DuPont Nutrition & Health recently opened an Innovation Application Center in Gurgaon, India. The multimillion-dollar facility houses state-of-the-art equipment and capabilities to serve the food industry in India.

“According to industry estimates, the food industry in India is growing between 15 and 20 percent annually,” says Matthias Heinzel, president of DuPont Nutrition & Health. “We recognize that while the science of food is global, the taste and flavors of food are local. As we develop those local solutions, we need to be able to work closely with our local customers on foods they are developing for their consumers. This Innovation Application Center provides that access and a place for us to share our innovation and expertise, to showcase what we can offer and to help our customers save valuable time in developing novel solutions for the market. Our India Innovation Application Center, coupled with the DuPont Innovation Center network, leverages a wealth of knowledge, science expertise and experience from all our experts globally.”

The Innovation Application Center, which has capabilities to expand, will employ 15 to 20 people by year-end 2015. DuPont Nutrition & Health also has an existing blending facility for specialty ingredients in Sohna, Haryana.

“The DuPont offering in India cuts across the landscape of food–from flour-based products to dairy to nutritional beverages and powders,” adds Brian Jones, regional leader, DuPont Nutrition & Health, South Asia. “Among the focus areas of the Innovation Application Center will be protective cultures for dahi and yogurt, soy protein products, ice cream and more nutritious Indian snacks and biscuits tailored to meet the regional taste and texture expectations.

“The center also will allow DuPont to introduce formulations that are more convenient and affordable for more food choices for the food industry. An example is the work ongoing with customers on increasing the shelf-life of products in hotter climates where cold-chain technology is not available. In addition, as a global leader in probiotics, DuPont is working closely with Indian companies to develop probiotics for gut and immune health.”