BERKELEY, Calif. and WESTCHESTER, Ill., March  18, 2026  (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shiru, named a TIME Best Invention of 2024 for its AI-powered approach to ingredient discovery, and Ingredion Inc. (NYSE:INGR), a leading

INGR

Ingredion and Shiru Announce Partnership to Accelerate AI-Powered Functional Protein Discovery

Ingredion Collaborates with Shiru to Enhance Protein Discovery and Innovation

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    <h3>Information</h3>
    <p>BERKELEY, Calif. and WESTCHESTER, Ill., March  18, 2026  (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shiru, named a TIME Best Invention of 2024 for its AI-powered approach to ingredient discovery, and Ingredion Inc. (NYSE:INGR), a leading</p>
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    <h3>AI Summary</h3>
    <p>Ingredion has announced a strategic R&amp;D partnership with Shiru to advance AI-driven functional protein development aimed at food, beverage, and nutrition supplements. This collaboration is expected to enhance Ingredion&#039;s innovation capabilities and distribution reach, benefiting its global customer base and addressing growing health-oriented consumer expectations.</p>
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    <h3>Key Points</h3>
    <ul><li>Ingredion partners with Shiru for AI-driven protein R&amp;D collaboration.</li><li>Collaboration targets novel functional proteins for food and supplements.</li><li>Shiru&#039;s AI platform catalogs over 77 million proteins.</li><li>Partnership focuses on prebiotics to promote healthier microbiomes.</li><li>Ingredients will be distributed to Ingredion&#039;s 18,000+ customers globally.</li></ul>
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    <h3>Companies Mentioned</h3>
    <ul><li><strong>Shiru (N/A)</strong>: Innovative AI-driven protein discovery could disrupt traditional ingredient markets.</li></ul>
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  <section data-block="category">
    <h3>Corporate Developments</h3>
    <p>This collaboration fits under &#039;Corporate Developments,&#039; as it highlights a strategic partnership aimed at addressing consumer health trends through advanced technology, indicating growth potential in product offerings and market position.</p>
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  <section data-block="market-moving">
    <h3>Market-Moving</h3>
    <ul><li>The partnership may significantly enhance Ingredion&#039;s product portfolio and market positioning.</li><li>AI-driven ingredient discovery could accelerate time-to-market for new products.</li><li>Meeting rising demand for healthy ingredients can bolster sales growth.</li><li>Access to Shiru&#039;s extensive protein database could reduce R&amp;D costs.</li></ul>
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  <section data-block="key-facts">
    <h3>Key Facts</h3>
    <ul><li>Ingredion&#039;s 2025 annual net sales are projected at $7.2 billion.</li><li>Over 77 million natural protein sequences are cataloged in Shiru&#039;s database.</li><li>The collaboration targets healthier microbiome solutions.</li><li>Ingredient innovations will be accessible to 18,000+ Ingredion customers worldwide.</li><li>The partnership is a response to consumer demand for functional ingredients.</li></ul>
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  <section data-block="trading-thesis">
    <h3>Trading Thesis</h3>
    <p>Invest in INGR for long-term growth due to strategic collaboration leading to innovative products.</p>
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<link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/styles/gnw_nitf.css"></link><p>BERKELEY, Calif. and WESTCHESTER, Ill., March  18, 2026  (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=6eBENGOL8DUzkXV19akdRFVFxEV7ZnMJ9thfXx1lK8lpBijAHtrE0Kl9LOKtWBMLjQuS8k7217SdW-uuVwtfAQ==" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shiru</a>, named a TIME Best Invention of 2024 for its AI-powered approach to ingredient discovery, and <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=fqB8DZ3vhwLUqxlAC3NjDsQZpOAvPfswQjXW0oBWFuUwb4BweyphTsrv91NUdbSFmu-He7OQkbVhqCL-sUSvbM0C5gMB04oaKYmtBVeBJzY=" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ingredion Inc</a>. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/INGR">INGR</a>), a leading global ingredient solutions provider, today announced a global R&amp;D collaboration aimed at accelerating the discovery and commercialization of novel functional proteins for food, beverage, supplements and specialized nutrition.</p>  <p>Ingredion and Shiru will engage in the joint pursuit of a targeted R&amp;D program enabled by Shiru&#39;s proprietary AI discovery platform — the industry's broadest searchable database of functional protein ingredients, with more than 77 million natural protein sequences catalogued and analyzed.