DuPont Nutrition & Health has expanded its Kansas City-area cheese laboratory with new equipment, including three bio fermenters to simulate external pH control starter production, an incubator for growing cultures, a cheese vat for making cheese and two environmental cabinets for aging cheese.

Prior to the expansion, testing at the facility was limited to a lab environment. The upgrades enable the company to test cultures in real world environments, as well as manufacture and age cheese at the facility.

“This expansion of our research and development capabilities brings us closer than ever to our customers and enables us to innovate in collaboration with them,” said Roald Mason, director of Dairy Sales, North America. “These improvements not only allow us to optimize our current cultures offerings and tailor them to our individual customers, but also equip us to develop new retail and finished products.”

Additionally, DuPont has added two professionals to its cheese industry innovation team. Bringing more than 35 years of combined experience, Brian Bartholomew has joined DuPont as senior applications specialist, and James Musetti has been named application technologist.

“These moves reinforce our commitment to the cheese and dairy industry,” said Cathy Miller, director of Innovation, North America. “For years, cheese makers and others in the dairy industry have relied on the DuPont Danisco brand of ingredients. Today, our customers continue to rely not only on our broad portfolio of ingredients, but also our unique knowledge, experience and innovation capabilities to advance their business and stay at the forefront of ideas.”

DuPont Nutrition & Health serves customers across the cheese industry, whether fresh, aged or processed, from soft cheese to hard cheese, and from soft-ripened to washed-rind. The DuPont Danisco portfolio includes cultures, enzymes and tailored ingredient systems.