DuPont Nutrition & Health Opens Innovation Application Center in India
19 Mar 2015 --- DuPont Nutrition & Health announced the opening of an Innovation Application Center in Gurgaon, India. The multi-million-dollar facility houses state-of-the-art equipment and capabilities to serve the food industry in India.
“According to industry estimates, the food industry in India is growing between 15 and 20 percent annually. We recognize that while the science of food is global, the taste and flavours of food are local,” said Matthias Heinzel, president of DuPont Nutrition & Health. “As we develop those local solutions, we need to be able to work closely with our local customers on foods they are developing for their consumers.
“This Innovation Application Center provides that access and a place for us to share our innovation and expertise, to showcase what we can offer and to help our customers save valuable time in developing novel solutions for the market. Our India Innovation Application Center coupled with the DuPont Innovation Center network leverages a wealth of knowledge, science expertise and experience from all our experts globally.”
Brian Jones, regional leader for DuPont Nutrition & Health, South Asia, told FoodIngredientsFirst: “With its 1.25 billion population, India currently represents 17% of the world’s population. India’s economic growth, combined with a health conscious middle class with more disposable income in hand, is creating greater demand for better food, more value-added food, more protein in their diets and packaged foods.
“The DuPont Nutrition & Health Innovation Application Center in India will allow us to engage with customers at all stages, from creating basic concepts, to product development, recipes and scaling,” Jones said.
The Innovation Application Center, which has capabilities to expand, will initially employ 15 to 20 people by the end of 2015. DuPont Nutrition & Health also has an existing blending facility for specialty ingredients in Sohna, Haryana.
“The DuPont offering in India cuts across the landscape of food – from flour-based products to dairy to nutritional beverages and powders,” added Jones. “Among the focus areas of the Innovation Application Center will be protective cultures for dahi and yogurt, soy protein products, ice-cream and more nutritious, Indian snacks and biscuits tailored to meet the regional taste and texture expectations. The center also will allow DuPont to introduce formulations that are more convenient and affordable for more food choices for the food industry. An example is the work ongoing with customers on increasing the shelf-life of products in hotter climates where cold chain technology is not available. In addition, as a global leader in probiotics, DuPont is working closely with Indian companies to develop probiotics for gut and immune health.”
DuPont Nutrition & Health addresses the world’s challenges in food by offering a wide range of sustainable, bio-based ingredients and advanced molecular diagnostic solutions to provide safer, healthier and more nutritious food. Through close collaboration with customers, DuPont combines knowledge and experience with a passion for innovation to deliver unparalleled customer value to the marketplace.
