March 23, 2022

Conagen Produces Two Thaumatin Protein Natural Sweeteners at Scale

100,000 times sweeter than table sugar

Bedford, Mass., March 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Food and beverages brands get two more tools for their sugar reduction toolkits as Conagen announced the successful scale-up production of two new high-intensity sweeteners, thaumatin I and thaumatin II. The development will expand commercial partner Sweegen’s robust sugar reduction solutions of zero-sugar natural sweeteners.

Thaumatin is a group of proteins found in the fruits of the tropical plant Thaumatococcus danielli. Each protein, thaumatin I and thaumatin II, varies slightly in sweetness profiles. Both proteins have been evaluated as 100,000 times sweeter than sugar on a molar basis and 3,000 times sweeter on a weight basis. The high sweetness factor can translate into a strategic cost-effective sugar reduction solution for brands seeking to get the most out of a natural sweetener.

The thaumatin proteins were developed from Conagen’s peptide production platform, which had previously been used for the scaled production of another peptide sweetener, brazzein. “Conagen constantly improves its protein and peptide production platforms to generate more exciting new products,” said Casey Lippmeier, vice president of innovation at Conagen. “In this case, the platform has been leveraged to make thaumatin by several innovative approaches, but under a significantly shorter R&D timeline.”

These two new, high-purity thaumatin proteins add to Sweegen’s creative portfolio of sugar reduction solutions to help brands make low-calorie products. Brands can now explore the synergistic benefits of formulations that contain thaumatin and other products from Sweegen’s Signature Sweetener portfolio, including brazzein and stevia. This diversity of natural, high-intensity sweeteners represents the most cost-effective approach for reducing sugar in food and beverages to deliver the best tasting match for the sweetness of sugar.

The desire for natural sweeteners will drive the demand for fruit and plant-based sweeteners, such as thaumatin and stevia, respectively. The main advantages to sweetening food and beverages with thaumatin are its familiarity and acceptance by consumers and the fact that it is approved for use in products by the majority of the countries in the world.

Health-conscious consumers are generally more accepting of natural sweeteners than sugar and artificial sweeteners. According to FMCG Gurus, Top 10 Future Trends 2030, “60% of global consumers currently believe natural sweeteners are healthier alternatives to sugar.” The trend report further stated, “Increasingly, consumers will want only products that contain real and authentic ingredients, and sweeteners will be no exception to the rule. As such, this will drive demand for sweeteners sourced directly from fruits and plants, something that the industry will respond to.”

Like most other proteins, when thaumatin proteins are consumed, they are digested into amino acids. However, because thaumatin communicates such a strong sweet taste, the levels used in most applications contribute almost no calories. It is one of the most intense sweeteners ever discovered.

Consumers increasingly expect to stock their pantries with low-to-no sugar products with food and beverages that fit into their lifestyle and diets. Thaumatin can complement a number of consumer lifestyles, such as diabetic, ketogenic, or low-to-no carbohydrate diets. These sweet proteins are low on the glycemic index.

“Thaumatin is the second announced product generated from our peptide platform, which fits well into our existing world-scale, precision fermentation infrastructure.” Lippmeier further added, “Peptides and small proteins like brazzein and thaumatin can be very difficult to make economically; however, now that we have successfully scaled multiple peptides and proteins, we are willing to collaborate with other customers to make other novel peptide products.”

Regulatory approval for thaumatin as natural sweeteners has passed in the European Union (E957), Israel, and Japan. In the United States, it is generally recognized as safe as a flavoring agent (FEMA GRAS 3732).

About Conagen
Conagen is a product-focused, synthetic biology R&D company with large-scale manufacturing service capabilities. Our scientists and engineers use the latest synthetic biology tools to develop high-quality, sustainable, nature-based products by precision fermentation and enzymatic bioconversion. We focus on the bioproduction of high-value ingredients for food, nutrition, flavors and fragrances, pharmaceutical, and renewable materials industries. www.conagen.com

Attachment

Conagen produces two thaumatin protein natural sweeteners at scale

Ana Arakelian, head of public relations and communications
Conagen
+1.781.271.1588
ana.arakelian@conagen.com

