This is the next in our series of Supply Side Innovators featured in our Bake Twentyfive issue. Each weekday, we will spotlight a new Supply Side Innovator that can help you create the flavors, textures, and designs your customers will love

Kemin Industries recently announced the opening of a new Bakery Innovation Center at its global headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa. The $1.5 million investment was designed to inspire innovation within the bakery market, and includes all the equipment, capabilities and bakery support team needed for Kemin and its customer-partners to accelerate product development.

“This is a really exciting time for Kemin and our team as our new Bakery Innovation Center opens,” says Courtney Schwartz, marketing director, Kemin Food Technologies. “This center expands our bakery footprint and introduces new capabilities made possible with the latest technology and a dedicated team of experts. Investing in and expanding our team of bakery experts was just as important as building this facility because we are working together with our customer-partners to develop a new generation of bakery products that are sure to exceed consumers’ expectations.”

The bakery expansion includes the launch of batch packs, premixes, emulsifiers and enzyme blends specific to flatbreads and baked goods. These products complement Kemin Food Technologies’ existing portfolio of plant extracts, antioxidants and mold-inhibiting products to help manufacturers maintain safety and freshness.

The dedicated Bakery Innovation Center combines R&D support and expertise, Customer Laboratory Services and an in-house bakery pilot plant, allowing bakery and snack manufacturers to expedite commercialization of new bakery products.

Highlights of the 2,300-square-foot bakery innovation facility include an analytical lab allowing continuous evaluation of baked goods for texture and microbial stability to ensure texture remains consistent based on moisture and water activity. This lab includes a texture analyzer to help evaluate dough and finished products under all moisture variations.

Pilot scale production capabilities include a complete tortilla line with a combination corn and flour tortilla oven that allows Kemin to mimic commercial production. All new ingredients and technologies can be screened and tested in all possible processing configurations before trials are done at a customer’s facility.

“Our new facility is a game-changer for our bakery business, as it gives us the opportunity to work more closely with our customer-partners,” says Anita Srivastava, Ph.D., CFS., senior product development manager, bakery applications at Kemin.

Fast facts

Kemin Industries is a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80% of the world with its products and services. The company supplies over 500 specialty ingredients for human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceutical, food technologies, crop technologies and textile industries.

Established in 1961, Kemin is a privately held, family-owned-and-operated company with more than 2,800 global employees and operations in 90 countries, including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Russia, San Marino, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.