The majority of the 15 Excellence in Chemicals awards, presented across the specialty chemicals, food and beverage ingredients, performance materials and fine chemicals sectors, went to firms targetting the food industry.
The awards are expected to boost customer recognition for the recipients as well as future marketing activity.
Jan Holm-Hansen, manager of Allied Biotech Europe, said that a 2003 award for its penetration of the highly concentrated and competitive beta-carotene market had had a very positive impact for the firm, only recently operating in Europe at that time.
"It helped us to further build on our reputation and show that we were really established in the marketplace," he told NutraIngredients.com.
Since then, Allied Biotech's share of the beta-carotene market has grown from 6 per cent to 8-10 per cent.
Last night it was commended for its product line strategy leadership, as it has demonstrated fast response to customer demands, adding new products such as a high potency emulsion, and using new channels to distribute them.
"We're faster and more flexible in adapting our ranges to the needs of customers than competitors," claimed Holm-Hansen.
Germany's Flavex Naturextrakte took home the technology innovation award for its supercritical CO2 extraction process that has been used to develop a new omega-3 ingredient from kiwis.
The technology preserves sensitive plant components and avoids the use of solvents so that extracts can be declared natural. CO2-extracts are sterile and need no preservation due to the absence of water, proteins, and sugars, making them germ-free and easy to standardise.
Frost & Sullivan said Flavex has also used strong R&D to develop a wide product range of herb and spice CO2-extracts such as CO2 vanilla extracts, all of which offer several benefits in comparison to existing alternatives.
Gadot Biochemical Industries was recognised for its product differentiation in minerals, with a new line that improves absorption of minerals in the body. The launch has enhanced the firm's position as a company that offers innovative and end-user-focused products.
Lipid Nutrition, a division of the Netherlands oils producer Loders Croklaan, was the recipient of Frost & Sullivan's excellence in technology award for its development of novel, natural-origin lipid ingredients, particularly breakthrough products such as Betapol, Clarinol and Safflorin.
The firm recently introduced Clarinol A-95, the highest purity form ofCLA currently available, particularly useful for supplement makers, as well as PinnoThin, an appetite suppressant derived from pine nuts.
Probi was awarded the technology leadership award for its continued development of the probiotics sector. It has seven patents on the beneficial effect of probiotics on gastrointestinal disorders.
"Probi has also exhibited a rarecombination of biotechnological ingenuity and superior marketing strategy to position itself towards rapid growth in the digestive health market," saidFrost & Sullivan food research manager Kathy Brownlie.
She said Probi has gained a competitive advantage through patent protection, uniqueness of product offerings, recent advances on the immune front and by forming strategic alliances.
Per Bengtsson, CEO of Probi, said the award will contribute to increased attention for Probi, "which in the longer term couldlead to new contacts and new license agreements".
Meanwhile Sprunk-Jansen, a Swedish firm that has recenly entered the supplements sector with products based on traditional medicine with strong science, won an award for entrepreneurship.
Other food ingredients recognised last night included Cargill-Cerestar's mannitol-based excipient C*PharmMannidex DC, used as a binder and diluent in capsules and powder formulations and also a sweetening agent.
Avebe was awarded growth strategy leadership of the year for its expansion into China, Indonesia and Brazil, while the sports nutrition firm Haleko was recognized for tits market penetration leadership.
The company has used a number of strategies to grows its customer base in the mainstream market and increase market share in Europe.
Sunil Kumar, president and CEO of International Specialty Products (ISP), received the 2005 specialty chemicals CEO of the year award and Dow Corning picked up the Specialty Chemicals Company of the year.