March 23, 2022

JETEX AND FOUR SEASONS LAUNCH THE ULTIMATE PRIVATE JET RAMADAN EXPERIENCE

Jetex expands its collection of sensational experiences with the addition of the ultimate Suhoorin the Sky.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Jetex, an award-winning global leader in executive aviation, is betting on the future of the global luxury market which increasingly is going experiential. Consumers’ perception of luxury is changing, especially among younger consumers, and the concept is luxury is no longer only about purchasing tangible objects – it is about opulent experiences, travel and instagrammable moments. As wealthy millennial customers shift their money from goods to experiences, Jetex presents the world’s most special Ramadan experience in partnership with Four Seasons.

Building upon the tremendous success of Iftar in the Sky last year, Jetex unveils the ultimate Ramadan experience, which features even more unique elements, blending time-honored traditions with modernity.

Suhoor in the Sky is offered onboard a larger 18-seat private jet that has more space in which to savor the spirit of the Holy Month as the aircraft soars in the moonlight above the United Arab Emirates and the shimmering Arabian Gulf.

The evening commences at the award-winning Jetex VIP Terminal with a trio of traditional musicians and light refreshments in the calm of the private lounges. The passengers are then invited to board the aircraft on one of the Jetex Rolls-Royces that whisk to the aircraft.

Onboard, passengers are warmly welcomed by the Jetex cabin crew as well as the Four Seasons culinary team. For the first time, live traditional music is performed onboard and throughout the flight to create a warm and relaxing ambiance of a private majlis in the sky. As soon as the aircraft reaches its cruising altitude, passengers can enjoy scenic views of the Dubai skyline as well as a delectable Suhoor menu, created especially for the occasion.

From traditional Ramadan starters, freshly baked artisan breads and a wide selection of mezze, to the exquisite Omani lobster, lamb shank in traditional spices and rich poultry – every gourmet taste is considered. Passengers of the 120-minute journey can enjoy Suhoor above the clouds at their own pace as the Jetex crew ensures the most comfortable private jet experience.

As soon as the aircraft arrives back at Dubai, passengers are invited to enjoy a wide range of desserts, teas and coffees at a dedicated lounge at Jetex VIP Terminal, as well as enjoy the leisure facilities of the terminal.

“Jetex delivers unique experiences to discerning travelers and is known for blending the world of private aviation with exceptional hospitality. We are proud to deliver this new experience in partnership with Four Seasons, the brand synonymous with excellence in luxury hospitality. Every element of Suhoor in the Sky is designed to create timeless, one-of-a-kind lifelong memories for anyone who experiences it,” said Adel Mardini, Founder & CEO of Jetex.

“Dreaming up inspired experiences is a core passion for us at Four Seasons Dubai,” said Leonardo Baiocchi, Regional Vice President and General Manager, Four Seasons. “We are delighted to partner with Jetex throughout the Holy Month of Ramadan, to create a Suhoor experience that is nothing less than spectacular. With our trademark Four Seasons hospitality and the exceptional private aviation standards that Jetex is known for, we will be elevating luxury to a new cruising altitude.”

To ensure utmost safety and comfort of travelers, aircraft cabin will be thoroughly sanitized using the signature Jetex bipolar ionization technology before and after each flight.

The unforgettable travel experience is priced from AED 140,000 for up to 14 travelers and will be available between 1 and 30 April 2022. All passengers are required to carry their passports to board the flight.

For reservations, please contact Jetex Premier Experience at experience@jetex.com.

About Jetex:

An award-winning global leader in executive aviation, Jetex is recognized for delivering flexible, best-in-class trip support solutions to customers worldwide. Jetex provides exceptional private terminals (FBOs), aircraft fueling, ground handling and global trip planning. The company caters to both owners and operators of business jets for corporate, commercial and personal air travel. To find out more about Jetex, visit www.jetex.com and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About Four Seasons:

As the world’s leading operator of luxury hotels, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts currently manages 122 properties in 47 countries. Open since November 2014, Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach offers a vacation experience of unlimited variety, and the highly personalized, anticipatory service that Four Seasons guests expect and value around the world. Recent awards and honors include Condé Nast Traveler Gold List and Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Awards. For more information on Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach, visit press.fourseasons.com/Dubai or check us out on www.instagram.com/fsdubai.

