6/7/2011 --- DSM has opened its state-of-the-art Nutrition Innovation Center in Parsippany, New Jersey. Designed to foster inspiration and creativity, the advanced regional applications laboratory houses an array of capabilities under one roof. Decades of experience in nutritional and specialty ingredient solutions will be available on demand, helping manufacturers of food, beverage, dietary supplement and personal care products find a competitive advantage faster than ever before.

The new center houses a cutting edge laboratory and fully equipped pilot plant and sensory analysis facilities, which enable DSM to optimize production processes, improve product quality, test new ingredients, and analyze and evaluate a wide range of products.

Highly experienced specialists will work in close collaboration with DSM’s customers to offer applications expertise, product development assistance and scale-up bench top formulation. This will facilitate the creation of breakthrough application concepts and prototypes, bringing consumer-relevant nutritional solutions to market faster than ever before.

Rick Greubel, President, Human Nutrition & Health, DSM Nutritional Products, comments: “Our new nutrition center is truly a ‘one stop shop’ for innovation. It will enable customers to stay ahead in a highly competitive, constantly changing health and nutrition marketplace − whatever their target application.”

The center is the latest addition to DSM’s global community of six networked application laboratories. Housing more than 100 application specialists and technical marketing experts, these facilities provide customers with convenient, personalized support wherever they are in the world. The Parsippany facility features research equipment for the development of bakery, beverage, dairy, savory, nutritional and cosmetic concepts. With open innovation becoming an increasingly important platform for the ingredients sector, DSM can partner with manufacturers in developing cutting edge concepts.

“The scope of this site really is unrivalled anywhere in the world”, said Hans-Christian Ambjerg, President, DSM Food Specialties. “From this one location, DSM’s vast scientific knowledge will help manufacturers achieve faster product development, enhanced operational and cost efficiencies and, ultimately, increased profits.”

Corresponding with a new corporate strategy that sees the company selecting nutrition as a strong platform for future growth, DSM has been spreading its wings in recent months, particularly in natural nutritionals. In May 2011, DSM announced that it had acquired Spanish natural carotenoid supplier Vitatene, which uses fungal fermentation. The move came shortly after the major acquisition of Martek Biosciences had been completed, which took DSM into the algae-derived omega 3 DHA space. Other recent acquisitions have included US based Microbia, an industrial biotechnology research and development specialist offering fat soluble compounds.

DSM’s expansion in nutrition is unlikely to stop here and further acquisitions are expected, as well as continued venturing in start-up companies like UK-based Provexis [behind the innovative heart health ingredient FruitFlow]. But the company is also hoping to achieve organic growth in food and nutrition, by leveraging its innovation capabilities and partnering with manufacturers in developing winning products. DSM’s Nutrition cluster, which includes DSM Nutritional Products, continues to invest more than 5% of its turnover in R&D. The market outlook for nutritionals was of course one of the few areas in business that performed strongly during the downturn, as nervous [predominantly US] consumers worried about their health in poor economic times and looked towards preventative nutrition.