DAVIS, CALIF.  — Oobli and Ingredion Inc. formed a partnership after testing co-developed products formulated with sweet proteins manufactured by Oobli and sweetener options like stevia that are sold by Ingredion.

The partnership will accelerate the production of “healthier sweetener systems,” according to the companies.

“Whether we’re enhancing existing sweetener systems with sweet proteins or using our established sweeteners to unlock new possibilities, we see incredible synergies across these platforms,” said Nate Yates, vice president and general manager of sugar reduction and fiber fortification, and chief executive officer of PureCircle at Ingredion.

Oobli also has raised $18 million in a Series B1 funding round. The round included new investors such as Ingredion Ventures, Lever Vc and Sucden Ventures. Existing investors include Khosla Ventures, Piva Capital, B37 Ventures and others.

“Sweet proteins are a long-overdue addition to the toolkit of better-for-you sweeteners,” said Ali Wing, CEO at Oobli. “Working with Ingredion’s best-in-class teams to pair natural sweeteners with our novel sweet proteins will deliver game-changing solutions in this important, growing and timely category.”

Grupo Bimbo SAV de CV is another example of a recent partnership with Oobli for its sweet proteins. Under the Grupo Bimbo partnership, the company plans to formulate several of its baked foods products with Oobli’s sweet proteins.