Corbion Purac, the global market leader in biobased meat and food ingredients, has announced the completion of its newly expanded research facility in Lenexa, Kansas. Based at the company's North American Headquarters, the new expanded laboratory, covering over 10,000 square feet, will help the company to continue serving its clients with innovative solutions that secure food safety, extend shelf-life and improve sensory attributes and functional performance of a wide range of meat and culinary applications.
Led by an experienced team of meat scientists, culinary technologists and microbiologists, the new facility will primarily focus on supporting and partnering with customers in applying Corbion Purac's portfolio in their applications and evaluating the impact of the offered solutions on the sensory, functional and shelf-life properties of various foods, including ready to eat and fresh meats, sauces, dressings, refrigerated and prepared foods. The company will be conducting in-depth research in line with its meat and culinary strategy. This area has seen a significant investment over the past few years, highlighting Corbion Purac's efforts in diversifying its preservation portfolio and bringing new and innovative solutions to the industry for food safety and shelf life. Further research activity will focus on microbiology, predictive modeling, and other areas as color stability, yield enhancement, texture and flavor optimization.
"Research excellence has always been one of our main priorities at Corbion and has played a key role in the company's growth over the past 80 years," comments Saurabh Kumar, Technical Service Manager at Corbion Purac, North America. "This expansion to our facilities further strengthens our in-house meat and food testing capabilities and demonstrates our commitment to our customers to develop the next generation of innovative meat and culinary ingredients." Simone Bouman, Director Business Development Meat & Culinary, adds: "The recent expansion marks the third upgrade of the applications center within the last six years, underwriting our commitment to our customers and our innovation strategy, and we will continue to expand research capabilities over the coming years to provide food manufacturers with the tools they need to respond to changing consumer demands. This will enable us to not only add value to our customers and the market, but also strengthens our position as market leader and go-to company for meat preservation and more."
Corbion is the global market leader in lactic acid, lactic acid derivatives and lactides, and a leading company in functional blends containing enzymes, emulsifiers, minerals and vitamins. The company delivers high performance biobased products made from renewable resources and applied in global markets such as bakery, meat, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, home and personal care, packaging, automotive, coatings and resins. Its products have a differentiating functionality in all kinds of consumer products worldwide. In 2013, Corbion generated annual sales of €743.6 million and had a workforce of 1,885 employees.
