The $10 million, 21,000-square-foot L.A.B. includes a commercial test kitchen for applications research, R&D labs for product development, a fully equipped pilot plant and a research library.

January 28, 2013

2 Min Read
Proliant Dairy Ingredients opens new R&D lab

Since its inception in 2008, innovation and continuous quality improvement have been at the foundation of Proliant Dairy Ingredients, maker of VersiLac, a novel dairy ingredient technology. And as industries and its customers’ needs continue to evolve, Proliant Dairy continues to push forward in developing new and innovative solutions. Proliant is committed to maintaining a leading position in delivering science based solutions, and continues to invest in cutting-edge resources to drive results.

As a further example of supporting these goals, Proliant and its parent company, Lauridsen Group Inc., are proud to announce the opening of the Lauridsen Advancement Building, or “L.A.B.” The L.A.B. is located next to Proliant’s corporate office in Ankeny, Iowa.

The L.A.B. is a $10 million, 21,000-square-foot, multifunctional innovation facility that includes a commercial test kitchen for applications research, research and development laboratories for new product development, a fully equipped pilot plant and a research library. “The L.A.B. also automatically maintains positive air pressure in all labs, and all incoming air is HEPA filtered,” adds Alex Haas, director of operations for the L.A.B. It is staffed with a team of nutritionists, food scientists, and application research experts. In addition to applications research, the test kitchen is connected to a multipurpose education room that is used for customer and distributor training and sensory evaluations.

Using the new L.A.B. facility, Proliant’s research professionals will be responsible for developing and providing innovative solutions for all sectors of the food industry, as well as nutrition and dietary supplement industries. “The L.A.B. was designed to not only conduct break-through research, but to take those research results further into pilot plant and ultimately applications research,” said Hass.

Adds Kim Peterson, Proliant’s applications research specialist, “With the L.A.B., Proliant will be able to demonstrate VersiLac’s versatility across all food and nutrition categories. We will be able to collaborate with customers in order to closely model their processes to show the benefits of VersiLac in a real world setting.”
 

 

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