The 2,300 square foot centre combines R&D support and expertise, customer laboratory services and an inhouse bakery pilot plant, which will allow its customers to accelerate product development, along with all the equipment, capabilities and bakery support team needed to expedite commercialization.
“This centre expands our bakery footprint and introduces new capabilities made possible with the latest technology and a dedicated team of experts,” said Courtney Schwartz, marketing director, Kemin Food Technologies.
“Investing in and expanding our team of bakery experts was just as important as building this facility because we are working together with our customer-partners to develop a new generation of bakery products that are sure to exceed consumers’ expectations.”
The bakery expansion also includes the launch of batch packs, premixes, emulsifiers and enzyme blends specific to flatbreads and baked goods to complements Kemin’s existing portfolio of plant extracts, antioxidants and mould-inhibitors.
Highlights of the facility
The analytical lab allows for continuous evaluation of baked goods for microbial stability, and houses a texture analyser to help evaluate dough and finished products under all moisture variations.
Ingredient blending and small batch capabilities can be done in a dry blending centre, which has the capabilities needed to develop new concentrates, premixes, batch packs and individual components.
The facility has the capability to pilot scale production, including a complete tortilla line with a combination corn and flour tortilla oven that allows Kemin to mimic commercial production. All new ingredients and technologies can be screened and tested in all possible processing configurations before trials are done at a customer’s facility.
An accelerated stability facility is fully equipped with storage incubators that have accelerated high-temperature and humidity conditions, creating atmospheric variations in lab to evaluate the shelf life of baked goods.
“Our new facility is a game-changer for our bakery business, as it gives us the opportunity to work more closely with our customer-partners,” said Anita Srivastava, senior product development manager for Bakery Applications, Kemin.
“We provide support to customers by helping them understand the process and science behind our ingredient solutions. The Bakery Innovation Centre brings together our scientists from different areas to learn and evaluate the commercial process in house, saving time and creating cost advantages, as extensive travel is no longer required. Now, we do not have to wait for a commercial facility to become available in order to run trials.”
