Cargill Invests in Asia-Pacific Specialty Starch Expansion

15 Mar 2017 --- Cargill Asia Pacific has announced that it will be investing in a number of key specialty starch projects in the Asia Pacific region. One of the world’s largest corn milling companies, Cargill aims to leverage on its cutting-edge starch modification technologies and has set up the modified starch facility in China. This facility helps to serve Cargill’s Asia customers and provide them with a range of specialty starch solutions to increase the stability of soups, sauces and dairy products.

The size of capex investment is being kept confidential, however, a spokesperson for the company stressed to FoodIngredientsFirst: “We are the key players in the market and looking forward to strengthen our positioning in Asia.” 

An essential ingredient in most food and beverage applications, be it bakery, salad dressing and sauces or dairy products and snacks, specialty starches allow manufacturers to develop new and novel textures, manage stability and create new “on trend” recipes without compromising on consumer quality. Having a reliable local source of specialty starches means manufacturers can innovate with confidence as they will have access to the widest range of high performance starches from within the region. 

Cargill will also be the first company globally to produce cold water swelling starches in the Asia region. Leading the way in Asia, this investment commitment will enable significant potential innovation and future application in the local food and beverage industry. Cold water swelling starches are the “best in class” instant starch solutions that bring improved viscosity and texture stability, better dispersability, and more flexibility in processing other instant starches. They are ideal for bakery products, bakery fillings, coatings, cold prepared dairy and convenience products and can bring enhanced indulgence and excitement to food and beverage products. A cost effective and superior solution, cold water swelling starches are the versatile choice for food manufacturers. 

CEO of Cargill Asia Pacific Peter van Deursen says: “Cargill has an established network in the Asia region, and as our global network of specialty starch assets continue to grow and expand, we must evolve alongside our partners and continue provide innovative, on-trend solutions for our customers. These series of strategic investments will help us bring this vision to life, reinforces Cargill’s leadership in the growing APAC market, and also demonstrates our commitment to always helping local communities and manufacturers grow and thrive with us.”

He adds: “ We aim to be the most trusted partner in food, agriculture and nutrition by delivering sustainable solutions that help our customers nourish the world.”

Cargill has 52,000 employees in 17 countries an Asia Pacific across about 250 locations, and are headquartered in Singapore.

Franck Monmont, Regional Director Cargill Texturizing Solutions and Go To Market says: “Cargill is the world’s leading supplier of starches, sweeteners & texturizers. We serve customers the global food & drinks industry. In Asia, our key priority is to help fulfil the needs of our customers through the delivery of a broad specialty ingredient portfolio, state-of-the-art application capabilities, as well as customer-centric solutions and services.” 

“We have developed and tailored a wide range of starches from corn, waxy corn, potato and wheat to meet consumer needs, and customize their different functionalities for our various customers in the food and drinks industry,” he notes.

The company produces a range of Specialty starches (physical and chemical), including oxidized starch, acid thinned starch, acetylated distarch phosphate and distarch phosphate; as well as starch ester, starch ether, emulsifying starch, cold water swollen starch, roll-dried. These are supported by brand names such as C*PolarTex, C*StabiTex, C*HiForm, C*Instant, C*Set, C*EmCap and etc.

Commenting on the Asia-Pacific strategy, Monmont notes: “Asia is clearly the engine of growth and a very important pillar in our overall Food Ingredient strategy. With 4.5 billion people, continued sustained growth and changing consumer trends, Asia presents huge opportunities for our specialty ingredients. Changing consumer behaviors and needs mandate that Cargill must continue to innovate and invest in developing customized solutions for our customers and partners in order to help them succeed and thrive.”

“To this end, Cargill continues to strive towards being the highest quality starches provider. Food manufacturers can expect Cargill to continue to be their partner of choice, as we tap into our vast global network and our depth of resources – including state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, local assets, integrated supply chain solutions as well as innovation and application centers – to support and partner our Asian customers, and to provide them with affordable, healthy and convenient products. Our investment in creating a strong Asia Pacific presence has been a key enabler of this strategy and is seeing many positive yields,” he concludes.

By Robin Wyers