Miller Magazine Issue: 141 September 2021

43 MILLER / september 2021 NEWS cess to full production capacity. Tests can be undertak- en at the new full scale extrusion plant. Contract manufacturing – The service allows cus- tomers to launch products within a minimum time frame. As products are manufactured on the same machinery throughout, they can be moved to production stage quickly and with high levels of consistency. The quick- to-market approach minimizes risk as customers don’t need to invest in equipment before a viable market pen- etration is reached. Equipment consultancy – Once products have reached sufficient market share, the center assists customers in choos- ing the right equipment for their plant. The highest levels of product consistency are achieved by installing the machinery used in the prototyping and initial manufacturing phases. Powered by state-of-the-art technology At the heart of the center is Bühler’s advanced extru- sion IFS certified extrusion technology. The twin-screw extruder PolyTwin BCTG and the PolyCool cooling die deliver a production capacity of up to one metric ton per hour. The entire production cycle follows HACCP and GMP principles and guidelines. In addition, the production unit features the most modern downstream equipment. The flexible extru- sion setup is suitable for a wide range of food ap- plications such as dry texturization of proteins, wet texturization of proteins, encapsulation of active in- gredients and cooking extrusion of snack products. The multi-purpose cutting device from Holac cuts wet texturized proteins into strips, cubes, and chunks. A cryogenic Zip Roll from Air Liquide is installed for the rapid freezing of wet textures preserving product characteristics at the highest level. Special applica- tions can be catered for on demand. Additional services The comprehensive offering is complemented by extensive laboratory services such as chemical, micro- biological, and physical analytics of raw materials and analytics of extruded products including particle size distribution, texture analysis, thermal analysis, and mi- croscopic analysis on different length scales. The center also offers consultancy services concerning the devel- opment and process design of extruded food products. The Technology Center Proteins of the Future is situated at the DIL at the Food Science and Tech- nology Campus Artland in Quakenbrück, host to over 250 scientists and technologists and a grow- ing number of spin-offs and start-up businesses developing solutions that improve food safety and quality as well as technology enterprises. “Scale it up Innovation Challenge” The opening of the center is accompanied by the “Scale it up Innovation Challenge” jointly set up by Bühler, Cargill and Givaudan to foster new innovations and solutions to close the protein gap. Start-ups can use the unique infrastructure from DIL and the partners to scale up their product innovations. More news will follow soon on our social media accounts. Bühler’s commitment to a more sustainable future The center’s launch is in line with Bühler’s ongoing commitment to a sustainable future. “The launch of the Technology Center Proteins of the Future is an import- ant part of our focus on environmentally friendly food production for a growing world population and supports our efforts to achieve our sustainability goals,” says Ste- fan Scheiber. “I believe it will make a significant contri- bution towards a more sustainable future.” The Technology Center Proteins of the Future provides state-of-the-art research, test, and production infrastructure for the development of healthy, sustainable-protein food products.