Press Releases

The Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV will be presenting new technologies and solutions at interpack from May 4 to 10, 2023 in Hall 4, Booth C45, that enable companies in the packaging and food industries to realize digital value creation and enter the circular economy. The VR-based training courses developed by the Fraunhofer IVV for the efficient training and further education of operating and technical personnel enable rapid and sustainable qualification of operators during ongoing operations - without stopping production or consuming resources. To counteract the quality risks associated with manual cleaning processes and the increasing challenge posed by the shortage of skilled workers, the Fraunhofer IVV has developed digital solutions in the form of "CleanAssist" and the "Mobile Cleaning Device", which, through the use of augmented reality (AR), digital twin and intelligent sensor technology, finally allow real cleaning validation and reliable quality assurance of cleaning. The Fraunhofer IVV is meeting the growing demands on the packaging industry for recyclable packaging systems with the targeted development of fiber-based packaging solutions and technologies to ensure the processing of paper and alternative materials in high-speed machines. Exhibits will demonstrate the achievable variety of shapes of thermoformed fiber-based packaging, the combination of molded parts with functional and partly organic barriers, and the synergy of embossing with 3D molded parts to design consumer packaging.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV will showcase the newest version of an intelligent, autonomous tank cleaning system for time- and resource-optimized cleaning processes with the AJCsens at the drinktec trade fair in Munich (Hall B3, Booth 336) between September 12 and 16, 2022. The innovative, miniaturized and — for the first time — highly integrated sensor technology as well as the implementation of self-optimizing process management enable the whole tank to be cleaned in line with actual needs.

Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV and partners from industry are investigating how fat content can be reduced in chocolate fillings by using oleogels made from plant oils as well as how the lipid composition can be optimized. The fillings manufactured using the recipe containing plant oils aren’t only distinguished by their nutritionally beneficial fatty acid profile. Individual adaptation to the product has meant that the shelf life required for chocolate products can be guaranteed, despite modifications to the recipe. The knowledge gained in applications for oleogels and the production of samples with convincing sensory characteristics will lay the foundations for further developments and other food products.

Currently, lubricants are mainly produced on a mineral-oil base and although plant-based oils are already being used for biolubricants, the proportion is still very low. Both varieties have one thing in common: Oil-based lubricants are particularly susceptible to oxidation and are thus mixed with additives that act as antioxidants in order to increase stability. To facilitate new products that support the bioeconomy, the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV has created a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional, mineral oil-based antioxidants.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV will present solutions to the challenges currently faced by the food industry at the IFFA between May 14 and May 19, 2022 (Hall 11.1, Stand B70). The intelligent, sensor-based CleanAssist cleaning lance has been developed for manual cleaning processes, making consistent reproducibility and reliable quality possible for the first time. In the field of food safety, Co-Control, a customer-specific adaptable sensor for detecting organic contamination in particularly hygiene-critical environments, is being presented. With regard to meat alternatives, Fraunhofer IVV will show how plant-based protein sources can be used to make custom food ingredients and marketable products.

How resilient is our food supply? Temporarily empty shelves during the Corona crisis showed that the answer to this question is more urgent than ever. Guaranteeing people a supply of food that is both safe in terms of health and of high quality is an essential system-relevant tasks that is affected by complex factors and that needs to be rethought in many respects in view of several weaknesses in the system. Researchers from six Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Institutes have set themselves this goal and joined together to form the »Resilient system architecture to safeguard food production« (ReSearchL) initiative. As part of the project, they identify risks and weaknesses in the value chain and develop solution scenarios in order to make manufacturing stronger and ultimately more resilient in the future.

In keeping with the theme of this year's PARTS2CLEAN, “Quality needs perfection”, the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV in Stuttgart presents a solution for the complex challenges of “Cleaning 4.0”. From October 5–7, 2021 at Hall 4, Stand B22, the Institute will present an innovative model system for the digitized analysis of industrial component cleaning processes.

CIRCULAR FoodPack aims to facilitate the circular use of plastic packaging addressing the most sensitive product category: Food. The CIRCULAR FoodPack project started in June 2021 and will run until November 2024 with about 5.4 million Euros of EU funding from Horizon 2020 the European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The project will be implemented by fourteen companies and research institutes from six European countries and is coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV in Freising.

A sustainable society with climate-neutral processes requires significant adjustments in the value chains, which are only possible through innovations. Seven Fraunhofer Institutes are pooling their expertise in the lighthouse project "Waste4Future" to develop new solutions for this goal, from the raw material base to material flows and process engineering right to the end of a product's life cycle. In particular, they want to increase energy and resource efficiency in the use of plastics and thus pave the way for a chemical industry that requires fewer fossil raw materials and produces fewer emissions.

Research News / May 03, 2021 The amount of plastic waste increases every year. Some of this waste is due to plastic packaging used to protect food. As part of the “BioActiveMaterials” project, researchers at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft have developed an eco-friendly coating for paper packaging. With this, not only is plastic saved, but the coating of plant-based proteins and waxes also extends the shelf life of the food. After use, the packaging can be placed in the waste paper recycling bin for disposal.