Givaudan and Bühler have announced the opening of the APAC Protein Innovation Centre. Located at the Givaudan Woodlands site in Singapore, the Protein Innovation Centre is jointly run and supported by both companies and is connected to a network of R&D innovation centres in Switzerland and hubs across the region, aiming to enable plant-based product development on a global scale. 

The centre in Singapore will welcome food processing companies, start-ups and university researchers from across the region to co-create plant-based food experiences. It combines the pilot technology of Bühler’s extrusion and processing equipment with Givaudan’s culinary facilities and expertise in flavour, taste, ingredient, and product development. 

Outfitted with a pilot scale wet and dry extruder, a product development kitchen, storage facilities, meeting amenities and a viewing area wher visitors can tour the 400-sqm facility and view live demonstrations, the centre is constructed with the end-to-end process of plant-based protein production in mind. Businesses will receive support throughout the co-creation process, the companies say, from raw material selection to product development and research, to application, flavour science, extrusion, and consumer testing. The facility can produce up to 40 kg of plant proteins an hour and features dry extrusion, as well as wet extrusion technology which delivers a fibrous structure more akin to muscle, and higher protein content as compared with dry extruded products. 

Monila Kothari, APAC President, Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing, said: “We are proud to be part of a partnership that will contribute towards a sustainable food future for Singapore and the APAC region. Through the Protein Innovation Centre, we aim to create an ecosystem that supports start-ups and food businesses in an environment of co-creation. The centre will provide them access to the expertise, networks and technology required to create authentic plant-based protein alternatives that meet consumer needs and expectations.” 

Ian Roberts, CTO at Bühler, says: “Great tasting and sustainable protein alternatives are an important contributor to feeding 10 billion people sustainably by 2050. The changes that need to happen to our protein value chains prior to that are so deep, they can only be achieved if the various partners of the food ecosystem start working together today. The Protein Innovation Centre that we open today with Givaudan at the core of Southeast Asia’s vibrant food ecosystem, is a step towards achieving our vision of a collaborative and sustainable future of food.”