DES MOINES, IOWA — Kemin Industries added two new members to the business unit of their technical team. Daiki Murayama joined as associate scientist, and Michael Cropp was hired as technical services associate.

Mr. Murayama holds a PhD in food science from the University of Wisconsin as well as a PhD in agriculture from Japan’s Iwate University. Prior to receiving his doctorates, Mr. Murayama received a master’s degree in agriculture and a bachelor’s in animal husbandry from Japan’s Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine.

In his role at Kemin as associate scientist, Mr. Murayama will investigate the fundamental mechanisms of ingredient action and support the integration of new technologies. He will identify new ingredient blends to optimize new production conditions within Kemin’s food ingredients. He will also lead the development of new emulsifiers and enzyme blends within the tortilla industry for clean label alternatives.

Mr. Cropp holds a PhD and master’s in agriculture and life sciences from Iowa State University. He completed his bachelor’s in agriculture at Kansas State University. Mr. Cropp has an extensive background within the meat industry, including an internship with Tyson Foods, Springdale, Ark.

As technical services associate at Kemin, he will provide commercial technical support to the Americas sales team and customer-partners. Mr. Cropp will also lead application testing of new products and identify opportunities for customer-driven product innovation. He will support integrational protein product platforms and oversee the testing of various meat applications and processing conditions. Mr. Cropp will also coordinate research between the sales, R&D and Customer Laboratory Service teams of Kemin Food Technologies, Americas.

“We are excited to have Daiki Murayama and Michael Cropp join our team of experts,” said Lan Ban, director of research and development, Kemin Food Technologies, Americas. “Kemin is committed to innovation, and we continue to expand our ingredient solutions to help manufacturers meet label goals and ensure product success. With the recent expansion of capabilities within the bakery and protein industries, Kemin has many groundbreaking technologies on the cusp of development. Daiki and Michael help further strengthen and support our technical expertise around these innovative solutions.”