SENOMYX ANNOUNCES INITIATION OF DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES FOR NEW SUCROS...( S6973 allows up to 50% sucrose reduc...)

S6973 allows up to 50% sucrose reduction while maintaining the sweet taste

of natural sugar

SAN DIEGO, CA, July 29, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Senomyx, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNMX), a leading company focused on using proprietary technologies to discover and develop novel flavor ingredients for the food, beverage, and ingredient supply industries, announced today that it has initiated development activities for a new sucrose enhancer, S6973. Sucrose (otherwise known as common table sugar) is widely used in many food and beverage products. Taste tests have demonstrated that S6973 enables the reduction of up to 50% of the sucrose present in product prototypes while maintaining the sweet taste of natural sugar.

"Senomyx believes that S6973 has the potential to be used to enhance the sweet taste of sucrose in numerous food and beverage products," said Kent Snyder, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board of Senomyx. "The discovery of S6973 is a major scientific accomplishment and represents a significant commercial opportunity for Senomyx. Flavor ingredients that enable a meaningful reduction in sucrose without compromising taste would provide consumers with new choices for products with lower calories and therefore improved nutritional profiles."

Unlike typical sugar alternatives, S6973 does not have a sweet taste of its own in taste tests with product prototypes. Instead, it is a unique flavor ingredient intended to amplify the sweet taste of the sugar present in a food or beverage. "Taste tests conducted by Senomyx have shown that S6973 enhanced the sweet taste of yogurt, cereal, and cookie prototypes, as well as powdered and other beverages," noted John Poyhonen, Senior Vice
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