PureCircle Ltd. (PCRTF)

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Article: Spotlight on R&D: A Culture of Innovation Fuels PureCircle’s Industry Leadership

http://www.4-traders.com/PURECIRCLE-4007769/news/PURECIRCLE-Spotlight-on-R-D-A-Culture-of-Innovation-Fuels-PureCircle-s-Industry-Leadership-13833883/

Spotlight on R&D: A Culture of Innovation Fuels PureCircle’s Industry Leadership
10-Oct-2011

Deriving a competitive advantage from a fully integrated supply chain depends on both tight control and continuous innovation across every “link” in that chain. This is especially true for PureCircle, whose research and development impact starts in the field and continues through to formulations suited to meet specific, often customized needs for global food and beverage manufacturers.

Between these ends of the supply chain, the R&D team has two principal goals: to create new, better stevia ingredients for use in a broad range of applications and to design the most efficient methods for full-scale commercial production. In doing so, the team serves as a conduit of communication and an engine of innovation.

“Our mission is to provide leadership through innovation,” says Dr. Avetik A. Markosyan, M.D., Ph.D., Vice President, R&D & Process Development. “Beyond advancing the industry as the world’s largest vertically integrated supplier, we are unmatched in our focus on continuous stevia innovation from leaf to product.”

Industry “firsts” are a byproduct of this culture of innovation, evidenced by the R&D teams’ role in many of PureCircle’s accomplishments. These include being the first company to produce high-purity Reb A at commercial scale; the development of SG95, the first combination of steviol glycosides optimized for blending with sugar for partial calorie reduction; the first stevia producer to develop their own natural flavors, NSF-01 and NSF-02, designed to work with stevia; and PureCircle Alpha, the first proprietary combination of steviol glycosides specifically developed for 50-100% calorie reductions in foods and beverages. The R&D team also partners with select customers to develop next generation natural sweeteners and flavors that are perfectly tailored to meet manufacturers’ needs.

Global, multidisciplinary diversity

Diversity plays an important role in PureCircle R&D, starting with the multidisciplinary make-up of the team. “Beyond the pure chemistry of extracting and purifying glycosides from the stevia plant, creating new derivatives and developing new application solutions requires knowledge of biotechnology, enzymology, biocatalysis, microbiology and other specialties," says Markosyan, whose expertise includes microbiology and biotechnology. He adds: “We consider it a major strength that various members on our team reflect all of these competencies; their combined abilities complement one another’s efforts.”

R&D at PureCircle is geographically diverse as well, with operations that span the globe. Markosyan’s staff works with Agricultural Development teams in the United States, Paraguay, Kenya and China to develop new leaf varieties and optimize processes. Glycosides extracted from plant material at PureCircle’s China extraction facility, are then sent to the team’s home base, which is co-located with PureCircle’s refinement facility in Malaysia. There, the team brings new products from laboratory to pilot scale before delivering a full technological portfolio to the Production Department, which produces and delivers the final product to food and beverage companies worldwide.

R&D operations further extend to collaboration with Michigan State University, one of the world’s premier horticulture research institutions, where research focuses on proprietary varietal development and the next generation of steviol glycosides beyond Reb A. Additionally, Markosyan’s team is in continuous communication with PureCircle’s Application Laboratory in the United States, in effect completing a loop that spans every step in the supply chain, from plant to finished product.