In this issue

 

• PURAC Thailand: grand opening and successful startup
• PURAC: working responsibly for a greener future
• New regional application centre in Singapore
• Sodium reduction in food: the best of both worlds
• PURASAL MOISTXS: a new superior moisturizer

 

 

PURAC Thailand: grand opening and successful startup

 

PURAC is very proud of its new production facility in Thailand. This plant completes PURAC’s global coverage and strengthens PURAC’s position as the world’s largest manufacturer of natural lactic acid, derivatives and lactides.

 

On April 4, the factory was officially opened with a grand ceremony attended by many important guests from all over the world. The day started with a Buddhist/Brahma ceremony, followed by speeches of the Secretary General of the Thailand Board of Investment, the Chairman of CSM, the Dutch Ambassador in Thailand and the Governor of Rayong province. Other guests were governmental officials, important suppliers and many customers from Asia Pacific.

 

It has been a very exciting project for PURAC to develop and build this world-class plant of such magnitude. The project was safely completed within the scheduled time period; 4.500.000 safe working hours from the start of the project to the initial start-up. From its  start in November 2007, the products being produced are meeting PURAC’s high quality specifications and the factory is already exceeding early expectations with regard to production volumes.

 

This has been a very successful project for PURAC and are pleased to see PURAC Thailand complete our global coverage and further strengthen an already reliable and secure supply chain.

 

 

PURAC: working responsibly for a greener future

 

Being ‘green’ has become a hot topic in the last decade.  Warning signs have emerged to indicate that at the current rate, human activity could exhaust the Earth’s natural resources.

 

PURAC has implemented a number of initiatives in order to react to this issue and increase awareness.  Whether through the production of its own natural products, the development of new, ‘greener’ products, or making changes within our internal processes, PURAC is actively evaluating and improving our way of working in order to responsibly react to this topic.

 

• Natural, renewable sources

PURAC products are all based on natural carbohydrate resources, such as sugar or corn.  These sources are renewable and flexible therefore not exhausting mother nature.

 

• Re-using by-product

Within the fermentation process adopted by PURAC to produce lactic acid, a byproduct is produced: gypsum.  In 2007, PURAC arranged a deal with Thai Gypsum; a plasterboard producer who could make valid use of this byproduct.  All in all, a great deal all round.

 

• Biodegradable plastics

PURAC has been busy developing a new range of monomers to assist the biodegradable plastics industry for the production of Poly Lactic Acid (PLA).  The resulting biodegradable end products include a huge variety of everyday items; cups, plates, cutlery but also textiles, credit cards, binbags, product packaging and even mobile telephones, thus reducing the waste of ‘temporary’ plastic goods.

 

PURAC will continue to seek ways in which to develop similar schemes in the future and encourages all our customers, suppliers and relations to embrace the concept of working responsibly for a greener future.

 

 

New regional application centre in Singapore

 

PURAC Asia Pacific is proud to announce the opening of its regional application centre in Singapore. From April 2008, the brand new laboratory in Singapore will work on product and application development targeted on the Asian markets. Asian applications are often unique in flavor, texture and preferred choice of ingredients. The Singapore lab will give PURAC’s customers a chance to see how our products can be introduced into Asian favourites like tea, soymilk, noodles and fried snacks.

 

Innovation and partnering with our customers are key priorities for the application centre in Singapore. The centre will have capabilities to develop various applications especially in food and to perform lab analyses and experiments. Food applications that will be developed in the new facility include meat, beverages, soy and dairy drinks, snacks, sweet & savoury flavours, sauces and dressings.

 

The opening of the regional application centre in Singapore is one of the many initiatives being launched by PURAC in order to become closer to its customers. The lab will be strongly linked to the sales and marketing team at PURAC Asia Pacific.  It thus ensures fast exchange of knowledge, development of product prototypes to bring to customers, short turn-around time for customer projects, and dedicated customer support. In addition, the regional application centre will organize training sessions for distributors and customers.

 

PURAC Asia Pacific looks forward to welcoming its guests soon.

 

 

Sodium reduction in food: the best of both worlds

 

Health and nutrition are key drivers in product development for numerous retailers worldwide. Suppliers are strongly urged to come up with new concepts and formulations that reduce overall calorie and fat content as well as cut down on sodium content in foods.

Sodium is considered a silent killer, causing high blood pressure which is very much related to a higher stroke risk. In many initiatives worldwide, the food industry works closely with regulatory, retail and food services in order to further reduce sodium levels.

    

However, there are core reasons for using sodium in foods. Many foods need salt for structure and shelf life. Removing this ingredient can create a variety of safety and sensory issues.

 

Salt reduces water activity and this needs to be compensated for in the product formulation. PURASAL^® P, a variety of potassium based preservation solutions, can help you reach your sodium targets without compromising overall food safety.

 

For meat applications, PURAC has been approached by many companies to co-develop alternative recipes to cope with the ever increasing standards with regard to salt content.  Our technical experts focus on an overall solution for sodium reduction, safety and shelf life, texture as well as sensory properties.

 

One example is low salt bacon. Through the use of PURASAL P, we were able to lower the sodium content of this product by as much as 50%, without affecting the overall sensory profile of the product.  Furthermore, the original shelf life was even improved.

 

Please contact your local sales office in order to get a full update on low sodium solutions for food applications.

 

 

PURASAL MOISTXS: a new superior moisturizer

 

The human skin is a vital organ with many functions. Perhaps the most important being the protection of the body against undesired influences from the environment.

 

In order to maintain this barrier function, the skin should remain in healthy condition. In recent years, many studies have revealed the biochemical processes that take place in the stratum corneum (i.e., the skin). It has become clear that water plays a crucial role in many of these processes and that good hydration of the skin is very important to maintaining healthy condition.

 

Sodium lactate is generally recognized as being one the most effective moisturizers.  Recently, PURAC introduced a new superior moisturizer, PURASAL MOISTXS, which is twice as effective as sodium lactate. PURASAL MOISTXS has also shown to result in a significant improvement in the barrier function of the skin.

 

PURASAL MOISTXS is easy to formulate and will, compared to, for example, Na-PCA or sodium lactate, improve the skin feel of the end product especially with regard to stickiness.

 

Please contact your local sales office for more information on this revolutionary product.