Collaborations have made it possible to combine expertise and cutting-edge technology under one roof
Swiss technology group, Bühler recently opened its new Protein Application Centre in partnership with endeco, as part of the company’s expanded food innovation capabilities in Uzwil. The centre completes the technology solutions necessary to go from pulses or grains to finished consumer products, such as dairy or meat replacements, or for intermediate ingredients, such as proteins, fibres, or starches. This takes the process and product development of proteins to new heights. With dry and wet processing options for plant proteins, Bühler now offers solutions to its customers covering the whole protein value chain – from field to consumer products. Customers will be able to develop and validate their ideas in protein processing to produce plant-based foods, such as meat substitutes and beverages. A topic of growing importance is to maximize the value of the side streams generated in the food industry and the application center brings unique technology solutions to address this.
The Protein Application Center spans an area of 300 square meters. The centre offers customers testing facilities on a small and larger scale. Customers can test their ideas on a small but highly flexible processing line with a capacity of 1 kilogram per hour (kg/h), and can also validate their ideas on the industrial-size production line with an infeed capacity of 200 kg/h, optimizing the manufacturing process to scale production. In both processing lines, a wide variety of raw materials, such as pulses, grains, and other protein sources, can be split into their major components – protein, starch, and fibre.
Collaborations have made it possible to combine expertise and cutting-edge technology under one roof. Bühler and endeco have made rapid progress in their partnership, officially announced in 2022. The exchange started in 2021 with a first meeting between Andreas Risch and Karl-Heinz Bergmann and his team at endeco. The potential for deeper collaboration was immediately evident and this is now manifested in the new Protein Application Centre. The success story of the two partners is emblematic of the rapid rise of pulses as a sustainable and healthy source of protein.