“Expertise that Inspires” has expanded south of the border, as ICL Food Specialties celebrates the grand opening of its new Mexico Regional Application Center featuring a state?of?the?art test kitchen and lab. Customer and product development teams will use this resource to create and optimize formulations for meat, dairy, bakery and beverage applications, bringing new products to market faster. The ICL Food Specialties’ investment in technology expands far beyond the Mexican border. Facility upgrades and innovations are also in progress in the U.S., where the company will double the size of its Webster Groves, Missouri Technical Application Center to include an expanded bakery pilot plant, a test kitchen, a protein synergies lab, sensory evaluation facilities and new advanced technology for dairy, beverage and meat processing applications.

As part of ICL’s mission to fulfill humanity’s essential needs in its core markets, the ICL Food Specialties division is dedicated to creating uniquely tailored solutions that satisfy ever?changing food market trends and consumer demand. “No matter where they are, our customers can count on ICL Food Specialties to be at the forefront of food trends and technology,” says Nancy Stachiw, director technical service and application, ICL Food Specialties. “Raw materials, processing techniques and tastes all differ by geography. Regional application capabilities allow us to commit to serving our global markets in a more efficient way by responding quickly to customer challenges with new product developments.”

The Technical Application Facility expansions come as a response to customers’ requests to have a local application research support team to work alongside them for problem solving, training and developing new prototypes and formulations. Additionally, these new resources will enable ICL Food Specialties scientists to conduct unique texture analysis, functional comparisons and a variety of other performance tests – all which combine to accelerate product development.

While the U.S. expansion is on track for a late 2015 completion, clients in Mexico have already had the opportunity to experience the facility firsthand during training seminars, ideation workshops and an open house event. The feedback has been extremely positive.

Bertha Zertuche, food application scientist, and Vince Machen, facilities coordinator, ICL Food Specialties, worked together to design the Mexico facility, from strategic research to equipment and fixture selection. “The space features the latest technology to showcase solutions and new ideas for bakery, dairy, beverage and meat applications,” says Zertuche. “We work alongside customers to conduct trials and product development, which instills a greater opportunity for commercial success.”