New lab for food applications in Shanghai

This spring, the WACKER Group opened a new lab for food applications in Shanghai to support customers in Asia even better with the development of innovative, tailored products in the burgeoning food market. “With our new range of services in Shanghai, we are strengthening our position as an innovative partner to the food sector on the Chinese market,” said Dr. Gerhard Schmid, president of WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS.

WACKER already operates three specialized food laboratories in Burghausen (Germany), Adrian (USA) and, since 2016, Singapore (Southeast Asia). With the new 150-square-meter laboratory for food applications in Shanghai, the Group is now also expanding its range of services across the growing market in China.

“China is already the biggest market in the world for food and beverages. And its growth continues to be strong. With our new lab for food applications, we are able to accommodate our local customers’ needs even better,” said Paul Lindblad, president of WACKER Greater China. “We offer support in developing innovative solutions that satisfy consumer tastes and expectations.”

The new laboratory, which covers an area of some 150 square meters, focuses primarily on applications involving cyclodextrins, cyclodextrin complexes and cysteine, as well as chewing-gum applications. Cyclodextrins are ring-shaped sugar molecules, which WACKER bioengineers from plantbased raw materials such as corn or potatoes. They can selectively replace specific ingredients in foodstuffs and thus make it possible to produce baked goods, desserts and sauces that are free from animal-based emulsifiers, cholesterol and solid fats. What is more, cyclodextrins protect sensitive ingredients such as vitamins and coenzymes from harmful influences, for example oxygen or light, and they increase the bioavailability of hydrophobic substances like the natural antioxidant curcumin.