Scoular Food Innovation R&D Manager
September 8, 2025
In the business-to-business (B2B) sector, research and development (R&D) focuses on enabling customer innovation through ingredient functionality, technical support, and application expertise.
R&D teams in consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, on the other hand, manage the entire product lifecycle—from concept development and formulation to consumer testing and commercialization. While both require deep technical knowledge, B2B R&D is more collaborative and customer-driven, acting as a strategic partner rather than a product owner.
Scoular’s Food Innovation R&D team acts as a technical partner, not just a supplier. For B2B clients, we provide ingredient functionality reports, concept samples, and application testing that help them integrate our ingredients into their formulations with confidence. We also offer troubleshooting support, reformulation guidance, and documentation to streamline their development process.
For CPG brands, our support is even more hands-on. We develop concept recipes that showcase ingredient performance, conduct shelf-life and sensory studies, and collaborate on product optimization. We help brands navigate challenges like texture improvement, sugar reduction, protein enrichment, and allergen replacement—always with an eye toward consumer appeal and market readiness.
Our team also plays a key role in commercialization. We work closely with sales, marketing, and operations to ensure that our technical recommendations are scalable, cost-effective, and aligned with customer goals. Whether it’s a startup launching its first product or a global brand expanding its portfolio, we’re committed to making progress easier.
R&D aims to find ingredient solutions that help meet customer goals, like satisfying consumer needs, overcoming operational issues, improving efficiency, or minimizing supply chain risks. Customers may aim to improve product texture, decrease sugar content, extend shelf life, or comply with clean-label requirements, and rely on their suppliers’ R&D teams to evaluate and validate potential ingredients. The process requires technical expertise on a wide range of functional ingredients and an understanding of formulation constraints, processing needs, and regulatory standards. Collaboration between customers and R&D teams is critical, as sharing project details and requirements supports the identification of appropriate solutions.
Another challenge is the diversity of applications. Our team supports customers across bakery, beverage, bars, supplements, confectionery, and savory categories, each with unique functional demands. We must be agile and responsive, tailoring our recommendations to fit specific product matrices and manufacturing environments. And because we don’t always have direct access to consumer data, we rely heavily on customer feedback, market intelligence, and trend tracking to guide our ingredient solution recommendations and concept recipe pipeline.
We stay ahead of trends by continuously evaluating functional ingredients from around the world. Our R&D team conducts rigorous functionality testing to understand how ingredients perform across key metrics like water absorption, gelation, emulsification, foam stability, and dispersibility. These tests help us determine how ingredients behave in real-world applications—from beverages and bars to bakery and confectionery.
For example, we’ve assessed the performance of plant proteins, soluble and insoluble fibers, sweeteners, and starches using standardized protocols that simulate actual product conditions. We measure how ingredients respond to heat, agitation, and hydration, and we document their sensory attributes like texture, aroma, and flavor. This allows us to recommend the best ingredient for a specific application—whether it’s improving mouthfeel in a beverage or enhancing structure in a gluten-free pasta.
Our applications expertise is equally robust. We’ve developed concepts for low sugar ice cream, plant-based protein bars, egg-reduced brownies, low carb tortillas, and gluten-free pasta using ingredients like allulose, chicory root fiber, potato starch, oat fiber, soy protein, and pea protein. These concepts not only demonstrate ingredient functionality and performance but also help train our sales team and inspire customer innovation.
We’re passionate about sharing what we know. Whether it’s through webinars, technical reports, or one-on-one conversations, our goal is to empower customers with the insights they need to make informed decisions and create products that meet market demands.
We welcome collaboration and inquiries from food manufacturers, product developers, and innovation teams. To connect with the Scoular Food Innovation R&D team, email us at researchanddevelopment@scoular.com. Whether you need technical support, ingredient insights, or partnership opportunities, we’re here to help.