OptiBiotix Health plc

("OptiBiotix" or the "Company" or "the Group")

SweetBiotix® Update

OptiBiotix Health plc (AIM: OPTI, OTCQB: OPTBF), a life sciences business developing products which reduce hunger and food cravings, enhance the gut microbiome, and sweet fibres as healthy sugar substitutes provides an update on its SweetBiotix® product range for new and existing investors.

On 24 November 2025, the Company announced it had achieved a major technical and commercial breakthrough with the introduction of a new enzyme that delivers higher yields and a purer and cleaner tasting product.  This enzyme has a one-step enzymic process which simplifies manufacture and reduces ingredient and production costs.

The Company held a SweetBiotix shareholder presentation and tasting session on 24 June 2026, where shareholders were able to sample SweetBiotix with three volunteers joining a 'tasting panel' comparing SweetBiotix to sugar. Investors reported a clean tasting product with no aftertaste and sweetness slightly higher than sugar.  The Company also presented a pathway to production and commercialisation.

The Company reports it has made good progress on this pathway and has:-

1.    Undertaken independent testing by The Flavour and Sensory Science Centre at the University of Reading using an expert sensory panel which showed that the Company has successfully developed a sweet fibre approximately 100X as sweet as sugar with a clean taste.  This creates the potential for a range of finished products ranging from 1:1 sweetness of sugar up to 100X the sweetness according to application need without any flavour off notes as occur in existing products.

2.    Carried out structural analysis using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to confirm prebiotic modification of Reb A and that we have created a unique ingredient. Structural analysis is important in IP filings to protect the invention.

3.    Produced more SweetBiotix samples at laboratory scale to share with beverage, confectionary, and food companies who have expressed interest with the first samples being sent out at the start of September.  These include well known food, beverage and confectionary brands as well as a recent interest from a major global beverage Company who we have sent SweetBiotix samples.  

4.    Received and negotiated manufacturing agreements with three manufacturers. Subject to finalising an agreement and the manufacturer's production timetable, the Company is targeting receipt of initial product samples around the end of 2026.

Work continues in line with the pathway to production and commercialisation with further progress updates to be provided in due course. 

Stephen O'Hara, CEO of OptiBiotix Health plc said: "The discovery of the new enzyme has reduced the complexity of manufacturing and increased the number of potential partners able to produce SweetBiotix.  Whilst there remains a number of challenges, we now have a clear pathway to production and commercialisation and believe this discovery has led to a material improvement in the likelihood of successful manufacture and the commercial potential of our SweetBiotix products.  We are encouraged by the level of interest in SweetBiotix from major partners, including a recent approach from a global beverage company."

View the full announcement and submit questions to management via our website:  https://optibiotix.com/link/r6wpdP

About OptiBiotix - www.optibiotix.com

OptiBiotix Health plc (AIM: OPTI, OTCQB: OPTBF), OptiBiotix Health has developed a range of technologies and commercialised products which modulate the human microbiome to help prevent and manage human disease.  Since the Group's inception it has created a wide range of microbiome-based ingredients and products including prebiotic products like SlimBiome®, WellBiome®, SweetBiotix® and Microbiome Modulators within its core OptiBiotix Health plc (OPTI) business, but also skincare through its holdings in SkinBioTherapeutics PLC (SBTX), and probiotics through ProBiotix Health plc (PBX). These companies create a diverse portfolio technologies and products in an emerging area of healthcare that is of growing interest in consumer markets throughout the world.