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Ingredion Expands its Specialty Ingredient Portfolio With Acquisition of KaTech

After announcing its new plant protein facility will be the first in North America to produce pea protein isolate, Ingredion Incorporated has announced its acquisition of German food tech company KaTech. With a strong focus on plant-based food solutions and dairy alternatives, the move complements Ingredion’s existing specialty ingredient portfolio.

In November, Ingredion acquired full ownership of Verdient Foods, a manufacturer of plant-based protein originally founded by Oscar-winning film director James Cameron and his wife Suzi Amis Cameron. Ingredion also recently bought a majority stake in PureCircle, a leading supplier of stevia to the global marketplace from Chicago. 

verdient foods
©Verdient Foods

Headquartered in Lübeck, Germany, KaTech provides advanced texture and stabilization solutions to the food and beverage industry. It boasts expertise both in ingredient functionality and applications including in areas such as stabilization, texture enhancement, protein protection and enrichment, mouthfeel improvement, and emulsification. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

With its headquarters in the suburbs of Chicago, Ingredion is a leading global ingredient solutions provider serving customers in more than 120 countries. With 2020 annual net sales of $6 billion, the company turns grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant-based materials into value-added ingredient solutions for the food, beverage, animal nutrition, brewing and industrial markets.

“KaTech has deep food formulation expertise which complements our leading texture business in Europe,” said Jim Zallie, Ingredion’s president and chief executive officer. “The addition of KaTech enhances our ability to formulate customized, complete food solutions leveraging Ingredion’s expanded ingredient portfolio. It also expands the geographic footprint of our Food Systems growth platform complementing our positions in the U.S. and Asia.”

Ingredion plant protein
© Ingredion

“We are committed to working together to continue to meet KaTech’s customers’ needs and building upon their world-class reputation in specialties for technical depth, applications know-how, and innovative texturizing solutions that create value for foods and beverages,” said Pierre Perez y Landazuri, Ingredion’s senior vice president, texture, protein and performance specialties.

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