QUEBEC CITY, QUE. — Diana Food has opened a new research and development laboratory in Quebec City as part of a larger effort to drive innovation in its consumer health offerings. The center will support the production of nutritional ingredients in the company’s nearby consumer health plant, with a focus on creating new products and processes.

The proximity between the company’s new laboratory and its consumer health plant will help transfer laboratory innovation into scalable manufacturing and will facilitate the easy transfer of knowledge and technology, the company said. Quebec’s little fruits producing region, also located near the new facility, will provider researchers with quick access to fresh resources.

The laboratory’s team will extract polyphenols from materials like cranberries and blueberries to explore potential applications in health offerings like dietary supplements.

The research and development lab echoes Diana’s partnership with the Institute of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods (I.N.A.F.). The company began working with the I.N.A.F. in November 2018, researching the regulative effects of fruit and vegetable-derived polyphenols on microbiota found in the human gut. 

“The decision to create this new lab emphasizes Diana’s commitment to the market, the North American scientific community, and the company’s long-term growth in the consumer health category,” said Rob Evans, director of research and development at Diana Food.