IFF Expands Production and Innovation Capabilities in Latin America with New Enzyme Hub and Applications Laboratory
Global ingredients and biosciences leader IFF is strengthening its footprint in Latin America through a strategic expansion designed to boost production capacity, innovation, and customer collaboration across the region. The company announced a major initiative that includes transforming its facility in Arroyito into a regional enzyme production hub and launching a new home care applications laboratory at its innovation center in São Paulo.
These investments are aimed at supporting the rapid growth of the company’s Health & Biosciences (H&B) business in Latin America—one of the fastest-growing markets for biotechnology-enabled solutions. By expanding local capabilities in fermentation technology and application testing, the company aims to provide faster, more reliable, and locally relevant solutions to industries ranging from food and beverages to household care and renewable energy.
Strengthening Presence in a High-Growth Market
Latin America has become an increasingly important region for bioscience innovation, driven by growing demand for sustainable manufacturing, improved food production, and environmentally friendly consumer products. Recognizing these opportunities, IFF has committed to enhancing its operational capabilities across the region.
The company’s expansion strategy focuses on two key pillars: local production and localized innovation. By increasing production capacity within the region and building advanced application laboratories, the organization intends to shorten development cycles and improve responsiveness to customer needs.
According to company leadership, the initiative will allow regional teams to collaborate more closely with customers while delivering solutions tailored to local markets and manufacturing conditions.
Letícia Gonçalves, President of Health & Biosciences at IFF, emphasized that the company’s goal is to translate scientific advances into practical benefits for consumers and industries.
She explained that bringing world-class fermentation and applications capabilities to Latin America enables the company to accelerate innovation for its customers while contributing to better food products, more effective cleaning solutions, and everyday consumer goods that improve quality of life for millions across the region.
Building Latin America’s First Regional Enzyme Fermentation Hub
One of the most significant elements of the expansion is the transformation of the company’s facility in Arroyito. The site is being upgraded to become the company’s first fully integrated fermentation-based enzyme production hub in Latin America.
Enzymes play a crucial role in a wide range of industrial processes. Produced through biological fermentation, these proteins accelerate chemical reactions and improve efficiency in manufacturing processes while often reducing energy use and environmental impact.
Through the Arroyito expansion, the company will be able to produce enzymes locally beginning with the initial biological fermentation phase rather than relying on imports or partial processing from other regions. This localized production capability is expected to enhance reliability and flexibility in supply chains while enabling faster adjustments to changing customer requirements.
Fermentation technology is a core area of expertise for IFF. Using controlled biological processes, microorganisms are cultivated to produce specific enzymes with consistent performance characteristics. These enzymes are then applied in industrial operations where they help optimize productivity and sustainability.
The expanded facility will support enzyme production for multiple industries, including brewing, animal nutrition, biofuel production, and household cleaning products. By producing enzymes closer to customers, the company expects to reduce lead times, increase manufacturing efficiency, and strengthen service reliability.
Supporting Multiple Industries with Bioscience Solutions
The expanded enzyme hub will enable the company to supply critical ingredients to a variety of sectors that depend on biotechnology-driven processes.
In the brewing industry, enzymes help improve fermentation efficiency and consistency, allowing producers to optimize flavor, yield, and production time. In animal nutrition, specialized enzymes improve nutrient absorption in livestock feed, contributing to healthier animals and more sustainable agricultural practices.
The biofuels industry also benefits from enzyme technology, which helps convert raw biomass into renewable fuels more efficiently. These processes are important for reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Additionally, enzyme solutions play an important role in household and industrial cleaning products. They help break down stains, oils, and food residues in laundry and dishwashing applications, improving cleaning performance while often enabling lower energy and water usage.
By producing these enzymes locally, IFF aims to strengthen partnerships with manufacturers across Latin America and accelerate the adoption of sustainable bioscience technologies.
Launching a Home Care Applications Laboratory in Brazil
Alongside the production expansion in Argentina, the company has also opened a new home care applications laboratory at its innovation center in São Paulo.
The laboratory is designed to help customers evaluate how enzyme solutions perform under real-world conditions. Through advanced testing and formulation capabilities, the facility will allow companies to develop and optimize next-generation cleaning products more efficiently.
The lab focuses primarily on applications for laundry and dishwashing products. Researchers and technical specialists will work closely with customers to simulate real usage scenarios, allowing them to fine-tune product formulations for maximum effectiveness.
This collaborative approach is expected to reduce development timelines and improve the precision of product formulations. By testing enzymes directly within specific cleaning product formulations, customers can better understand how the ingredients interact with other components and how they perform under different washing conditions.
The facility also provides opportunities for technical training, demonstrations, and collaborative product development between the company’s scientists and its partners in the home care industry.
Accelerating Innovation Through Regional Collaboration
Company leaders say the new investments highlight the growing importance of Latin America as a center for bioscience-driven innovation.
Deia Vilela, Vice President of Health & Biosciences for Latin America at IFF, noted that the region offers strong growth potential for bioscience-enabled solutions across multiple industries.
She explained that the most exciting aspect of the expansion is the ability to deepen partnerships with customers and regional teams. By bringing production and innovation resources closer to customers, the company can create a stronger ecosystem for collaboration, research, and product development.
These partnerships will help drive the creation of new technologies and applications that address both regional and global challenges, including sustainable food production, improved consumer goods, and environmentally responsible industrial processes.
Commitment to Industrial Biotechnology Leadership
The latest expansion reinforces the company’s long-standing commitment to industrial biotechnology. With more than four decades of experience in this field, IFF has developed advanced capabilities in microbial fermentation, enzyme engineering, and biotechnology-driven product development.
Industrial biotechnology uses biological systems—such as microorganisms and enzymes—to produce chemicals, materials, and ingredients that would otherwise require energy-intensive or environmentally harmful processes. These technologies are increasingly being adopted across industries seeking to improve sustainability and efficiency.
Through its Health & Biosciences division, the company develops solutions that help manufacturers reduce waste, improve product performance, and minimize environmental impact. These solutions support sectors including food production, personal care, household cleaning, agriculture, and renewable energy.
The new investments in Argentina and Brazil position the company to continue advancing its leadership in this area while expanding its impact in Latin America.
Long-Term Vision for Regional Growth
By combining advanced fermentation production with collaborative application laboratories, IFF is creating a regional innovation ecosystem that supports both local customers and global markets.
The company expects the new facilities to enhance supply reliability, accelerate product development, and strengthen relationships with partners throughout the region.
As industries increasingly adopt biotechnology-based solutions, Latin America is likely to play a growing role in global bioscience innovation. With its latest expansion, the company is positioning itself to help shape that future while delivering practical solutions that improve everyday products and industrial processes.
These investments reflect a long-term strategy focused on sustainable growth, scientific innovation, and regional collaboration—ensuring that the benefits of advanced bioscience technologies reach businesses and consumers across Latin America.
About
At IFF (NYSE: IFF), we create joy through science, creativity, and heart. As a global leader in flavor, fragrance, food ingredients, health, and biosciences, we are innovating for the future. Every day, we deliver sustainable and pioneering solutions that elevate the products people love—promoting well-being, delighting the senses, and enhancing the human experience
