BENEO Inc., one of the leading manufacturers of functional ingredients, announced the opening of its BENEO North American Application Center in Parsippany, NJ. The new Center focuses on developing advances in its functional ingredients application portfolio and bringing that expertise closer to customers in the North American market.

The 3,000 square foot facility is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to test formulation aspects of its functional ingredients, including fiber enrichment, sugar or fat replacement, as well as taste and texture improvements. The Application Center features a variety of versatile benchtop scale and pilot scale equipment that can be used alone or in combination, giving BENEO the ability to cover a wide range of applications. Initially the Application Center will focus on bakery applications, dairy and dairy fermented applications, soups, sauces and frozen convenience meals as well as cereal and slab-type nutrition bars and beverages.

Analytical equipment is also included in the Application Center specifically for the measurement of microscopy, rheology, particle size, pH and freeze-thaw stability – all to assist BENEO in optimizing ingredient use in formulations

“We are very excited to bring BENEO’s experience in developing unique applications for our functional ingredients closer to our customers in the North American market,” said Jon Peters, President of BENEO Inc. “BENEO is unique in that we sell the ingredients we’ve discovered, developed and manufacture. This gives us a long history and strong heritage to bring out the very best of the ingredient when it comes to its functional benefits like health, taste and texture. Now with these significant resources in the U.S., we can react more quickly to optimize and customize formulas for specific regional applications.”

BENEO has added new people to support the Application Center. The company also expects to be working closely with customers and partners in industry such as other ingredient suppliers as well as tapping into the resources of universities and others involved in supporting food and beverages that are natural and support health lifestyles for all ages.