Cargill has doubled the size of its food innovation center in Plymouth, Minnesota, with an investment of $5.5m.
The expansion has increased the research facility size by 40,000ft2, equipping it with latest research equipment and a fully equipped commercial kitchen. A fry lab and a sensory evaluation center was also added.
Fry lab supports foodservice customers by measuring the performance of various blends of frying oils under controlled conditions while the sensory evaluation center offers space for Cargill's descriptive analysis panel consumer/panelists testing booths.
The facility also features an area for snacks and cereal pilot applications, and a bakery applications center.
Cargill global food technology vice president Kerr Dow said: "We wanted to find the best way to satisfy the product research and development needs of our customers in food and beverage manufacturing and the food service industry.
"So, we designed a facility we believe will promote collaboration, accelerate innovation and help our customers reduce product development cycles," Dow added.
Plymouth is Cargill's main research facility for the North American packaged food and beverage industries.