Kalsec expands lab capabilities in Europe
14 Nov 2017 --- Natural spice and herb extract producer, Kalsec, has made significant investments in their European operations. A new laboratory with state-of-the-art analytical facilities has been installed at the Mildenhall, United Kingdom location. It is supported by the expansion of Kalsec’s first-class team with new technical experts.
“Our company is known for supplying superb natural herb, spice, vegetable and hop ingredients to food and drink manufacturers,” says James Smith, managing director, Europe.
Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst Smith says: “It is indeed exciting times for Kalsec Europe and, as the expansion shows, we see great opportunities in many areas of the food industry across Europe. Our core strengths are in soups, sauces and dressings, fats and oils and meat and poultry applications and we are looking for significant growth in each of these areas in the next few years as our customers and consumers look for more natural, clean and clear labels.”
“The new lab delivers benefits beyond those already offered by our products and supplies customers with scientific measures of changes in their food products over set periods of time. This means Kalsec can offer retailers scientific evidence to back up their claims about consistency, stability and, most importantly, shelf-life. These results will show the positive impact of Kalsec ingredients on flavor and aroma retention – and sustaining the color and appearance of products,” he notes.
This new laboratory offers Kalsec the capability to support meat suppliers and processors, fats and oils producers and soup, sauce and dressings manufacturers with scientific evidence as well as insights into applications. “The opportunity to increase shelf-life and reduce waste while enhancing flavor and overall experience for the consumer continues to be a priority for packaged food and ready-meal manufacturers,” explains Smith.
Kalsec’s naturally-sourced herbs and spices can extend the shelf-life of ground beef, stabilize the color of pepperoni and provide innovative flavor profiles for sauces or marinades for prepared meals.
Smith adds: “We’re continuously researching and conducting trials to improve techniques for extracting natural raw materials that help stabilize a wide range of foods. Retailers and consumers get the benefit of products that consistently look, taste and smell fresh regardless of season or location. We combine our extraction capabilities and knowledge of culinary expertise to transform customer products into world class meals with ethnic or regional dimensions.”
The enhanced team of food scientists is equipped to duplicate a wide range of preparation techniques, including baking and confections, soups, sauces, dressings, marinades, snacks, pickled products, meat and poultry, seasonings and beverages. New additions to the team include Dr. Paul Seymour, technical director, Dr. Henna Lu, lead antioxidant scientist, and Justyna Klusek, food applications scientist.
Vince Martin, the European market development manager at Kalsec, concludes: “The laboratory gives us the capability to conduct state-of-the-art technical analysis. Our highly-qualified and experienced team is able to support our natural extract applications with scientific evidence of the benefits of the final product.”
By Elizabeth Green
