Case Study: Tate & Lyle reduces corn sugar particle variation with Minitab

Helping Tate & Lyle Ensure Sweeteners Feel More Like Plain Sugar

Tate & Lyle, a global food and beverage company known for products like SPLENDA® Sucralose, faced a challenge in its corn sugar crystallization process: keeping particle size distribution consistent enough to mimic the taste and texture of table sugar. With more than 1,000 potential inputs and complex interactions, the team needed help identifying which factors were driving variation. Tate & Lyle turned to Minitab, using Minitab Statistical Software, Minitab Engage, and Salford Predictive Modeler to tackle the problem.

Minitab helped Tate & Lyle map the process, visualize the data with an Xbar chart, and use TreeNet modeling to narrow more than 1,000 predictors down to 8 key variables. These predictors explained nearly half of the variation in test samples, and partial dependency plots revealed why certain inputs, especially the feed stream, had such a strong impact on final particle size. As a result, Tate & Lyle found ways to reduce variation in crystal size and improve process control.

Tate & Lyle

Adam Russell

Global Operations Master Black Belt