Attachments

Oleg Kafarov - Director of Portfolio Development & Corporate Communications
Jetex
+971 4 212 4900
teamorange@jetex.com

Mazhit Ismailov - Senior Director of PR and Communications
Four Seasons
+ 971 4 270 7723
mazhit.ismailov@fourseasons.com

March 23, 2022

Karachi-built degree progression platform created by college students raises $11 Million to empower students and solve higher education’s major challenge

SAN FRANCISCO, March 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Stellic today announced $11 million in funding led by Reach Capital, a U.S. based impact fund focused on equitable education. More than 45 colleges and universities now use Stellic to promote student agency over the individual college experience and return precious time to administrators in order to better scale personalized support systems.

Founded in 2016, the Stellic story starts with students from Karachi, Pakistan. While attending Carnegie Mellon University as international students, co-founders Sabih Bin Wasi, Musab Popatia and Rukhsar Neyaz were confused and overwhelmed with their lack of visibility and access to tools that would help them navigate the many degree requirements – curricular and non-curricular – and options available to them to maximize their experience as students. Sabih Bin Wasi, a recent Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient and rising junior at the time, digitized the extensive course catalog himself into a planner and landed on what would become a holistic, end-to-end platform for degree progression that now benefits more than 300 thousand other students like himself. Today, half the company is based out of Karachi, Pakistan and the predominantly engineering-based team represents more than a dozen alumni from Habib University, a current partner of Stellic that utilizes the platform for its own students and administration.

“Stellic’s beautiful planning, scheduling and advising features are so intuitive they could only have been created by students solving for their own needs,” said Jennifer Carolan, Reach Capital Founder and Partner. “We are thrilled to back this team out of CMU, bringing cutting edge technology to the college degree planning experience.”

The investment arrives on the heels of unprecedented turbulence to higher education globally where student engagement is critical. This past year has seen a rise of institutional initiatives shifting from reactive to proactive advising approaches in order to scale personalized attention to students adjusting to hybrid remote learning environments. By equipping students with more visibility into their degree pathway options, they can practice more agency over their degree plans and prepare for more meaningful interactions with their advisors to talk about other areas of life and logistics that might be getting in the way of progress.

“Students have seen major benefits with Stellic, which is now available to all undergraduates and an increasing number of graduate students,” said John Papinchak, Registrar at Carnegie Mellon University. “To date, over 90% of students have adopted the platform to plan for future semesters, and adoption rates continue to grow. With Stellic, CMU students are more engaged in their degree plan and confident in their decision making leading to graduation.”

Stellic plans to dedicate the new funds to growing the Stellic team and community of institutional partners, as well as enhancing the student-centric capabilities in the platform to reach new critical touchpoints of the student journey.

“In my view, part of this accelerated growth is due to the critical changes higher ed is going through right now,” said Sabih Bin Wasi, Founder and CEO of Stellic. “With declining high school enrollment numbers, student retention has become the top priority for nearly every university and college. Student satisfaction is at an all-time low, particularly with the campus technology and advising support. Like many things, COVID surfaced these issues even further.”

“I am incredibly proud of the team we have been able to build in Pakistan, and impressed with the promise shown by our local talent,” said Musab Popatia, Co-Founder and Head of Engineering at Stellic. “And I sincerely hope that our success can inspire more students to give entrepreneurship a fair shot.”

Click here to read more from Sabih Bin Wasi on what this fundraise means to the Stellic community.

About Reach Capital

Reach Capital is committed to empowering learners and educators from early childhood education to professional development and everything in between. Their investments inspire people to reach their full potential through the transformative power of education. Reach is on a mission to seed the most inspirational, uplifting and engaging educational tools which help educators and families realize children’s full potential.

About Stellic

Stellic is a centralized degree progression platform designed to help students conquer the challenges of the modern university experience. Stellic’s easy to navigate advising, degree audit, degree planning, and analytics tools can be utilized by students, advisors, and administrators to ensure students stay on track and receive the personalized educational experience they deserve. To learn more about Stellic, please visit www.stellic.com.

