home delivery orders, as consumers became more concerned with healthy eating. The initial response from customers who beta-tested our W0W® salad has been very positive and we expect these W0W® noodles to be well-received by our customers,” said Adrien Desbaillets, Co-founder and Managing Director of SaladStop!.

"These W0W® noodles are exceptional. I am especially impressed that there is no increase in blood sugar level after consuming W0W® noodles. The texture is great, and the noodles are so versatile and can be used to replace regular noodles in various different recipes,” said Dr Phan Toan Thang, one of the pioneering consumers of W0W® noodles.

Creating noodles from spent barley grains

To create W0W® noodles, KosmodeHealth collects spent barley grains from RedDot BrewHouse, Singapore’s first local craft beer brewery and restaurant. These are dried, and the protein and fibre extracted using KosmodeHealth’s plant extraction technology and know-how. The resulting protein-fibre powder is specially formulated into a W0W® pre-mix and then made into the W0W® noodle. KosmodeHealth will also sell W0W® pre-mix to SaladStop!, which will make the W0W® noodles for their chains in their central kitchen.

“RedDot BrewHouse is always looking for ways to up-value our spent barley grains. We are pleased that our spent grains can now contribute to the nutritional needs of consumers,” said Crystalla Huang, Brewmaster in RedDot BrewHouse.

“Agritech and foodtech integration will spark innovations. Spent barley grains are normally discarded from the food production line, and used as fertilisers or animal feed. KosmodeHealth’s technology is a fantastic example of upcycling food waste to minimise food wastage, conserve food resources and lower our carbon footprint. It will also contribute towards Singapore’s 30:30 goal, where we aim to increase our food self-sustainable levels,” said David Tan, Founder and CEO of NetaTech, a leading urban farming engineering firm. NetaTech’s online platform, CrowdFarmX, will be selling W0W® noodles.

Plans Ahead

KosmodeHealth was set up in November 2016 as a food science and technology company focusing on plant extraction technology, plant bio-ink technology and precise 3D-scaffold printing technology. W0W® noodles is its first B2C product. These noodles will be manufactured in Singapore, at Innovate360, Singapore’s pioneer food incubator.

In addition to using the W0W® pre-mix to make W0W® noodles, KosmodeHealth is exploring developing other starchless functional food that will help to manage chronic health issues, such as diabetes. KosmodeHealth has also succeeded in using the same plant extraction technology and expertise to extract protein/ fibre from other spent grains, such as spent corn grains and spent mung bean grains.

“Even though our technology can be applied to other spent grains, currently, we are concentrating on spent barley grains, because it is one of the main spent grains from local food manufacturers, and we want to play a role in supporting Singapore’s food self-sustaining efforts. There are some 75,000 tons of spent barley grains produced every year in Singapore. If we are able to convert all of this to our W0W® pre-mix, we estimate that we can produce over 650 million servings of W0W® noodles, making a decent contribution to our 30:30 goal,” said Florence Leong. “We plan to expand our capacity and achieve economies of scale as we manufacture our W0W® noodles. Our hope is that W0W® noodles can soon be a staple food for Singaporeans – whether we cook at home or eat out.  

While KosmodeHealth’s immediate priorities are focusing on the Singapore market, the longer-term plan is to expand capacity in Asian countries, which produce large amounts of spent grains, such as China, Vietnam and Thailand.”

KosmodeHealth is a spin-off company from NUS. Its plant extraction technology was developed by Associate Professor Huang Dejian, from the Department of Food Science and Technology at NUS Faculty of Science, who is also a co-founder of the company. KosmodeHealth is incubated and supported by NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore, BLOCK71 Suzhou and NUS (Suzhou) Research Institute.

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Media queries may be directed to: Chan Yiu Lin Greener Grass Communications (For NUS Enterprise) Mobile: +65 9-765 5897 Email: yiulin@greenergrass.com.sg

About KosmodeHealth KosmodeHealth expands access to health from nature as a business enabler. We resolve issues of high extraction cost limiting mass-market access to quality plant extracts and high wastage of agri/food by- products in the food industry, and issues of animal protein bio material and limited availability of bioscaffold for 3D cell culture in the biomedical industry. https://kosmodehealth.com  

[1] Although this is pronounced as “wow”, please note, the spelling is W 0 (zero) W. The zero refers to zero starch, zero Glycemic Response, zero cholesterol and zero waste principles