Kemin opens Bakery Innovation Center in Iowa, US

Global ingredient manufacturer Kemin Industries has opened a Bakery Innovation Center at its global headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, US.

The centre will be engaged in developing the next generation of flatbreads and baked goods.

It also combines research and development support, customer laboratory services and an in-house bakery pilot plant.

Kemin Food Technologies marketing director Courtney Schwartz said: “This is a really exciting time for Kemin and our team as our new Bakery Innovation Center opens.

“This centre expands our bakery footprint and introduces new capabilities made possible with the latest technology and a dedicated team of experts.

“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 centre was built with an investment of $1.5m and is equipped with all the equipment to support the bakery team to fast-track product development for Kemin and its customer-partners.

The 2,300ft² innovation facility will feature an analytical lab for continuous evaluation of baked goods and a dry blending centre to develop new concentrates, premixes, batch packs and individual components.

It will also have pilot-scale production capabilities and a stability facility equipped with storage incubators.

Kemin Food Technologies Bakery Applications senior product development manager Anita Srivastava said: “We provide support to customers by helping them understand the process and science behind our ingredient solutions. The Bakery Innovation Center gives us a way to screen and test all new ingredient solutions and processing parameters to ensure success, which is really exciting.”

Additionally, the bakery expansion includes the launch of batch packs, premixes, emulsifiers and enzyme blends that complement Kemin’s existing portfolio of plant extracts, antioxidants and mold-inhibiting products.