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March 23, 2022

Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan agree to further reinforce bilateral relations

Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan have agreed to remain constructively and meaningfully engaged to further reinforce the bilateral relations.

The understanding came at a meeting between Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbaev in Islamabad today (Wednesday).

The two sides also agreed to enhance people to people contacts and cooperation in the education sector.

The two Foreign Ministers noted with satisfaction the progress made on the CASA-1000 project and expressed commitment for its timely completion.

Source: Radio Pakistan

March 23, 2022

Day isn’t far when Pakistan would become economically strong: President, PM

President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan, in their separate messages on the occasion of Pakistan Day, have said the day is not far away when Pakistan would become an economically strong and prosperous country.

In his message, the President said the demand of a separate homeland for Muslims of the sub-continent has proved to be politically correct over time.

He said human rights violations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and persecution of minorities in India are sufficient grounds to believe that the Muslim leadership of that time had clearly visualised what was in store for the Muslims if they remained at the mercy of Hindu majority in undivided India.

In his message, the Prime Minister stressed the need to adhere to the principles of Unity, Faith and Discipline given by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and to rededicate ourselves to development of Pakistan as a truly democratic welfare State on the model of Riyasat-e-Madina.

He said the incumbent government has brought in long-term reforms and initiatives to alleviate poverty and promote justice.

The Prime Minister said the government's focus remains on the marginalized segments of the society to provide them equal opportunities.

Minister for Interior, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed says the dream of founders of Pakistan for an Islamic and welfare state would certainly materialize.

In his special message on Pakistan Day, Interior Minister while congratulating the entire nation said March 23, 1940 was a key day in foundation of Pakistan. Seventy-five years ago, the Lahore resolution became basis for the creation of Pakistan.

He said creation of Pakistan was based on a great philosophy and a mission. He said with an independent foreign policy and a strong economy, Pakistan is striding towards a great Islamic and welfare state.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Chaudhary Fawad Hussain says Pakistan's economy is growing and we need to renew our commitment to make Pakistan a great nation following the footsteps of our elders.

In his message on Pakistan Day, he said convening of the 48th meeting of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad on the occasion of its 75th anniversary this year is a clear demonstration of Pakistan's key role in the Muslim world.

Praying for the progress and prosperity of the country, he said the secret of Pakistan's development and stability lies in democracy.

In a tweet today, Minister of state for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said purpose of establishing Pakistan was to make an Islamic democratic and welfare state and Prime Minister Imran Khan is pursuing the agenda of making Pakistan a welfare state on the pattern of Madina.

Source: Radio Pakistan

March 23, 2022

Pakistan Day celebrated with great fervor at embassies, missions worldwide

A graceful flag hoisting ceremony to celebrate Pakistan Day was held at Pakistan High Commission Pretoria, South Africa.

The event was attended by a number of members from Pakistani community.

Messages of the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan were read out.

In his remarks, High Commissioner Dr. Mazhar Javed highlighted the significance of this historic day in the history of the Muslims of the subcontinent.

Two halls, Jinnah Hall and Iqbal Hall were inaugurated at the High Commission.

Pakistan High Commission, New Delhi observed Pakistan Day with national zeal and patriotic spirit today (Wednesday).

Chargé d'Affaires Aftab Hassan Khan raised Pakistan's flag to the tune of national anthem at an elegant flag-hoisting ceremony held at the Chancery's Lawns.

Officers and staff of the High Commission along with their families were present on the occasion.

Messages of President and Prime Minister of Pakistan were read out to the audience.

Extending warm felicitations on Pakistan national day, the Chargé d'Affaires paid rich tributes to the father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and other national leaders of Pakistan movement, who with their unswerving resolve and relentless efforts created a separate homeland for the Muslims of Sub-Continent.

The Cd'A highlighted that Pakistan is playing a dignified role as a responsible democratic state in the comity of nations. The holding of 48th meeting of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad, is a clear manifestation of Pakistan's pivotal role in the Islamic World.

The Chargé d'Affaires underlined that Pakistan wishes to have mutually beneficial relations with all its neighbors including India and believes in resolving all outstanding disputes through peaceful means of dialogue and diplomacy.

Source: Radio Pakistan