Leeds-based food technology startup MicroLub has raised £7.5 million in new funding as it looks to take its protein-based ingredient technology into more international food markets.

The equity round was led by Northern Gritstone, with all of MicroLub’s existing investors also participating. The company is a spinout from the University of Leeds and has developed patented technology designed to replicate the lubrication and mouthfeel normally provided by fats and oils.

The technology addresses a problem that food manufacturers have struggled with for years. Reducing fat or calories can often change the taste, texture and overall eating experience of a product. MicroLub's approach uses protein-based ingredients and water to create a similar sensory experience without relying on the same levels of fat.

According to the company, its technology can help manufacturers reduce fat and calories by up to 75%, while potentially increasing protein content and simplifying ingredient lists by reducing the need for emulsifiers and thickeners.

That puts MicroLub in an interesting part of the food-tech market.

Consumers are increasingly looking for products that offer better nutritional profiles without feeling like a compromise. At the same time, food manufacturers are under pressure to reformulate products as consumer preferences change and demand grows for higher-protein and lower-calorie options.

MicroLub has already moved beyond the research stage. The company says it has progressed from laboratory development to industrial-scale manufacturing and is now working with some of the world's largest food and ingredient companies. It also operates a food innovation laboratory at Nexus in Leeds while continuing its research links with the University of Leeds.

The new funding will support team expansion, further development of the technology and international growth in the US and Asia. It will also help MicroLub turn existing customer trials into commercial agreements. The company plans to grow its team to more than 30 people as it enters this next stage.

For investors, the round highlights the commercial potential of university spinouts when scientific research can be turned into a product that solves a clear industry problem.

For founders, MicroLub is also a useful example of the long journey from research to market. Building the technology is only one part of the challenge. Scaling production, proving the product with customers and converting trials into recurring commercial relationships are what can ultimately turn deep-tech innovation into a sustainable business.

The next step for MicroLub is taking that technology beyond its UK base and into major international food markets.

If successful, the company could help food manufacturers reformulate products without forcing consumers to choose between nutrition and taste.

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