Kemin Industries, a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services, has 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,” said 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 also 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:

• 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.
• Ingredient blending and small batch capabilities in a dry blending center with the capabilities needed to develop new concentrates, premixes, batch packs and individual components.  
• Pilot scale production capabilities including 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.
• Accelerated stability facility fully equipped with storage incubators that have accelerated high-temperature and humidity conditions that let Kemin create atmospheric variations in lab to evaluate the shelf life of baked goods.

“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,” said Anita Srivastava, Ph.D., CFS., senior product development manager – bakery applications, Kemin Food Technologies. “We provide support to customers by helping them understand the process and science behind our ingredient solutions. The Bakery Innovation Center gives us a way to screen and test all new ingredient solutions and processing parameters to ensure success, which is really exciting. The Bakery Innovation Center brings together our scientists from different areas to learn and evaluate the commercial process in house, saving time and creating cost advantages, as extensive travel is no longer required. Now, we do not have to wait for a commercial facility to become available in order to run trials.”

Kemin supports baking and snack manufacturers with a portfolio of complete batch packs, dough conditioners, softeners and mold inhibitors. Mixing procedures, baking and storage temperatures, water activity and pH are all factors that can affect shelf life and ultimately, consumer appeal. From the simple to the complex, Kemin helps bakers solve flavor, color, microbial and profit-margin challenges to ensure bakery and snack products remain fresher for longer.

Click here to see a tour of the new Bakery Innovation Center and learn more about how Kemin supports food manufacturers’ flatbread and bakery product development goals.