The Crespel & Deiters Group, a leading producer of wheat-based solutions in Germany, has completed the integration of high-protein food solutions company Extruded Cereal Products B.V. into its portfolio to accelerate revenue growth in the booming plant-based and high-protein market.
Having successfully collaborated since 2007, the two entities formed a joint venture in 2014 and, at the beginning of 2020, Crespel & Deiters acquired a 100% shareholding of ECP. Based in the Netherlands, ECP is an international pioneer in the extrusion of cereal and protein products. From now on, the distribution of the extrudates produced by ECP will be transferred to Loryma’s portfolio, the food specialist within the Crespel & Deiters Group developing innovative concepts that optimise meat and meat alternatives, baked goods, confectionery and convenience products.
High Protein Applications in Plant-Based Nutrition
For many customers, the supposedly low protein content of plant-based substitutes is a major reason for doubting a complete switch to a plant-based diet. According to ECP, its complex technology of extrusion holds great potential for product innovations in the growth market of plant-based products and high-protein applications, with the option to develop customised solutions to be tested on a small-scale laboratory extruder prior to scale-up.
Fields of application for ECP’s extrudates include texturisers in meat alternatives and as a source of vegetable protein. In the form of crisps or flakes, they add a crunch effect to snacks, mueslis and breading. They are also used in the pet food sector as a meat substitute in vegetarian or hybrid applications.
With the integration of the extrusion specialist, the Crespel & Deiters Group is expanding its range of plant-based alternatives and high-protein applications for the food industry. Gustav Deiters, Managing Partner of the Crespel & Deiters Group, notes: “The integration of Extruded Cereal Products B. V. into our corporate structure is an investment in a future in which vegetable protein sources will play a key role. This enables us to meet customer-specific requirements even more comprehensively and support product development with tailor-made extrudates.”
