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Handtmann machinery manufacturing sausage products

© Albert Handtmann Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG

Handtmann: New Communication Interface for Smart Portioning and Detection Processes

Handtmann has developed a new communication interface that aims to raise the connectivity of Handtmann system technology and foreign body detection solutions to a new level. The new communication interface X40 is open to metal detectors from all manufacturers. In particular, alternative meat and sausage manufacturers in medium to industrial sizes should benefit from the central line control and the flexible configuration for a wide range of production processes. Synchronization, signal exchange, program switching and other processes are carried out centrally via the monitor control of the vacuum filler, which should make operating the entire line far easier. If the operator changes the program on the vacuum filler, the program on the metal detector is also changed automatically. This is intended to ensure that the …

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Organisations and Brands:Handtmann
bright green report

Image courtesy of Bright Green

New GFI Manufacturing Report: Factory Retrofitting Can Accommodate Growing Demand for Plant-Based Meat

A new manufacturing report released by the Good Food Institute and Bright Green Partners, a global alternative protein consultancy, suggests that companies should reuse existing food-industry infrastructure (buildings and equipment) to save money, expand capacity, and avoid shortages in the face of future plant-based meat demand. The industry’s capacity is currently coping with the market, but a moderate increase in demand could lead to shortages, says the report. Retrofitting is 80% less expensive than constructing a new building, offering a cost-efficient, faster alternative to expand capacity in days or months. Floor Buitelaar, managing partner at Bright Green Partners, commented: “Limited capacity and substantial capital requirements hinder the future growth of the plant-based meat industry.” Retrofitting could bolster economic growth The Plant-based Meat Manufacturing Capacity and Pathways for Expansion report provides recommendations for …

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Organisations and Brands:Bright Green PartnersThe Good Food Institute (GFI)
CutMaster meat processing machine

© GEA

Plant-based Food Processing Equipment Market: Robust Growth Expected Through 2030

A new market report from Research and Markets predicts continued growth for the global food processing equipment market for plant-based alternatives. According to Research and Markets, the global market for plant-based food processing equipment could reach approximately US$7.79 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of up to 5.2% from 2023 to 2030. The market is characterized by greater diversification of operations and is benefiting primarily from increasing consumer awareness and preferences for sustainable food products. The high growth of the plant-based food processing equipment market is mainly attributed to factors such as increasing demand for plant-based food, innovation in plant-based food processing equipment, and increasing investments in the plant-based food processing industry. However, the growth of this market is being held …

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Close up of woman eating Mommus Camembert

© Mommus Foods

Mommus Foods Inaugurates Facility to Supply Growing Demand for Vegan Cheese in Spain

Earlier this month, Spain’s Mommus Foods inaugurated a new factory that has the capacity to produce 100,000 units per month of plant-based cheese, stating it is expanding production in order to meet the growing demand for its award-winning artisan products.  Born in 2018 in the small town of Elche, Alicante; the startup’s star product, “this is not a camembert cheese” was named one of the ten best vegan cheese products in the world by abillion in 2020 and 2021. Its wide product portfolio includes vegan cheeses in original semi-cured, smoked, truffled, spicy, and pink pepper, as well as creamy savories in flavors such as sun-dried tomato and garlic, natural, and black garlic. Last September Mommus formed an alliance with Dacsa Group to bring its range …

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Organisations and Brands:Mommus
LSDH soy plant exterior

©LSDH Group

LSDH’s €32M Soy Plant in France Powered by Bühler Now Fully Operational

LSDH Group announces that its soy plant in France is now fully operational. The new plant is part of a facility owned by LSDH in partnership with Sofiprotéol, an investment company dedicated to the production of plant-based beverages. LSDH states that the company invested €32 million as part of its ambition to be a key player in France’s plant-based beverage ingredient market. The plant, with a surface area of 9,000 square meters, will have the capability to offer local soy ingredients that can be used in plant-based yogurts, ice creams, and cheeses. The business was initially established as a dairy company and now employs 2,000 staff. Its products are sold mainly as store brands in major supermarket chains around France and reportedly generated a turnover …

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Organisations and Brands:BühlerLSDH Group
Lantmännen's new biorefinery

Image credit: Lantmännen LinkedIn

Lantmännen Invests SEK800M in New Biorefinery to Meet Growing Demand for Wheat Protein

