Verleen Goh

35 / Singapore

As co-founder of Alchemy Foodtech, Verleen Goh aims to create a healthier future for Asians by developing products that help reduce the incidence and improve the management of chronic diseases such as diabetes. The company makes Alchemy Fibre, a patented powder from plants such as peas and beans that is added to rice, noodles and bread products to lower their glucose release, providing beneficial prebiotic fibres that aid gut health and immunity without compromising the taste, texture or appearance of food. The goal is to create a product that allows people across Asia to enjoy staple foods like white rice and steamed buns without harming their health. 

Verleen studied Food Science and Technology in Singapore and was always interested in the important role that food plays in our health. The idea for Alchemy Food came from her entrepreneur husband Alan Phua’s desire to protect his family’s health, after seeing many relatives suffer from diabetes. The pair created a database of plant ingredients that could help their purpose, conducting research on their properties and testing them in an in-vitro digestion system that mimics human digestion to ensure that the ingredients they use can effectively lower glucose release. So far, they have partnered with more than 50 restaurants and food manufacturers to incorporate Alchemy Fibre into their meals, and their products are sold in major supermarkets and pharmacies in Singapore as well as being exported to the US and Philippines.

“I believe in ‘food be thy medicine’ and that food and nutrition play a big role in healthy ageing and disease prevention.” – Verleen Goh