NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) — The nutrition research arm of Swiss food and confection giant Nestlé has joined the Kluyver Centre for Genomics of Industrial Fermentation, a Dutch group that studies microbial genomics and systems biology.
The Nestlé Research Center said it became a member to help it “better understand fermentation techniques using beneficial bacteria” in its food-processing business. Located in Lausanne, Switzerland, the NRC said that such knowledge can enable it to develop “novel and better fermented food products by classical techniques.”
The Kluyver Centre, which is a Center of Excellence of the Netherlands Genomics Initiative, uses microbial genomics “to improve microorganisms for use in industrial fermentation processes.” The center said one of its goals is to help produce renewable feedstock, food products and ingredients, beverages, pharmaceutical compounds, nutraceuticals, and fine and bulk chemicals.
Its research covers six programs: yeast fermentation, fungal fermentation, lactic acid fermentation, biocatalysis, and genomics tools including bioinformatics and “society and genomics.”
The center is a consortium of Delft University of Technology, Wageningen University and Research Centre, the universities of Leiden and Utrecht, Radboud University Nijmegen, TNO, Wageningen Centre for Food Sciences, Agrotechnology and Food Sciences Group, and NIZO food research.
Its members of alliance include Akzo Nobel Diosynth, Applikon, Bird Engineering, DSM, Friesland Foods, Heineken, PURAC, Royal Nedalco, and Tate & Lyle.