Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) recently celebrated the opening of a cutting-edge flavor and ingredient creation, application, development and customer innovation center at the Biopolis research hub in Singapore. The opening of the 8,900-square foot (825-square meter) space was announced at a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

“Consumer tastes and preferences are changing, as people look to balance busy lifestyles with healthy eating habits. Our goal is to be the first-call ingredient and flavor experts for customers working to meet those consumer needs throughout Southeast Asia,” said Donald Chen, ADM’s president, Asia. “Singapore is a critical hub of innovation and growth in the food and beverage world, and we are excited to leverage our technology, expertise and global scale to help Southeast Asian food and beverage customers remain at the forefront, and to offer job creation and talent development opportunities for scientific, technical, marketing and regulatory professionals in the food and beverage industries.”

The Singapore innovation center will serve as the gateway to consumers in Southeast Asia and beyond, and enable ADM to work closely with customers to create complete flavor and specialty ingredient solutions that meet consumer preferences for taste, nutrition, function and texture. It will be staffed by a team of food scientists, flavorists and applications experts, along with sales, marketing and regulatory personnel.

“We are heartened that ADM has chosen to locate their innovation center for flavors and specialty ingredients in Singapore. The opening today demonstrates Singapore’s value as a hub for agri-commodity companies to co-innovate with their downstream customers. With Singapore’s focus on building consumer market insights, food and agriculture technologies, Singapore is well placed to serve innovative agri-commodity companies in building their capabilities in ingredient valorisation, and cater to Asian customers,” said Lee Eng Keat, executive director for International Organizations Programme Office, Logistics and Natural Resources, EDB.

“This new facility is yet another important step as we continue to enhance our portfolio and our capabilities around the globe,” said Vince Macciocchi, president of ADM’s WILD Flavors and Specialty Ingredients business. “Consumers are looking for new, innovative foods and beverages, and ADM continues to invest to ensure that we are the go-to solution providers for clean labels, sustainable ingredients and great taste.”

The new innovation center features a wide range of capabilities, including a food and flavor analytic lab; a beverage and dairy applications lab and pilot plant; a bakery and confectionery lab; a meat and savory lab; a sweet and savory creation lab; sensory evaluation facilities; and a customer innovation center.

Singapore is home to approximately 100 ADM employees. ADM has more than 1,000 employees throughout the wider Asia-Pacific region, where the company operates a wide range of processing facilities, including several animal feed facilities; a flavor and ingredient facility; a sweetener and soluble fiber complex in China; food and flavor labs in Japan, China, Singapore and Australia; and sales offices in every major market in the region. ADM also owns a 24.9 percent stake in Singapore-based Wilmar Limited, the region’s leading agribusiness and packaged food oils company.