</p>  <p>"We have broken the mold on how ingredient discovery is done," said Dr. Jasmin Hume, founder and CEO of Shiru. "Disrupting the speed at which we can identify high-performance natural proteins has opened the floodgates for healthy, targeted nutrition. What once took a team of 50 scientists a decade and a healthy dose of serendipity, we can now do strategically and efficiently in months. Pairing that capability with Ingredion&#39;s scale and customer relationships creates a direct path from discovery to market."</p>  <p>The collaboration will focus on the development of next-generation prebiotics derived from natural sources to promote healthier microbiomes, an area where AI-driven protein discovery is creating new possibilities that conventional R&amp;D cannot easily access.</p>  <p>As the evidence linking gut microbiome health to immunity, metabolic function and cognitive performance expands, CPG companies face increasing pressure to reformulate with ingredients that are both clinically credible and manufacturable at scale. This strategic partnership is directly focused on meeting that demand.</p>  <p>Ingredients developed through the joint research will have a path to Ingredion&#39;s 18,000+ customers across 120 countries.</p>  <p>"As consumer expectations rise, food companies need new ways to move faster and innovate smarter," said Michael Leonard, chief innovation officer at Ingredion. "Shiru helps us discover better natural ingredients more quickly so we can help our customers deliver new products at a pace the market expects."</p>  <p>The partnership follows Shiru&#39;s commercial launch of uPro&#x2122; and OleoPro&#x2122; (two AI-discovered natural ingredients now on the market for use in food and personal care) and builds on Ingredion&#39;s strategic push to expand its Texture &amp; Healthful Solutions portfolio through external innovation.</p>  <p><strong>About Shiru</strong><br></br>Shiru is transforming ingredient innovation through AI-powered discovery. Its AI-enabled discovery platform, Flourish<sup>TM</sup>, maps the performance of 77 million unique, natural proteins for applications in food, beverage, personal care, agriculture, and advanced materials. Named a TIME Best Invention of 2024, Shiru&#39;s technology accelerates discovery from years to months, enabling brands to bring cleaner, more functional ingredients to market without compromising performance. Shiru is based in Berkeley, California. Visit shiru.com.</p>  <p><strong>About Ingredion</strong><br></br>Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/INGR">INGR</a>), headquartered in the suburbs of Chicago, is a leading global ingredient solutions provider serving customers in nearly 120 countries. With 2025 annual net sales of approximately $7.2 billion, the company turns grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant-based materials into value-added ingredient solutions for the food, beverage, animal nutrition, brewing and industrial markets. With Ingredion's Idea Labs<sup>&#xAE;</sup> innovation centers around the world and more than 11,000 employees, the company co-creates with customers and fulfills its purpose of bringing the potential of people, nature and technology together to make life better. Visit <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=qW1Ru-mQLuPxYcjhMHYAHdYdG8Mcl57Eh5JFOkQNMneuQSAwSKwCbPxguSor_1-u8DwzumoV09_aHnkTS1RdxlL5OkAOcgsD8ZOKappPGuRRO63i-caSiStvd-iXjU57nXABB08zMG1WHqTOTfmiELQhokVPRjpvyVCtIbhp2OCrzAQ7C3d_7_Ryn9S14Ir2jzakh1W_ahoU18LEhpwT-FWmpPdZzY6yQ_vcq2-KKFHzoG2VH9Gne_KFVFMiLukl0fccAwgrhqnR6Jixdpo-b3NNtT2lZmsL0ALSl_VQY9SCbf8rN7FeyYXnbE3N_e2QE2Egfu_B7HfiRbYQWxfzu1D9_HfJvqo0c3FKZlK6uDDde0-wKL4kbTb70yy-LS05mADFjvWYemCt27jj1IgpFOP6MsSXmgFzH5XDBxka0MHbSLZpS0j8zb_5QYb_z6EIPaV_nTLm9ebj1R643FL88g==" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ingredion.com</a> for more information and the latest company news.</p> <img alt="" class="__GNW8366DE3E__IMG" src="https://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/ti?nf=OTY3NDE0NyM3NDkwODQ2IzIyNjA2ODI="></img> <br></br><img alt="" src="https://ml.globenewswire.com/media/ZmQ1MjQxMzAtZDYzMy00MDMyLTg5MzQtYTE4YzFlNjk2MmJjLTEyNzIyMzItMjAyNi0wMy0xOC1lbg==/tiny/Shiru.png" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></img><pre>Media contact
media@shiru.com</pre><p><a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/31709449-7fb3-40c8-9942-74267ed6fb2d"><img src="https://ml.globenewswire.com/media/31709449-7fb3-40c8-9942-74267ed6fb2d/small/shiru-logo-green-4x-1-png.png" border="0" width="150" height="43" alt="Primary Logo"></img></a></p>

Ingredion has announced a strategic R&D partnership with Shiru to advance AI-driven functional protein development aimed at food, beverage, and nutrition supplements. This collaboration is expected to enhance Ingredion's innovation capabilities and distribution reach, benefiting its global customer base and addressing growing health-oriented consumer expectations.

Ingredion and Shiru Announce Partnership to Accelerate AI-Powered Functional Protein Discovery

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