R&D News

Bell Flavors & Fragrances acquired an 85,000 square-foot warehouse building that is contiguous to its existing corporate headquarters in Northbrook, Ill. The company plans to connect its current corporate headquarters with the new building, it says.

Cargill Inc., Minneapolis, opened a $12.6 million technology and innovation center in Campinas, Brazil, in June. The new complex was developed based on sustainable principles and houses technical teams that will develop innovative solutions, ingredients and applications in partnership with customers, Cargill says. The company also announced it will expand its farmer training in support of sustainable cocoa production and certification program to Cameroon, the world’s fourth largest cocoa producer.

Fonterra Co-operative, Auckland, New Zealand, announced Theo Spierings will take on the role of chief executive officer effective Sept. 26. The company also announced a $40 million investment to create Fonterra’s third dairy farm in China in Yutian County, Hebei Province.

Döhler Group announced it is implementing Food Safety System Certification (FSSC) 22000 at its production facilities. The certification has been completed at its headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany; two Dutch production facilities; and its Turkish production plant in Akkent. The company is working on implementing FSSC 22000 certification at Döhler’s additional locations, such as in Brazil, India and China.

GLG Life Tech Corp., Vancouver, British Columbia, announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Generally Recognized as Safe letter of no objection for GLG’s PureSTV and BlendSure stevia-based ingredients. The company also recently filed a notice with the FDA following self-affirmation for its RA 95 high purity stevia extract.

Martin Bauer Inc., Secaucus, N.J., appointed Petra Tanos to a dual role in extract sales specializing in tea and botanical extracts in North America and promotion of the company’s sustainability and CSR programs.

Autocrat LLC, Lincoln, R.I., appointed Caroline J. Hennigar-Vogel director of quality assurance and research and development.

BI Nutraceuticals, Long Beach, Calif., hired Kara Lambert as product manager.

Cyvex Nutrition, Irvine, Calif., added Lauren Kamtan as customer service manager for the company’s East Coast clientele.

David Michael & Co., Philadelphia, announced the following new employees: Valina Antoine, technical and regulatory specialist; Arlene S. Dominguez, accountant; John Kostek, operations manager; Katie Lashley, associate account manager for its Sales Training Account Management Program; Mary Gromlowicz, processed flavors; Amanda Prudente, flavor technician for creative flavors; and Victoria Vaynberger, marketing and consumer insights manager. The company also announced Val Barber was promoted to vanilla lab manager. In addition, Xiaofan (Isabella) Fan joined David Michael Beijing as a food technologist.

Creators Briefs

Soluble fiber

Biovelop AB will offer its PromOat soluble fiber ingredient in the United States through a partnership with Brenntag North America Inc. PromOat is a naturally separated oat beta glucan-rich soluble fiber that can be added to a wide range of beverages and food, the Swedish ingredient company says. The ingredient uses Biovelop’s patented chemical-free technology to allow formulation without the oat taste, color or graininess, it says. PromOat can be incorporated in all-natural, clean label ingredients that help extend the appeal of oatmeal beyond breakfast and throughout the day, Biovelop says.

Brenntag North America Inc., 5083 Pottsville Pike, Reading, Pa. 19605; 610/926-6100; brenntagnorthamerica.com.

Food-derived colors

Chr. Hansen introduced a series of FruitMax natural colors for beverage, dairy and food applications to the U.S. market. Previously available in Europe, the FruitMax range includes seven shades from red to violet that are processed from edible, natural sources, such as fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, the company says. The introduction answers a growing U.S. demand for natural colors, the company says. FruitMax solutions can be labeled as “fruit and/or vegetable concentrates,” according to the company. In addition, Chr. Hansen launched the natural color “Red Strawberry Fragaria” for fermented milk and fruit preparations. The pink-red shade is able to decrease pigment concentration by 10 percent to 20 percent compared to standard carmine and maintains stability throughout shelf life, the company says.

Chr. Hansen. Inc., 9015 W. Maple St., Milwaukee, Wis. 53214; 414/607-5700; chr-hansen.com.

Hispanic flavors

Comax Flavors offers a line of flavors inspired by traditional Hispanic cuisine. The range spans sweet and spicy flavors that were inspired by the popular tastes of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba and other Spanish-speaking areas, the company says. Comax offers Mango, Papaya, Passionfruit and Lime flavors in addition to Guanabana, which is similar to a mixture of strawberry and pineapple with an underlying creaminess of coconut or banana; Acerola, also known as the Barbados cherry; and Lulo, a citrus flavor sometimes described as a combination of rhubarb and lime, it says. The company also offers Sangria and Mexican Vanilla flavors. Also available from Comax Flavors are natural flavors, such as Grapefruit, Calamansi, Green Apple, Dalandan, Celementine, Mango, Guava, Passionfruit, Plum, Blueberry and Lavender.

Comax Flavors, 130 Baylis Road, Melville, N.Y. 11747; 800/992-0629; comaxflavors.com.

Flavor modifier

PureCircle launched a new natural flavor modifier under the trade name NSF-02. The flavor modifier is specifically designed to work well in combination with PureCircle’s high purity stevia sweeteners,

Reb A and SG-95. NSF-02 also can enhance the flavor, sweetness and taste of beverages sweetened with sugar or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The company says the combination of sugar or HFCS with NSF-02 and PureCircle’s high purity stevia sweeteners delivers better tasting, low cost and natural product formulations with reduced calories, the company says. It adds that the flavor modifier is the first of many new natural flavor systems in the PureCircle pipeline.

PureCircle USA, 915 Harger Road, Suite 250, Oak Brook, Ill. 60523; 630/361-0374; purecircle.com.

Watermelon distillate

Treatt USA released its new Watermelon Extra 9728 Treattarome, which is a 100 percent natural clear watermelon distillate suitable for use in clear beverages. The distillate delivers a fruity, juicy character with balanced flowery and fruity back-end notes, the company says. The flavor is wholly distilled from watermelon species Citrullus lanatus to deliver a riper flavor that has a more leafy, fruity and pulpy flavor than its complementary flavor Watermelon 9724, which has more rind flavors with a strong flowery front end, the company says. Used at a level of 0.1 percent, the water-soluble essence brings an intense melon character, the company says. When used at lower levels of 0.01 percent or less, it is effective in combination with other Treattaromes and Treatt citrus specialties to deliver delicate watermelon notes, according to the company.

Treatt USA Inc., 4900 Lakeland Commerce Parkway, Lakeland, Fla. 33805, 868/668-9500; treatt.com.