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New idea could mean sweeter strawberries with less sugar

One teenager's bright idea inspired by the humble strawberry could help tackle obesity. Her plan will be among the first to work at RB's new £105m research centre in Hull.

Nineteen-year-old Isabel Hyde won a national competition to join some of the company's top scientists at the new state-of-the-art complex which opens next year.

She was crowned winner of RB's Future of Science challenge after devising a method of reducing the amount of sugar in foods while retaining all the taste.

The competition challenged UK science, technology, engineering and maths students to solve future healthcare problems by creating a concept for a new product.

Isabel's successful pitch won her a paid placement at the research centre, together with accommodation.

She said her idea had come from a TV show about how the brain perceives taste in strawberries through scent. 

"This got me thinking that we could use scents to trick the brain, and therefore the taste receptors, into thinking low-sugar products were actually sweeter and tastier than they are.

"That way, we could cut the sugar in certain foods but still give them a satisfying flavour, making them much healthier and helping people to lose weight."

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