The adviser to the Chief Executive Officer of the Monde Nissin Corporation recently visited IRRI Headquarters to meet with scientists and discuss innovative uses of rice for their company’s food products.

Last April 12, Martial Gerard Beck met with Dr. Gururaj Kulkarni, Head of the Bio-Innovation Center, and Dr. Nese Sreenivasulu, Grain Quality and Nutrition Center Lead, to explore opportunities in leveraging IRRI's cutting-edge research and innovations in rice, particularly rice flour and rice starch, as ingredients for Monde Nissin's line of consumer products.

Monde Nissin Corporation is one of the Philippines’ largest food and beverage companies, known for popular brands such as Lucky Me! and Skyflakes, and boasts a wide portfolio of consumer products that include instant noodles, biscuits, and baked goods.

Mr. Beck shared that Monde Nissin imports large volumes of wheat to manufacture their products, and they are exploring ways to reduce their dependence on importation by shifting to locally-grown cereals such as rice.

Dr. Kulkarni presented to Mr. Beck the concept of IRRI’s Bio-Innovation Center, where partners can harness institute facilities and expertise to pursue specific research outcomes. Dr. Sreenivasulu also shared the possibilities for collaborative grain quality and nutrition research for developing high-quality and healthy rice-based ingredients for consumer products. Mr. Beck was also given a tour of the facilities and provided with information and insight on IRRI’s work on rice flour, rice starch, and other rice-based food products.

The meeting was fruitful and laid the foundation for a potential partnership. Mr. Beck showed great interest in IRRI innovations such as low-GI rice and high-protein rice, as well as work on nutritious and gluten-free rice products. He indicated that he will engage with Monde Nissiin’s research and product development teams to identify the potential product range and prototypes for collaboration.

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