Swedish cooperative Lantmännen officially inaugurated yesterday a new biorefinery in Norrköping, Sweden, designed to extract wheat protein, known as gluten.  In an announcement, Lantmännen said that it invested SEK 800 million in the new facility and hired 30 new employees to increase its production significantly to meet demand, as more businesses discover new uses for the gluten as an ingredient. “The demand for Swedish wheat protein is high both nationally and internationally. It is very positive that we can offer more customers our high-quality wheat protein,” said Lars-Gunnar Edh, Head of Energy Sector, Lantmännen. Another milestone Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative owned by over 19,000 Swedish farmers with operations in over 20 countries and an annual turnover of over €4.5 billion.  Swedish farmers provide raw wheat …

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Organisations and Brands:lantmannen
cocuus' 3d printed meat loin on top o a wooden board

© Cocuus

The Latest Technological Innovations in Plant-Based Food Processing

The following is reproduced with kind permission of Bright Green Partners, a global consulting house focused on alternative proteins. Bright Green works with food and biotech companies and governments to help them navigate the emerging plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cultivated meat and dairy industries. Services include strategy, innovation, and operational consulting, and we guide our clients from initial market exploration to large-scale production. In the world of food processing, extrusion technology has been a staple for decades. The process involves pushing ingredients through a die to create a continuous shape, making it ideal for producing food at scale. High-moisture extrusion has developed this technology even further, enabling plant-based food manufacturers to emulate the tender, chewy texture of meat and seafood. While extrusion has certainly broadened the …

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Organisations and Brands:Bright Green Partners
CutMaster meat processing machine

© GEA

How a Meat Processing Machine With an 80-Year History Became Widely Used in Alt Meat Production

Over the decades, the CutMaster meat processing machine developed by German production technology giant GEA has evolved to become widely used in the production of plant-based meats. The first iteration of the machine, then called the Propeller Blitz, was developed 80 years ago to cut and blend sausage meat. As demand increased, the machine was made larger with two independently driven knife heads. By the 1970s, the machine could automate tasks such as loading and discharging. Over the next few decades, it evolved to be Internet-connected, with the ability to monitor speed, temperature, and service issues. The speed of the knife heads was increased, and their configuration could now be altered depending on the recipe. Increased flexibility The machine — now known as the CutMaster …

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Organisations and Brands:GEA
Switch Foods facility

© Switch Foods

Switch Foods Opens “Abu Dhabi’s First” Plant-Based Meat Facility

UAE-based foodtech startup Switch Foods has opened what it claims is the first plant-based meat facility in Abu Dhabi, located in the Khalifa Economic Zones (KEZAD). Switch aims to offer meat alternatives that cater to local tastes, encouraging UAE citizens to make healthier and more sustainable choices under the motto “Switch for good”. The new 20,000-square-foot facility will produce a range of allergen-free plant-based products, including kabab, kafta, soujuk, minced meat, and burger patties. Ensuring a healthy and reliable food supply The site also features a laboratory, an innovation center, and offices, along with areas for cold storage, preparation, and logistics. It was inaugurated on April 26 in the presence of H.E. Mariam bint Mohammed AlMheiri, the UAE’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment. “The …

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Organisations and Brands:Switch Foods
Marc Coloma and Bernat Ananos, Heura founders

© Heura

Heura to Unlock “Unprecedented Nutritional Value” With New Patent-Pending Technology

Heura has announced the development of a new patent-pending technology that claims to make it possible to produce plant-based foods with previously unattainable nutritional values. The Spanish food tech startup says it aims to address unresolved challenges in the plant-based industry, creating a “superior sensorial experience with high value nutritional products” and no additives. The new technology — derived from Heura’s Good Rebel Tech platform, which launched last year — is also said to provide a faster and more efficient way to design and process food products. According to Heura, the proprietary technology uses a novel thermomechanical technique, with heat and mechanical energy used to shape or modify a material’s properties. It is one of numerous innovations developed by Heura’s R&D team; another is an …

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Organisations and Brands:Heura
Tristan & Martin, Umiami founders

Founders Tristan & Martin © Umiami

Plant-Based Thriving in France as Umiami Recruits 70+ Staff For Ex Unilever Facility

