Weekly Roundup: Lonza completes US$15m expansion of Tampa site, DSM to upgrade Chinese vitamin C facility

12 Jul 2019 --- In nutrition news this week, Lonza expanded the capabilities of its Tampa site with a US$15 million investment, while DSM upgraded its vitamin C facilities in China. DuPont’s Danisco brand won the legal battle for ownership of the innovation behind two of its amylase patent applications. Quantum released Quantum Energy Squares, a range of plant-based energy bars, while Charkit acquired Custom Ingredients and CA Specialities to boost its blending capabilities. Lastly, according to a new US study, labeling food choices with simple “traffic-light” symbols indicating their relative health value is associated with a reduction in calories consumed.

In brief: Business news
Lonza has completed a US$15 million multi-phase expansion of its solid oral dose development and manufacturing capabilities and capacity at its site in Tampa, Florida, US. The expansion will enable the Tampa site to provide more integrated services for customers across early-stage product development, clinical trial material manufacture and commercialization of innovative drug products. The site is part of Lonza’s global network for the design, development and manufacturing of drug substances and intermediates, as well as particle engineering/bioavailability enhancement and drug products for oral and inhaled applications. As part of the investment, the site now boasts a new, fully equipped Product Development & QC Laboratory area with 13 processing suites and two new packaging suites that can support commercial packaging, including low-humidity environments and serialization for complete tracking and tracing of commercial products. Lonza also added new manufacturing suites and dedicated sampling and dispensing areas capable of handling highly potent compounds. 

DSM will further upgrade its vitamin C facility in Jiangshan, China this summer. The move is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to quality, safety, sustainability and production efficiencies. DSM will extend its annual shutdown to implement additional upgrades in these areas across the site. The shutdown started earlier this month, with the latest upgrades to be completed by the start of 2019’s fourth quarter. Fully aligned with its Quality for Life principles, DSM continuous to invest in meeting expectations of customers, governments and employees in terms of quality, reliability, traceability and sustainability. Vitamin C from Jiangshan, China, is already the lowest carbon footprint vitamin C on the market, thanks to this continuous investment program, DSM notes.

DSM will further upgrade its vitamin C facility in Jiangshan, China this summer.The Danish Maritime and Commercial Court ruled in favor of DuPont’s Danisco brand’s ownership of the innovation behind two amylase patent applications. The court reasoned that Novozymes’ legal argument that an entitlement action could be based on prior art was without merit and awarded costs to Danisco. “Testimony from the trial clearly showed that the inventions claimed in these patent applications were based on Danisco technology and reflect our long history of innovation throughout the globe,” says Wayne Ashton, Global Business Director for home and personal care at DuPont. Danisco is the brand for a range of products that help provide enhanced bioprotection, an improved nutritional profile, and better taste and texture with greater cost efficiency and lower environmental impact, meeting the needs of manufacturers of food and beverages and dietary supplements.

In brief: Launches and releases
Quantum has released Quantum Energy Squares, a new kind of plant-based energy bar formulated to provide natural, long-lasting energy for everyone from endurance athletes to active consumers. The brand has also become the official Energy Bar of the Ironman World Championship. Quantum Energy Squares are made in California from a blend of macronutrients from seeds, nuts and fruit, combined with organic green coffee. The macronutrients in Quantum Energy Squares slow the absorption of natural caffeine to avoid energy crashes. All Quantum products are plant-based, gluten-free, non-GMO, soy-free, dairy free, vegan and Kosher.

In brief: Acquisitions and partnerships
Chemical Company Charkit is adding custom blending capabilities to the LBB Specialties portfolio with the acquisition of Custom Ingredients, a manufacturer of specialty ingredients, and CA Specialities, a South Carolina-based distributor of ingredients in the personal care market. Founded by Cathy Ayer Clark in 1987, CA Specialities serves a select group of chemical companies to provide distribution and sales support to personal care customers throughout the Southeastern US. In 1995, the company expanded its offerings by establishing a second company, Custom Ingredients. By 1999, the company expanded further and moved to its present facility in Chester, South Carolina. Under the trade name, CustoBlend, specialty concentrates allow formulators to incorporate more ingredients without the complexity of manufacturing and stocking multiple items. Most concentrates allow the formulator to cold-blend ingredients, which speeds up manufacturing and lowers production cost.

In brief: Appointments and assignments
Hank DeWolf has been appointed to the LBB Specialties LLC Advisory Board. DeWolf’s significant experience in the specialty chemical and ingredient distribution sector includes successfully building and integrating acquired businesses, developing customer and supplier acquisition strategies and establishing award-winning long-term supplier partnerships. Prior to joining the LBB Specialties LLC Advisory Board, Mr. DeWolf built The DeWolf Companies through organic growth and acquisition into a recognized market leading supplier of technical specialties to the Personal Care and Health & Beauty Aid industry throughout North America. 

In brief: In research
Labeling food choices in a hospital cafeteria with simple “traffic-light” symbols indicating their relative health value is associated with a reduction in calories purchased by employees. This is according to a new study by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators released today in JAMA Network Open, a publication of the Journal of the American Medical Association. In the program, green labels indicated the healthiest foods, yellow labels indicated less healthy foods and red showed the least healthy based. Judgments were based on positive and negative criteria, including whether the main ingredient was fruit, vegetable, whole grain, as well as the amount of saturated fat. Researchers used employee ID numbers to track the purchases of 5,695 employees buying food at MGH cafeterias. After establishing a three-month baseline period, the researchers tracked purchases made after the labels were added and again after product-placement changes made healthier choices more accessible. 

Edited by Kristiana Lalou