The Ingenium Program, which aims to accelerate the introduction of new products through external collaborations, has seen a number of significant achievements, Naturex says.

Sharing knowledge across industries and solving challenges through disruptive technologies has always been at the heart of Naturex’s business, the company notes. Launched in March 2016, the Ingenium Program, which aims to advance technological breakthroughs and accelerate the introduction of new products through external collaborations, has seen a number of significant achievements during its first year, Naturex says, and is well-positioned to support the company in reaching its Bright2020 (5-year plan) objectives.

Over the past year, Naturex says it has partnered with numerous organizations from around the world. These collaborations included, among others, licensing agreements with the Barry Callebaut group which led to the launch of Cocoactiv’, a high-flavanol cocoa extract and with Poland-based Adamed, which resulted in the market introduction of Aronox, an aronia extract targeting cardiovascular health. Other companies like Mazza Innovation, FP Innovation, EPC Natural Products, In-Vitro Plant-tech and Green2Chem have also joined forces with Naturex in the development of sustainable and innovative natural solutions.

The latest announcement includes the acquisition of certain assets from French company, Dialpha SAS, including patents, trademarks and clinical research on three nutraceutical ingredients targeting human health. These specialized cashew, cinnamon and chicory ingredients are purpose built to assist in controlling blood glucose levels and healthy weight management. It is Naturex’s intention to assess the possible advancement or refinement of these researched products and create synergistic combinations with other Naturex ingredients.

“It has been a busy and productive year for the Open Innovation program at Naturex,” says Doug Klaiber, who leads the implementation of the Ingenium Program worldwide. “We have been very pleased with the number of quality opportunities that have been presented to us in our first year. At the moment, we have dozens of projects in the pipeline and we are being presented with new opportunities almost daily. Our current challenge is narrowing in and focusing on the projects that most closely reflect our business and values.”

To this end, Naturex has defined four key areas of interest for potential collaboration:

+ Natural sources of color (especially blue/green/red)

+ New natural food preservation solutions

+ Natural phytoactive ingredients for human health and beauty

+ Nature fortified ingredients or technologies for nutrition (minerals & vitamins)

“We see Ingenium as a flexible tool to help us meet our Bright2020 objectives,” said Klaiber. Naturex is happy and proud to share its extensive botanical expertise with partners committed to innovative approaches.”