Global taste and nutrition company, Kerry has officially opened a new biotechnology centre in Germany.

The facility, based in Leipzig, will focus on the development of innovative biotech solutions across food, beverage, and pharma applications.

Kerry said that it has "significantly developed its biotechnology capabilities in recent years".

The company added that it has built "a dedicated technology and manufacturing footprint through a combination of strategic acquisitions and organic investment".

The Biotechnology Centre in Leipzig aims to "further enhance Kerry’s global infrastructure in this space".

Kerry explained that Leipzig has been chosen as the location for the new facility, "given the exceptional biotechnology skills base and research cluster that has developed in the city".

c-LEcta, which was acquired by Kerry in 2022 for its specialist capabilities in enzymes and biotechnology, was established in 2004 as a spin-out from the University of Leipzig.

Kerry’s biotechnology research and production infrastructure spans three continents and is led and co-ordinated from Kerry’s Global Innovation Centre in Ireland.

The new centre in Leipzig will be directed by Dr. Marc Struhalla, the founder of c-LEcta, and will draw on the work of over 100 scientists and technical experts, including 34 PhDs based in the centre.

The primary activities that will be undertaken at the new facility include enzyme and strain identification and engineering, fermentation and bioprocess development and scale-up, and production.

Novel enzymes are selected from nature, and can then be tailored to perform specific functions with applications in a broad spectrum of use cases.

Kerry has already brought several products using biotech capabilities to the market.

Edmond Scanlon, Kerry chief executive, said that “biotechnology solutions present a new horizon of innovation and opportunity for global food, beverage and pharmaceutical markets".

"Kerry’s existing portfolio of biotech capabilities, which has been built up over the past 20 years, together with this new Biotechnology Centre, enables us to play a leading role in bringing the next generation of discoveries in this space to market, supporting our customers, as they meet consumer needs for sustainable nutrition," he added.