Food has always been deeply personal, but today, it also needs to be purposeful. In Asia Pacific, where tradition meets rapid change, consumers are craving more than flavor; they’re looking for nourishment that aligns with their values, from health to sustainability. By tapping into local insights and co-developing with customers, Azelis is helping reimagine everyday foods—from comfort drinks with a wellness boost to hybrid proteins that taste as good as they perform. It’s a story of food made better, not just for individuals, but for industries and communities. 

Our commitment to innovation 

At Azelis, every formulation begins with one question: How will this formulation create meaningful value for the industry, people, and the planet? With innovation and sustainability at our core and a global network of 70+ application and formulating labs, we collaborate closely with our customers and principals to co-create cutting-edge solutions that address real-world challenges and drive sustainable progress.  

In Asia Pacific, we have invested in our innovation capabilities with 20+ industry-dedicated laboratories, each serving as a hub of creativity and technical expertise. In Food & Nutrition alone, we operate five local application and formulating labs closely connected to the markets they serve, capturing local tastes, preferences, and best practices from Southeast Asian to Chinese and South Asian flavours to support customers in the development of their next success.  

These insights fuel our Regional Innovation Centre (RIC) for food in Singapore, which drives technical development across key categories including bakery, confectionery, beverages, dairy, processed meat, and savoury. Guided by market data and trends, the RIC helps us prioritise the categories with the greatest impact and anticipate what the industry needs next. 

By staying closely attuned to shifting consumer preferences and engaging closely with customers and principals, we don’t just respond to trends, we help shape them. Our agile, insight-driven approach ensures we deliver market-ready solutions with speed, precision, and purpose. 

Our regional innovation network fosters cross-team collaboration and cross-country synergies on concepts and formulations. This not only enhances efficiency and consistency but also unlocks new market opportunities, drives growth, and sets new industry standards. Together, we’re turning insight into impact, bringing creative thinking, marketing acumen, and technical expertise to meet evolving market demands.  

Innovation through formulation  

Food with a purpose  

Health consciousness is rising, with more consumers turning to food as a proactive tool for wellness. With 40% of consumers globally choosing food and drinks with health benefits, there is a clear need to adapt to growing health awareness and evolving dietary choices. But today’s consumers care about more than personal health. They’re also looking for food that supports the planet, opening exciting doors for innovation across the food and beverage space.  

At Azelis, we don’t just respond to these changes; we aspire to lead them. By combining our deep technical expertise with our unwavering commitment to innovation and sustainability, we empower our customers to stay ahead of the curve. For us, our purpose lies in leveraging the power of science to innovate and positively impact the world. And with food, that means creating healthier and tastier concepts.  

Take protein, for example. As awareness of its benefits grows, from muscle support to immunity, so does the demand for better, more diverse protein sources. At the same time, growing environmental awareness is prompting a shift beyond traditional animal-based proteins, with more people embracing or considering diverse or blended protein sources that align with both health and sustainability goals. 

To meet this demand while maintaining desirable sensory qualities, our team takes a dual approach, balancing functional and flavour aspects. When reformulating familiar formats such as meatballs and sausages, our team explores protein combinations that deliver on health without compromising texture or taste.  

One outcome of this research is our chicken-based bakso, inspired by the traditional Indonesian dish, a firm, springy beef meatball, typically served in soup. Popular across Southeast Asia as an affordable treat, our version retains the essence of the original while offering a healthier, safer, and equally delicious alternative. We used a smart blend of isolate protein gel, beef collagen fibre, and naturally derived hydrocolloids to improve the bite, while retaining maximum juiciness. Given its usual use in street-food applications, we added a cost-effective clean-label preservative to improve the product’s safety profile. The result is a protein-rich, affordable chicken bakso with extended preservation properties, delivering an authentic experience, reformulated for modern needs. 

We also explored plant-based and hybrid meat variations, like our hybrid beef and pea protein sausage. This blend uses pea protein isolate and a vegetable fibre to match the traditional protein content and replicate the rich mouthfeel of traditional sausages, ensuring a juicy, meaty bite for consumers while achieving a cost reduction of 16% for manufacturers based on our cost analysis. 

Feel-good foods  

Experience-first foods are rising in popularity, driven by the increased focus on wellness and the growing link between nutrition and mood. Recent insights show that 85% of global consumers prioritise comforting, “mood-enhancing” flavours. While this might seem contrary to the push for healthier eating, we see white space for innovation through formulation and new opportunities to reimagine the harmony between indulgence and functionality.  

At Azelis, we understand that feeling well is central to living well, which is why we are proactively developing solutions that support both mental and emotional wellness.  

Take our reformulated chocolate-flavoured milk, for instance, a popular drink among children in Asia. We reduced its sugar content by 40% while enriching it with 5% protein and 3.5% fibre, turning a classic indulgence into a healthier everyday option.   

We also believe innovation thrives on collaboration, and we stay in close contact with our customers and principals to fully understand their needs. Working closely with key food service partners, we have reimagined milk’s role in coffee and tea. By leveraging our formulation expertise, we co-developed signature milk variants tailored to individual cafe needs, from rice and coconut to hybrid nut milk. We customised everything from protein source and content to viscosity and frothing performance, ensuring each variant delivers both functionality and flavour.  

One of the concepts developed is a shelf-stable, standardised barista coconut milk that delivers exceptional performance in barista applications. While appealing in flavour, coconut milk naturally contains less protein and more fat than dairy, presenting formulation challenges around frothing and stability. To solve this, we enriched the base with pea protein to boost both foamability and protein content and added a blend of naturally derived gellan gum and carrageen to improve creaminess and shelf stability. The result is a creamy, stable, plant-based alternative ideal for baristas.  

An active innovator 

At Azelis, innovation isn’t just part of what we do; it’s who we are. We don’t just respond to trends, we predict, pre-empt, and lead them. As active innovators, we constantly introduce new ideas and technologies to the market, unlocking growth opportunities that require new or updated formulations for continued and improved viability. With a deep understanding of global trends, local nuances, and evolving consumer expectations, we create meaningful value for our principals and customers and focus on turning insight into impact. Our commercial know-how enables us to move quickly from concept to launch, helping our customers and principals stay ahead. By combining health consciousness with indulgent experiences, we deliver purposeful, high-performance solutions for the modern consumer. Every formulation and collaboration reflects our commitment to sustainable innovation and long-term success.  

About the Authors

Sudha Raman joined Azelis in 2022 as the Innovation Director for Asia Pacific. With over two decades of experience in the chemical and speciality ingredients industry, Sudha brings deep expertise in product development and R&D. She has held leadership roles at companies such asKeva, Stepan Company, and Croda, where she drove innovation across a range of sectors. Sudha holds a Ph.D. in Surfactants, Oils, and Oleochemicals from the University Department of Chemical Technology in Mumbai, where she also earned her M.Tech and B.Sc.Tech degrees.  

Ghislaine Vigier is the Head of Marketing and Communications for Asia Pacific at Azelis. She joined Azelis in 2015, bringing with her a strong foundation in marketing strategy and innovation within the speciality chemicals and ingredients industry. Her career has spanned roles in Europe and Asia, giving her a strong grasp of regional market dynamics and global industry trends. Ghislaine holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of South Florida and a Master’s degree from Normandy Business School. 

This story first came out in our July/Aug 2025 issue.