Global daily chemical and food ingredient giant International Flavors & Fragrances Inc (IFF) inaugurated an R&D center in Changning district on Oct 25, its largest in Asia.

Headquartered in New York City, IFF creates products related to taste, texture, scent, nutrition, enzymes, cultures, soy proteins, and probiotics, which it markets globally.

The Shanghai Creative Center in Changning's Hongqiao Linkong Economic Zone spans 16,000 square meters. Its establishment is expected to strengthen IFF's presence in areas such as flavors, fragrances, functional ingredients, and biosciences.

Within the new center, IFF has set up its first integrated R&D and scientific platform catering to various sectors such as animal nutrition and personal care.

Additionally, a visual fragrance center has been introduced to enable olfactory AI using facial expression capture technology. The facility includes the largest sensory science lab outside IFF's New York headquarters, a flavor innovation studio, and a culinary demonstration kitchen.

At the opening ceremony, J. Erik Fyrwald, CEO of IFF, said that the Chinese market serves as a hub for strategic technological innovation, with consumers shaping trends in flavor, food ingredients, fragrances, health, and bioscience not only in the Asia-Pacific region but also globally.

IFF currently maintains a workforce of over 1,600 employees spread across 18 sites in 12 Chinese cities.

Source: Official WeChat account of Changning District Information Office at "shchangning"