Virtual beverage lab: Ingredion expands Idea Labs platform

28 Jun 2018 --- Ingredion has introduced a virtual lab called Inside Idea Labs, an interactive online portal which serves as an extension of the global network of Ingredion Idea Labs innovation centers. According to Ingredion, the virtual lab is equipped with resources and content developed by the same experts who partner with customers at the company’s brick-and-mortar labs around the world.

The development of on-demand digital support reflects the company’s long-standing commitment to innovation. The virtual lab, available at insideidealabs.com and first developed to serve the US beverage segment, makes Ingredion Idea Labs science-based problem solving more readily available to customers pursuing increased agility and speed to market.

“New technologies in the lab and throughout the supply chain are spurring opportunities for customers large and small,” says Michael O’Riordan, Vice President, Business Development at Ingredion. “Inside Idea Labs allows us to expand the reach of our technical services, sharing our established expertise in areas like clean label, sensory experience, and health and nutrition with a broad range of manufacturers – including many customers who have not previously had the opportunity to visit one of our labs.”

Inside Idea Labs will consist of regionally developed labs focused on specific market segments. The beverage lab will be launched in the US and expand this year to serve customers in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, as well as Asia Pacific, Canada, Mexico and South America. Dairy labs will launch in all regions this year as well, and Ingredion experts will continue to create additional resources to serve customers.

“We are committed to building a robust platform,” notes Joseph M. Light, Vice President of Global Development and Ingredient Technology at Ingredion. “Our existing relationships with customers have given us insight into the types of information that we need to build into each virtual lab, and we’re looking forward to expanding our resources across all segments as part of our service offering.”

“Some of the fastest-growing and innovative companies in the US beverage category are small and mid-sized companies,” Afrouz Naeini, Senior Marketing Manager of Sweetness and Beverage in North America explains. “Often limited in their R&D resources, they rely heavily on information that can be found online during product development. Inside Idea Labs allows us to reach these developers during the early stages of their interest in new beverage trends and their online search to address challenges.”

The beverage lab showcases technical resources including sample formulations, an ingredient selector, how-to videos and responses to questions that customers frequently ask about topics such as sugar reduction, protein enrichment and stabilization, as well as beverage emulsification.

Michael O’Riordan, Vice President, Marketing and Business Development at Ingredion tells FoodIngredientsFirst: “With so much innovation in the food and beverage industry coming from entrepreneurs and small to mid-sized companies, we wanted to provide a virtual lab to help them conceptualize, formulate, troubleshoot and scale up products online. Inside Idea Labs is Ingredion’s way of bringing all the expertise of our global network of Ingredion Idea Labs innovation centers to new digitally focused audiences, including product developers at larger companies too. The industry’s future is driven by innovation – and providing online product development support 24/7 is a great way to enable today’s innovators on their own terms and on their own schedules.”

Ingredion welcomed TIC Gums and Kerr Concentrates into the Ingredion group of companies in the last few years. “Both contribute expertise and solutions to Inside Idea Labs, helping formulators with sugar reduction, protein fortification, texture, stability and more,” says O’Riordan. “The interactive online portal enables us to serve more customers at the same time, answering their technical questions and providing the why, how and what of product formulation. It’s important to note that we will be adding both new functionality and content to Iinside Idea Labson a regular basis. Our goal is to make this a rich resource that product developers return to again and again.”
 
“The Inside Idea Labs beverage lab is open for business now, with dairy and bakery coming over the next several months. The labs provide content that helps product developers overcome their challenges,” he continues. “Maybe they need ideas and concepts, so we provide trend information and thought starters from our experts. Perhaps they want help in developing a recipe, so we provide sample formulations plus Q&A’s that help them troubleshoot. They can learn directly from our experts in videos and guides on everything from stabilizing protein beverages to choosing the right stevia sweetener. And they can order a sample with ingredient selector and live chat tools coming soon.”
 
“Each region will have its own virtual lab to reflect the needs of area formulators, regional consumer trends and regulatory guidance from different government entities. Furthermore, we want to make sure the solutions we offer to overcome their challenges are available in the regions or countries in which the product developers are working. Watch for beverage labs coming soon, followed by dairy and bakery labs, in areas beyond the US, where we are making our debut. We believe the interactive online portal will be especially helpful in emerging markets where product developers are seeking access to expertise to augment that of their teams. This kind of collaboration energizes everyone,” O’Riordan concludes.

By Elizabeth Green