Wacker opens food laboratory in Singapore

Wacker Chemie AG has opened a new food laboratory in Singapore, dedicated to innovative food ingredients, dietary supplements and gum base applications.

The company currently operates food laboratories in the USA and Germany. The Singapore laboratory will focus on applications involving cyclodextrins, cysteine and hydroxytyrosol intended for the particular demands and needs of Asia.

Ring-shaped cyclodextrin sugar molecules, which are engineered from plant-based raw materials like corn and potatoes, can replace conventional animal-derived emulsifiers, such as egg yolk in mayonnaise, egg white and hard fats in desserts, and icings and milk protein in instant coconut milk powder. They can also protect sensitive ingredients such as vitamins and coenzymes against the harmful influences of oxygen and light, increase the bioavailability of hydrophobic substances such as curcumin, and mask the bitter taste of substances such as green tea extract.

Fermentation-prepared cysteine can serve as a vegan and halal-certified raw material for meat flavours and as a processing auxiliary in bakeries. HTEssence, the company’s hydroxytyrosol, is used in food supplements such as hard capsules, energy bars and drinks.