ADM opens new plant-based lab in Singapore, advances protein innovation

(L to R) Lori Murphy, vice president, creation, design & development Asia Pacific; Dirk Oyen, vice president and general manager South East Asia and Nicole Yo, director, creation, design & development South East Asia, head of flavor creation Asia Pacific and principal flavorist; officiated the opening of ADM's Plant-based Innovation Lab in Singapore. (Photo: Business Wire)

ADM recently celebrated the opening of its new cutting-edge, plant-based innovation lab, located in ADM’s Biopolis research hub in Singapore. The lab will develop next-level, on-trend and nutritious products to meet growing food and beverage demand in the Asia-Pacific region.

“ADM is a pioneer in plant-based nutrition innovation, and this new facility will enhance our ability to meet rapidly growing consumer demand in the Asia-Pacific region and bring exciting new products and solutions to the market,” said Leo Liu, ADM president, Asia-Pacific. “Protein continues to be a focus for consumers who are experimenting with plant-based options to meet their health and nutrition, sustainability and convenience preferences, and with Asia being home to 60 percent of the world’s population, Singapore is a critical hub of innovation and growth around plant-based alternatives. This lab will help ADM deliver advanced customer solutions in this area while also creating jobs and offering development opportunities for young talent in the Asia-Pacific region.”

The new facility features a combination of experts in proteins and texturing ingredients, coupled with flavor specialists, allowing ADM to quickly and efficiently create tailor-made solutions for the Asian consumer palate. This lab gives ADM the ability to test flavors, textures, fats and binding characteristics in-house and accelerate product development for customers. Additionally, the lab can provide medium-scale sampling through a variety of forming and freezing capabilities to support market evaluation of new products and solutions.

“The opening of this innovation lab demonstrates our continued investment in plant-based protein and our commitment to finding new ways to solve the challenges of changing consumer taste and preferences not only in Asia-Pacific, but also around the world,” said Marie Wright, chief global flavorist and president, creation, design & development for ADM. “The lab will help us capture key insight and learnings to help drive exciting new solutions for the Asian market, but also help us better serve customers around the world looking to incorporate Asian flavors and preferences into their latest plant-based food and beverage innovations.”

The ADM Biopolis research hub in Singapore features a wide range of capabilities, including a food and flavor analytic lab; a beverage and dairy applications lab and pilot plant; a bakery and confectionery lab; a meat and savory lab; a sweet and savory creation lab; sensory evaluation facilities and a customer innovation center in addition to the new plant-based innovation lab.

ADM has more than 3,000 employees throughout the wider Asia-Pacific region, across 50 locations, including integrated management offices in Shanghai and Singapore; technical innovation centers in China, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam and Australia; flavor production facilities, sweeteners and soluble fiber complex in China; animal nutrition facilities, grain origination and trading operations across Asia; grain destination marketing warehouses in China, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand; and sales offices strategically located in all major markets across the region. ADM also owns a minority stake in Singapore-based Wilmar International Limited, a leading agribusiness and packaged food and oil company in the region.

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