Silliker Opens Solution Center

CRETE, Ill.On Wed. Sept. 19, Silliker, a Mérieux NutriSciences Company, officially opened its new $14 million Solution Center in Crete, Ill., serving as its North American flagship laboratory. The company, a leading food safety testing and consulting firm, celebrated the opening of its new 71,000-sq.-ft. facility, which is now the largest laboratory in the Silliker network and home to over 200 food professionals. It is home to both the Food Science Center and the Illinois Analytical Lab.

The center includes expanded analytical chemistry capabilities, advanced nutritional chemistry testing for composition and nutritional labeling, an increased profile of chemistry testing methods for current and emerging chemical contaminants, state-of-the-art microbiology testing and serology expertise, and enhanced capabilities for contract research programs including shelf life and challenge studies. The company notes that its laboratory standards exceed the benchmark set by ISO/IEC 17025.

The Food Science Center includes a dedicated pilot plant with three times the space than the company previously had; a select agent lab for conducting high-risk testing licensed by the U.S. government; a specialized services lab for highly specified and small-batch testing; a main lab for standard microbiological testing, shelf-life testing, challenge studies, etc.; and a molecular biology zone for DNA and RNA testing and analysis.

The Illinois Analytical Lab is the largest facility of its type in the Silliker network. Input from clients help steer Silliker in its selection of new equipment, which has considerably expanded its range of chemistry testing and analysis capabilities. It includes instrument labs featuring instrumentation for HPLC and other tests; a wet chemistry lab for testing and analysis of fatty acids and other constituents of food; a diagnostics and microbiology lab for raw and processed samples; a serology lab with instrumentation to prepare and homogenize samples, including same-day testing; and a physical lab that includes quantitative and qualitative capabilities that can, for example, test restaurant chain samples for physical properties like viscosity.

The opening of the Silliker Solution Center is consistent with our global strategic plan to provide our valued customers with the highest level of service from operations based on the latest technologies and instrumentation, combined with a dedicated team focused on operational excellence, said Philippe Sans, president and CEO, Mérieux NutriSciences.

John H. Silliker, Ph.D., a microbiologist, founded the company with a single laboratory in Chicago Heights in 1967. The company now has a presence in 17 countries with 45 locations worldwide. Institut Mérieux, the original research laboratory for legendary scientist Louis Pasteur, made its initial investment into Silliker in the 1990s, providing capital for international expansion. Beyond its work in aiding clients in retail food and foodservice with their analytical and testing needs, Silliker works with food retailers and manufacturers of dietary supplements. The company also provides a range of consulting, auditing, education and training services.

In addition to Silliker, Mérieux NutriSciences includes two other companies in its network: BioFortis, specializing in contract research in nutrition, and BioAgri, specializing in contract research in agronomy and the environment.