Zopresso – leveraging scientifically-proven effects of konjac fibre as ready-to-drink beverages

**2019年，在英国成年人中超重的比例为28%，病态超重比例为3%。肥胖的一些主要风险包括2型糖尿病、冠心病、多种癌症、中风和抑郁症。在英格兰2019/20年度，肥胖是一个因素(比2018/19年度增加了17%)，入院人数刚刚超过100万人。Zopresso项目旨在开发一系列天然的**抑制食欲的饮料产品**，使人们能够安全、经济地减肥和控制体重。该项目特别具有创新性，因为它侧重于使用魔芋，这是一种FDA批准和EFSA认可的植物纤维，已被科学证明对减肥有显著贡献。尽管魔芋纤维已经被广泛用于药品、食品和食品添加剂中作为增稠剂，但在英国、欧洲、美国和欧洲，市场上还没有含有魔芋的饮料。齐罗团队成功地开发了以魔芋为原料的植物饮料的中试样品，并证明了这种纤维可以小规模地加入到美味可口的饮料中。我们仍然需要克服在加工魔芋配方方面的技术挑战，同时保持良好的适口性和风味。作为一家早期的初创公司，Zopresso对Ziro的增长计划至关重要。我们为期15个月的工业研究项目的预算为GB 487,088，我们申请拨款为GB 340,962\。

**In 2019, 64% of adults in England were overweight, with 28% obese, and 3% morbidly so**. Some of the major risks of obesity include Type 2 Diabetes, coronary heart disease, many types of cancer, stroke and depression. Just over 1 million hospital admissions were recorded in England 2019/20 where obesity was a factor (a 17% increase on 2018/19).The Zopresso project targets the development of a range of naturally **appetite-supressing beverage products** to enable people to lose and control weight safely and cost-effectively. This project is particularly innovative as it focuses on the use of _konjac_, an FDA-approved and EFSA endorsed plant fibre that has been scientifically proven to contribute significantly to weight loss. Although it is already used widely in drugs, foods and food additives as a thickening agent, there are no konjac-containing beverages on the market in the UK, Europe, USA or MENA.The Ziro team have successfully developed pilot samples of konjac-infused plant-based beverages and proved the fibre can be incorporated into flavoursome and palatable drinks at small scale. We have still to overcome technical challenges around processing konjac-containing formulations, whilst retaining excellent palatability and flavour.As an early stage start-up, Zopresso is critical to Ziro's plans for growth. Our 15-month industrial research-based project has a budget of £487,088 and we request a grant of £340,962\.