Tate and Lyle Unveils Automated Ingredient Experimentation Lab in Singapore

Tate & Lyle has opened a brand-new, cutting-edge laboratory in Singapore called the Automated Laboratory for Ingredient Experimentation (ALFIE), which represents a major breakthrough in food and beverage research. This innovative facility will revolutionize the product development process and improve speed-to-market capabilities for the company's clients by incorporating robotics for the first time in the industry.

Modern automated systems used by ALFIE, a division of Tate & Lyle's Customer Collaboration and Innovation Centre, speed up ingredient design and improve testing precision. With the support of sophisticated predictive modeling, this multi-million-pound investment allows the lab to conduct characterization tests up to ten times faster than with conventional techniques. In order to speed up customer innovation cycles, the facility has two fully integrated robotic systems that facilitate data flow and allow for quick ingredient sampling and modeling.

Nick Hampton, Tate & Lyle’s Chief Executive, emphasized the transformative potential of ALFIE: “With this investment, we are revolutionising the product development journey for mouthfeel solutions, enabling our scientists to deliver faster, more innovative solutions. ALFIE’s advanced capabilities will not only improve product performance predictions in food manufacturing but also expand healthier options for consumers and contribute to the future of the food industry.”

The Singapore lab was established with assistance from the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and serves as the company's research and development center for the Asia-Pacific area. Scientists in Singapore and the US may collaborate across continents because to this facility's virtual connection to Tate & Lyle's Innovation Centre in Hoffman Estates, close to Chicago.