Supporting nutritional ingredients: Diana Food opens R&D facility in Canada

14 Jun 2019 --- The nutrition division of Symrise Diana Food has opened a new R&D laboratory in Quebec, Canada, in a bid to drive innovation in its Consumer Health division. The new center will support a nearby facility where Diana produces nutritional ingredients for use in a range of health solutions. The creation of new products and processes will be a key focus at the new facility. The team working on location, which includes scientists from Diana’s labs in France, will extract polyphenols from locally sourced materials like cranberries and blueberries and explore their application in health offerings such as dietary supplements.

“The decision to create this new lab emphasizes Diana’s commitment to the market, the North American scientific community, and the company’s long-term growth in the consumer health category,” says Rob Evans, Director of Research & Development at Diana Food. 

The move comes after Symrise reported a decline in profits from its Nutrition division. The decrease in earnings compared with the previous year is attributable to two factors: Investments in the new Diana Food location in the US and a lower contribution to earnings from Probi due to a temporary inventory decrease by a major customer in the first half of the year, according to Symrise.

The facility’s location is a strategic one, as its proximity to Diana’s Consumer Health plant not only allows for the easy transfer of knowledge and technology but also helps transfer laboratory innovation into scalable manufacturing. Additionally, the center is close to Quebec’s little fruits producing region, providing quick access to fresh, natural resources. 

“These scientists are experts in the consumer health market and those coming from France bring with them prior expertise that will help expedite local development and testing,” Evans notes. 

This R&D laboratory also echoes Diana’s work with the Institute of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods (INAF) at Laval University, Canada. Launched in November 2018, this Chair of Research is dedicated to researching the effects of fruit and vegetable-derived polyphenols on regulating microbiota in the human gut. 

Diana Food’s ingredients are sourced from carefully selected raw materials and their solutions are supported by clinically proven science, the company notes. Diana Food’s specializations in this category include sports nutrition products, functional food and drink to boost women’s health and supplements to encourage healthy aging and add energy and vitality.

In October last year, Diana Food set up a new facility in Banks Crossing, Georgia, US, dedicated to chicken-based solutions from humanely-raised birds. According to the company, the plant meets high animal welfare standards and includes a range of chicken fat, broth and powder products. The Georgia based facility also completed the Georgia Crop Improvement Association Organic Certification Program (GCIAOCP) this past April. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) also validated the plant as organic, having received the certification paperwork from the GCIAOCP. The certification will apply to products manufactured for both the food and pet food markets.

“With increased consumer demand for organic products, it’s vital that the chicken broth, powder and fat products we produce have organic certification. But just as importantly, organic certification is also in sync with the values and culture of our company, since we are dedicated to high standards of animal welfare, sustainable farming and no-antibiotics-ever poultry,” says Yannick Riou, Diana Food President.