Food development

We develop healthy plant-based foods through various manufacturing processes
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Customized foods

We develop customized foods and functional ingredients to meet your requirements. We assist you in all development phases, namely from the product idea, model formulations, process concept, and sample production to scale-up of the manufacturing process for industrial quantities of market-ready products. Our expertise in the development of foods and food ingredients as well as in the area of packaging, instrumental analysis, and sensory analytics enable us to provide you with a comprehensive range of services along the entire production chain.

Take advantage of our well-equipped food pilot plant for your sample production and quality analyses!

Food pilot plant

Our range of services in the field of food development

Replacement of animal with plant based proteins

For example, we replace milk protein with lupin protein in formulations and develop novel vegan products.

 

Fermentation for high-quality dairy alternatives

 

We can improve the nutritional properties of plant proteins with natural fermentation processes.

 

Plant-based
meat substitutes

Through product-specific adaptation of extrusion technology, a meat-like texture can be achieved: for example, a fibrous structure for vegetarian cutlets or a crumbly consistency for minced meat-like products.

Food reformulation

 

Development of manufacturing processes and food, e.g. reduced fat or salt, enriched with proteins

Extruded animal feeds

 

Substitution of fish meal by the use of plant-based raw materials

 

Chocolate products

 

Quality assessment and process analysis along the value chain from the cocoa bean to the edible chocolate product

Manufacturing processes for food – Research

Food production with twin screw cooking extruder
Twin screw cooking extruder for the production of extruded food products and functional ingredients
Vegetarian protein extrudate which obtains its fibrous structure by extrusion
The fiber structure of a vegetarian protein product can be specifically modified by process control during extrusion.
Sampling for process control in the fermentation of food and food ingredients.
Microbiological process control during the production of fermented foods

Our research focuses on the interactions between formulations, processes, and product properties. A particularly important area of work is the development of methods for texturing plant-based foods via fermentation and extrusion. Another key area is the replacement of animal-based ingredients (e.g. egg protein and milk protein) by plant-based ingredients. The development of product-specific in-vitro methods such as bile acid binding and salt liberation allow us to improve the  nutritive profiles of foods. We have many years of experience processing chocolate and analyzing all relevant materials, from the starting cocoa beans to finished pralines. In all our development work the organoleptic properties of products are a priority.

Extrusion technology for food production

We research the crosslinking reactions of proteins, the modification of thermo-physical and physio-chemical properties of materials under high shear and temperature conditions, and the quantification of textural characteristics. Based on experience working with a variety of legumes we are able to understand the interplay between raw material properties, processing behavior, and textural properties. This allows us to develop new strategies for the production of textured proteins and sustainably produced animal feeds. Our advanced technical facilities with three twin-screw extruders enable us to work on a laboratory scale (1 kg/h) right up to a small pilot plant scale (ca. 80 kg/h).

Fermentation processes to improve nutritional properties

Plant raw materials often contain flavor components and antinutritive substances that limit their use in foods. We develop processes to remove these substances via fermentation and simultaneously improve the nutritive, technofunctional, and especially sensory properties of the raw materials. Leguminous plants, that typically have bean-like and bitter flavors, can for example be processed in such a way that they can be used in vegan foods. A key area of research is the development of plant-based alternatives to dairy products. We use fermentation processes to generate specific product textures. The plant proteins are networked in such a way that it is possible to manufacture both plant-based yoghurt and cheese. In addition, we can customize the fermentation to produce specific taste and flavor characteristics, for example acidity and freshness to the palate. We carry out this work on a scale from 500 ml to 20 l.

360° Tour - Fermentation pilot plant

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360° Tour - Extrusion pilot plant

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