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The loss or departure of staff has a significant impact on production efficiency, especially in small and medium-sized companies. If positions cannot be filled or knowledge carriers are not on site, there is often a lack of the right advice at the right time in the event of production errors. If, for example, the bread rolls in an artisan bakery are too small, only the experienced bakery staff usually know the causes.

In order to counteract the shortage of skilled workers and support these businesses in making experience-based knowledge available at all times, researchers in the "WiBe-Back" project have dedicated themselves to this topic. In cooperation with Bäckerei Möbius and Hallo Welt! GmbH, an in-house chatbot was developed that provides assistance and suggested solutions for the production of baked goods.

The result not only impressed the master bakers, but also the jury of the FutureSax Transfer Prize. Above all, the transferability to other artisan businesses and the application-oriented assistance in the practice of small companies were decisive for the award. On June 25, the project was awarded 1st place at the innovation conference.

Are you and your production company facing the challenge of digitizing experience-based knowledge and retaining it in your company? Are you looking for solutions for consistent product quality, even though your product is determined by various mechanical or manual influences? Then contact us - we will bring the right digitization solution to your application!

The new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) has been in effect since February 2025. It has been designed to promote the transition to a genuine circular economy in the packaging sector. But what does this mean in concrete terms for materials in the recycling process - especially when they are processed into new packaging materials? And are their mechanical properties retained?

In our packaging pilot plant, we simulate the multi-recycling process using our compounder. We then process the material into films on our co-extrusion pilot line. In our test laboratory, the change in key properties such as tensile strength, puncture resistance, permeation and sealability are analyzed.

We will be happy to support you in solving your individual challenges with the diverse possibilities of our pilot plant. Get in touch with Swantje Eissing and find out more about the services you can book with us.

Would you like to know how your own materials perform after recycling? Or which adjustments need to be made to your machinery in order to process recycled plastics efficiently? Then visit us at FachPack on September 23, 2025 in Hall 4, Stand 4-209, PackBox! Our scientific experts will be there from 2 to 3 p.m. to present the latest research results and development opportunities in the field of packaging materials. The presentations will be held in German.

In food production, every detail counts - especially when it comes to hygienic filling processes. These must be designed in such a way that pathogenic and spoilage-causing microorganisms are reliably reduced or inactivated. Challenge tests are carried out to prove effectiveness. They identify possible weak points in the process and reveal potential for optimization. To do this, we use process-specific bioindicators that are individually produced using special germination processes and test organisms with proven resistance. In this way, we create the basis for reliable and meaningful results..

We support machine manufacturers and bottlers with established test methods for evaluating the effectiveness of sterilization processes for products, packaging and machine components. Both specific target organisms and suitable surrogates are used for realistic evaluation. In addition to thermal and chemical processes, the focus is increasingly shifting to alternative sterilization technologies such as UV radiation. The main drivers are the desire for more environmentally friendly, residue-free and material-friendly processes as well as increasing regulatory requirements regarding the use of chemicals and energy efficiency..

Do you need help with validating your systems? We can support you all the way - from the development phase to commissioning and regular inspections. Meet Dr. Peter Muranyi at drinktec 2025 and find out more about the latest developments in the microbiological validation of alternative disinfection processes. Get in touch with us and make an appointment in advance!

High-protein products are trending - but they present dairies with new challenges in production: More protein means more deposits in the heat exchangers used for pasteurization/ultra-high heating. The result: higher use of resources, more difficult process control and, above all, more frequent cleaning and therefore longer downtimes.

To tackle this problem, our researchers have developed an AI-supported monitoring system for predictive fouling detection in collaboration with TU Braunschweig. With "CoControl-FouliQ", fouling can be reliably predicted during the heating process - allowing cleaning to be scheduled as required. This can significantly reduce the amount of cleaning required for high-protein products, particularly in the UHT sector. This saves resources and at the same time increases plant availability and production capacity.

The system can be integrated into existing systems with little effort and is specially adapted to the challenging environmental conditions in dairy production thanks to an innovative hardware solution.

At drinktec, we will be presenting „CoControl-FouliQ” at the VDMA stand in Hall C4, Stand 177. Come by and make an appointment with us in advance! Our expert in plant validation will also be at drinktec – find out more in the next article.

Our solvent-based recycling process and AI-supported tools for better processing and odor and quality assessment of recyclates were the focus of our presentation at the Future Forum Plastics Cycle in Berlin. From July 1-3, 2025, we were discussing new technologies for a functioning circular economy in the plastics sector with experts from industry, research and politics.

