Following the launch of its beverage and dairy labs, Ingredion has extended its virtual lab, Inside Idea Labs, to the bakery and snacks market in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The platform gives food and beverage manufacturers 24/7 online access to essential information on bakery and snack applications. It is pegged as a “one-stop repository” of the collective knowledge developed across Ingredion’s brick-and-mortar labs around the world.

Visitors to the lab can find inspiring concepts and ideas, on-trend insights, ready-to-use formulations, science-based research, tools, tips and responses to frequently asked questions. The comprehensive resources cover key areas in bakery and snack development such as moisture management, texture enhancement and fiber fortification. Ingredion says that these allow manufacturers to innovate and keep up with consumers’ evolving preferences.

One of the key drivers for Ingredion to expand its virtual labs to the APAC region is that it has seen an increase in demand for cakes with moist texture claims, and an increase in product launches for bakery and snack products with texture and fiber claims.

Focusing on these key areas lets manufacturers address aspects such as ensuring long-term freshness in cakes, creating signature textures in snacks and baked goods, tackling specific consumer requirements or boosting the nutritional profile of their products.

Manufacturers will also learn how to troubleshoot challenges using Ingredion’s extensive portfolio of solutions for bakery and snack applications including specialty starches, texturizers, resistant starches and plant-based ingredients. With the right knowledge and convenience that this virtual lab provides, they will be able to get consumer-winning products out into the market at a faster speed, Ingredion notes.

Inside Idea Labs provides a virtual lab that allows entrepreneurs, small- to mid-sized businesses and major manufacturers in the food and beverage industry to partner with Ingredion Idea Labs experts. The online interactive portal contains resources developed by the technical and marketing experts who work in the global network of Ingredion Idea Labs innovation centers.

In January, Ingredion extended its virtual lab in Europe the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to the dairy market, bringing its application expertise in dairy product formulation to its customers on-demand. The virtual dairy lab showcases technical resources including sample formulations, white papers and responses to common questions from customers about topics such as formulating clean label dairy products, reducing protein and removing fat.