Fortitech Inc., Schenectady, N.Y., a leading provider of nutrient systems for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries, has a new plant coming online as well as educational opportunities this fall. The company develops custom premixes that integrate vitamins, minerals, amino acids, nucleotides and nutraceuticals, and can be used in products ranging from baby formula, dairy products, nutrition and sports drinks, juices, enhanced waters and more.

Fortitech says its nutrient premixes offer a number of advantages, including accelerated product development, accuracy and consistency through rigorous testing protocols, access to a broad array of nutrients, and locations around the world, including Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, Mexico and the United States.

One of those facilities is the company’s nearly completed plant in Ontario, Calif., that measures 53,000 square feet and will dramatically increase its North American production capacity. The new facility features high-capacity blenders, expanded botanical premix capabilities and advanced technology. It is able to produce more than 7,000 tons of custom premixes per year, and allows the company to better serve the West Coast.

“This major investment is part of Fortitech’s ongoing global commitment to strengthening its customer service and client relations efforts, plus ensuring top-notch manufacturing/lab capabilities” said Walt Borisenok, president and chief executive officer at Fortitech, when the plant was announced. “The new Ontario location will, without question, allow us to better serve the growing demands for custom nutrient premixes and support rapidly growing markets throughout the western United States.”

In addition, Fortitech is expanding globally, with the construction of a new manufacturing and laboratory facility outside of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; the recent relocation to a larger distribution office in Mexico City and the addition of 35,000 square feet of warehouse/manufacturing space at Fortitech’s New York headquarters facility.

In an effort to share its expertise with customers, Fortitech recently began including audio Podcasts of its popular technical white papers on the company Web site’s Tech Library. The addition of a Podcast to fortitech.com is one of the first of its kind in the nutrition industry. Each of the Podcasts includes an abstract of the multi-page technical report, and features an added Q&A session with Fortitech Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer Ram Chaudhari. Fortitech says it decided to offer this option to its Web users for its versatility and its ability to allow listeners to listen to technical reports, not just at their computers but in the car, on a plane or wherever they listen to an MP3 player.

Plus, for the second year, Fortitech will present a free online technical Web cast, presented by Chaudhari. Scheduled for Oct. 11, the live Web cast will go in-depth on the safety and integrity of functional ingredients used to fortify foods. The Web cast will include an interactive Q&A session to field questions from registered viewers.

Fortitech operates under the tagline “Not Just Premixes…Strategic Nutrition,” and offers the expertise to help beverage companies anticipate the needs of their consumers. The company can design blends for demographics as diverse as children and senior citizens, as well as targeted health conditions.

At the recent IFT show in Chicago, Fortitech focused on weight management ingredients and nutrient premixes to increase energy. The weight management blend included niacin, pantothenic acid, chromium, L-carnitine, CLA, green tea extract, calcium and potassium. One of the energy premixes featured elevated levels of folic acid, biotin, niacin, pantothenic acid, iodine, zinc choline, a complete B-vitamin complex, and vitamins A, C, D3 and E. Another energy mix included vitamins B12 and B6, CoQ10, pantothenic acid, niacin, folic acid, biotin, taurine, D-Glucoro-nolactone and D-Ribose. The company is ISO 9001:2000 and FPA certified and meets kosher and halal standards.
For more information, visit fortitech.com, or call 800/950-5156.