How can we secure the availability of raw materials? And how can we become more sovereign and resilient? These were the central questions on which Dr. Rolf-Dieter Jungk, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, also gathered information on site.

Companies from the plastics, automotive, electrical and textile industries can benefit from our innovative technologies and sustainable solutions in the plastics and recycling sector. Because: Closed recyclate cycles not only secure raw materials and reduce energy and material costs but also create new business models and meet the increasing sustainability requirements of politicians and consumers. We make the closed-loop recycling of plastics more efficient and economical - contact us!

We use VOCs to prove the effectiveness of products, make the invisible visible and measurable - and drive research and diagnostics forward. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are omnipresent: they are found as flavorings in our food, as fragrances in our cosmetic products or enter the ambient air through a wide variety of materials as both odor-active and odorless molecules. The human body emits VOCs via breath, skin or other routes. These contain valuable information on biological processes, health conditions and the actual effect of products. They reflect complex metabolic processes and act as biomarkers for our health.

On August 1, 2025, Prof. Büttner will take over as chair of Fraunhofer VRB, which currently comprises four Fraunhofer core institutes (IGB, IME, UMSICHT, IVV) and two guest institutes (IAP, IWKS). The institutes work closely together to develop circular, biotechnological and systemic solutions for raw material and energy supply, climate and environmental protection and food and health security.

Wood is extremely popular as a natural design element in interiors - whether as flooring, furniture or wall cladding. At the same time, modern glass façades and large windows ensure that rooms are flooded with light. However, daylight also brings harmful UV radiation into the interior, which leaves visible traces on wooden surfaces over time: Color changes, embrittlement and erosion are the result. To prevent these ageing processes, wooden surfaces are often treated with UV-protective coatings. Conventional solutions are often based on pigments, which provide effective protection against UV radiation but change the natural appearance of the wood. Alternatively, transparent UV blockers such as benzophenones are used - although their harmlessness to health is controversial. In the "ProTann" research project, scientists at the Fraunhofer IVV have developed a new, sustainable coating based on natural ingredients. The innovative solution combines UV-absorbing tannins with protein-based film formers - and impresses with excellent UV protection, very good film formation and health safety. The result: a modern, bio-based coating system for interior wood surfaces. The next step is to scale it up to industrial production levels. In the future, optimized water resistance should also make outdoor use possible. Would you like to make your coatings sustainable? Then find out more about our range. We will be happy to develop a customized, bio-based solution for your application!

When cutting joined materials - especially new sustainable packaging materials - the question often arises as to how optimum cutting edge quality can be ensured and which process parameters are decisive. In the "HotCut" research project, we have developed a testing device for detailed analysis of the cutting quality of joined packaging materials which for the first time establishes the connection between the "sealing" and "cutting" process steps. It records the interaction of key parameters such as cutting force, seam temperature and cutting speed and enables the derivation of an optimum process design. For example, tool geometries, sealing and cutting parameters as well as materials can be examined under industrial conditions with regard to cutting behavior, tool wear or cutting quality. For reproducible quality assurance, the device is suitable for carrying out standardized cutting tests and for developing test standards. Would you like to find out more?

We have developed new concepts for a sustainable circular economy for flexible plastic packaging in the European Horizon 2020 project "CIRCULAR Food Pack". Together with 10 companies and 5 research institutions, we have demonstrated successful strategies for implementing the ambitious goals of the new EU packaging regulation.

Using innovative tracer-based sorting solutions, we have achieved a sorting purity of 99%. We tested the cleaning efficiency of the technologies used in the "CIRCULAR FoodPack" project in a challenge test. This showed that the Fraunhofer IVV's solvent-based recycling process was able to achieve a cleaning efficiency of up to 99.8% for both highly volatile and medium volatile contaminants and that scaling up the process opens up outstanding opportunities for the circular economy of food packaging. We realized up to 30% recycled content in the packaging structure developed for fexible mono-material packaging. We were able to reduce the migration of undesirable contaminants below toxicologically relevant threshold values. Using our demonstrator packaging (see photo) we successfully demonstrated the suitability of PE recyclate for blown film and for further processing into Machine Direction Oriented PE (MDOPE).

We will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the recycling of packaging. Please contact our recycling expert Dr. Martin Schlummer. We are also happy to support you in the development and testing of new packaging designs with PCR materials for food and personal & home care applications.