Sweetener Solutions, Pooler, Ga., announced an expansion to existing production capacity and warehousing space through the creation of a new, additional climate-controlled facility near its corporate headquarters. “We’re very excited about how the investment in this new facility and additional state-of-the-art blending and packaging equipment positively impacts our production capabilities and our overall flexibility,” said Mike Lasky, chief executive officer of Sweetener Solutions, in a statement. “It positions us to continue our strong growth into the future, adding jobs to our local economy, while ensuring that we continue to provide our valuable customers the final product quality and responsive service they have come to expect.”

Flavorchem, Downers Grover, Ill., announced the opening of the SRS Center for Taste Innovation at its Downers Grove campus.  The new 25,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility is named after the late Salvatore R. Sprovieri, who founded the company in 1971 with his brother Phil, who maintains an active leadership role. Every element within the space was intentionally designed to deliver the most premium sensory experience, from the three guest suites fully equipped with workstations and mini bars to the chic Toto toilets that provide the most intimate comforts, the company says. “Our goal was to create a space that would be a destination for clients. Customer experience was the focus of this project,” said Ross Sprovieri in a statement. “We want our customers to be part of the product development process.”

An in vitro study published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements, demonstrated that Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.-based Blue California’s ErgoActive ergothioneine helped to preserve telomere length and reduced the rate of telomere shortening under oxidative stress. The in vitro study is the first time ergothioneine has been studied for its effect on telomere length. Blue California provided its ErgoActive ergothioneine, which is produced by a proprietary fermentation process. “Our results suggest that ergothioneine as part of a healthy diet could potentially mitigate the negative effects of oxidative stress and support healthy aging by helping to preserve telomere length and reduce the rate of shortening,” said Chief Science Officer Priscilla Samuel in a statement.

DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences, Copenhagen, Denmark, is accelerating its open innovation strategy to prepare food and beverage manufacturers for fast-developing trends and disruptive change. DuPont is a partner with global innovation platform Plug and Play’s Food & Beverage program in the Silicon Valley, Calif. In early 2021, Plug and Play will open a new location in Chicago, and DuPont will be a founding partner of the new office with direct access to the emerging technologies, it says. The source of these new technologies is entrepreneurial start-ups that look for support from larger corporate partners to develop and scale their business. By acting as an investor and mentor, DuPont will accelerate their development and bring their innovative capabilities to market faster, it says.

Saddle Brook, N.J.-based Malt Products Corp. (MPC), a manufacturer of malted barley extract and other natural, nutritious sweeteners, has recently experienced a surge in demand for its OatRite oat extract as a sweetener for the burgeoning oat milk market. The spike of inquiries stems from the nationwide boom of oat milk as the fastest-growing milk alternative, combined with increased consumer interest in pantry-friendly food labels featuring non-GMO, plant-based and multi-functional ingredients, the company says. OatRite extracts are made from whole grain oats minimally processed in a state-of-the-art plant, producing a syrup with a mild sweetness and pleasant oat taste and aroma. Naturally high in protein, minerals, soluble fiber and antioxidants, the non-GMO sweetener offers not nutritive benefits but many functional assets including improved texture and extended shelf life, according to the company.

Guilin Layn Natural Ingredient Corp. Ltd. (Layn), Shanghai, China, has expanded its botanical extract portfolio through a majority acquisition of Chengdu Wagott Bio-tech Co. Ltd. (Wagott), China’s largest exporter of green tea extract, and leading producer of tea and resveratrol extracts, the company says. In an agreement finalized Oct. 13, 2020, Layn acquired 51 percent ownership of Waggot. The purpose of this equity acquisition is to integrate and leverage the industry's leading resources, combining intellectual property and advantages in talent, management, products, processes and industry relationships to deliver increasing compelling value to customers, the company says. “It is exciting to combine our well-developed processes and technology to expand opportunities and bring increased value to the marketplace, particularly in bringing tea extracts, including natural polyphenols and L-theanine to market,” said Feng Gu, general manager of Wagott, in a statement. “Utilizing Layn’s formulation and application strengths and proprietary platforms designed to deliver solutions tailored to specific applications and market needs, we anticipate significant product innovation and the introduction of new lines such as white tea and pu’erh tea extracts and organic certified tea extracts.”