France’s Umiami, specialist in plant-based whole-cuts, acquired a former Unilever facility in the Alsace region of France last December. The 14,000 m2 site will be Umiami’s first commercial-scale plant, and will have production capabilities of up to 22,000 tonnes of meat and seafood alternatives per year to supply the food industry. Founded in 2020 by Tristan Maurel and Martin Habfast, Umiami manufactures 100% plant-based products with a focus on large, fibrous whole cuts. “Thanks to our unique technology, we can reproduce the texture, taste, and aspect of real meat and fish products, all in a 100% vegan version!” says Chief People Officer Rémy Delabays to vegconomist today. The heart of Europe The startup raised $30 million from investors including the French government last April, in …

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Organisations and Brands:Umiami
Smart MCs is set to scale its production line to supply with microcarriers the cultivated meat industry

© Smart MCs

Smart MCs Tackles Scalability Bottleneck in Cultivated Meat Production with Edible Microcarrier Technology

Sydney-based biotechnology company, Smart MCs, has been awarded AUD$600K by the Australian Government’s Accelerating Commercialisation Grant to revolutionize the bioprocessing industry with its edible microcarriers (MCs) for the emerging cultured meat sector. The company will establish a fully automated edible microcarrier production line with the grant’s funds. Founded in 2022, Smart MCs focuses on developing efficient and cost-effective methods for the large-scale expansion of cells, with a particular emphasis on cellular agriculture.  The startup was part of Big Idea Ventures’ sixth cohort, which launched with 16 other companies last October. Additionally, it has successfully locked two minimum viable products, closed a pre-seed round,  and expanded its team and advisors.  “We are thrilled to have been awarded this grant by the Australian Government, which will allow …

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Handtmann_management

(From left to right): Harald Suchanka (CEO F&P), Valentin Ulrich, Thomas Handtmann, Markus Handtmann, Dr. Mark Betzold (CTO F&P)

Fifth Generation of the Handtmann Family to Lead the Handtmann Group of Companies

Handtmann Group, employing around 4,100 people worldwide and represented in over 100 countries, announces that Markus Handtmann and Valentin Ulrich represent the fifth generation of the Handtmann family to assume the management of the Handtmann Group of Companies, effective 1st April 2023. Twenty-five years ago, Thomas Handtmann took over the management of the family business from his father Arthur Handtmann. Turnover between then and now has more than quadrupled to 1.1 billion euros. As of the end of June 2023, Thomas will move to the Advisory Boards and transfer responsibility for the group of companies to son Markus Handtmann and nephew Valentin Ulrich. “From a medium-sized enterprise in Upper Swabia, we have developed into an internationally operating technology company. What is important to me personally …

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Organisations and Brands:Handtmann
handtmann-volume-separator-gd451-vf848s

© Handtmann

Handtmann Presents New Premium Cutting Set for Integrated Fill-in Tumbling

With its new, original Premium Handtmann cutting set, Handtmann now offers the optimum synchronization of the latest vacuum filling technology, filling mincer and separation technology with a coordinated cutting set and the option of smart cutting set management. The technology is universally applicable in all production processes of meat and sausage products including vegetarian and vegan products. When changing products, there is no need to replace conveyor parts in the vacuum filler, since the standard conveyor is used for all products, regardless of the cut size of the end-hole plate. The processing of very cold products, a high filling capacity for small-grained end products or new production possibilities for coarse-grained products are thus possible. Separating and straining applications for potato, vegetable, and fruit products are …

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Extracellular team

© Extracellular

Extracellular Secures New Investment to Boost Biomanufacturing of Cultivated Meat

Extracellular, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for the cultivated meat industry based in the UK, announces it has secured new funding from various investors, bringing its total of raised funds to over $1.9 million. The CDMO will use the capital to meet its goal as a global leader and development partner for biomanufacturing cultivated meat at scale. The company already operates 200L bioreactors at its research labs at Science Creates in Bristol, announcing plans to expand its capacity by installing bioreactors larger than 1,000L. Vegan impact investor Alex Payne said: “In the race to get cellular agriculture products on grocery store shelves, Extracellular has identified a crucial need for scalable, reliable, and cost-effective manufacturing processes. I expect that their expertise will be a key differentiator …

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Organisations and Brands:Extracellular
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