The Singapore site will serve as Ingredion’s chief “Idea Lab” in the region, where the company’s food scientists, marketeers, process engineers and nutrition experts will work with customers on their requirements. Its focus will be on region-specific products and solutions.
Finding solutions
Jorgen Kokke, Ingredion’s regional president, said the company’s Singapore development centre comes as part of its wider investment in Asia-Pacific. “We are confident that our customers will derive real value from the activities, insights and expertise we can share with them [at the Idea Lab].”
The concept has born fruit in other locations, having developed ingredients like Precise Gel 03 for gelatin replacement in yoghurt, Quiktex 3331 for building back texture when replacing solids in mayonnaise and Biologo Oligo saccharides for pre-biotic fortification of a wide variety of foods.
“We are confident that many other exciting innovations will come from our newest Idea Labs in Asia, both for Ingredion and our customers,” said Kokke.
Singapore is quickly making a name for itself as a hub for food industry innovation, led by its government’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), which is located in the Biopolis research district of the city, near to Ingredion’s centre.
A*Star has been working with multinational companies to develop their products for the physiology and tastes of Asian consumers, a segment that has largely been ignored in other parts of the world.
Companies like Nestlé and Coca-Cola have been working with A*Star for some time to learn more about the science and tastes behind the Asian consumer.
Singapore’s hub
Ingredion’s centre will bolster Singapore’s goal to attract more food companies by establishing itself as a hub for food science.
Mr Kevin Lai, an executive director of the Singapore Economic Development Board, said Singapore’s “end-to-end innovation ecosystem” provides companies with an array of partners spanning consumer insights, brand development, marketing to scientific research and product development.
“Ingredion can work with partners in Singapore such as market research firms, the Food Innovation and Resource Centre, A*Star and universities to augment its innovation centre.”
Central to the Idea Labs will be “Culinology”, an added-value service that has been helping Ingredion customers in other regions to fast-track their product development and reformulation.
Created by the US Research Chefs’ Association, Culinology is an approach to food that blends the culinary arts, food science and food technology to improve flavour and texture of food, whether in a restaurant or a supermarket.