Givaudan, MISTA, and Bühler, three top players in the food industry, announce the launch of a cutting-edge extrusion hub at the MISTA Innovation Center in San Francisco, USA.
The new facility advances MISTA’s capabilities in driving food innovation, while Givaudan and Bühler have teamed up to provide a platform for conducting product development trials for extruded products.
The hub features a 30mm twin-screw Bühler extruder capable of high and low-moisture extrusion, making it suitable for various products, including plant-based meats, cereals, and snacks.
According to the announcement, the facility’s extruding equipment is larger than benchtop extruders and offers a high output capacity of 50 kilograms per hour. By leveraging these capabilities, companies can translate their trials into full-scale production equipment. At the same time, they can efficiently innovate and experiment with new product development ideas.
Fabio Campanile, Global Head of Science and Technology at Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing, shared: “Adding extrusion capabilities at MISTA expands our vast innovation network and further demonstrates our commitment to the alternative protein space.”
Scott May, founder and Head of MISTA, commented, “We are confident the addition of extrusion capabilities will help generate and accelerate many of the great-tasting food solutions needed to ensure a sustainable food future.”
Transforming the food system
The inauguration of the hub at MISTA represents the latest expansion of the Global Innovation Network established by Givaudan, Bühler, and other key industry players. This move aims to drive food innovation, disrupt established products, and support the transformation of the food system.
In addition to this new hub, Givaudan also operates innovation centers in Zurich, Singapore, and Brazil, focusing on protein and tropical food innovation.
Meanwhile, Bühler has “Application & Training Centers” in 23 locations worldwide. Recently, the group opened a new food innovation hub in Uzwil, Switzerland, to develop sustainable foods, including plant-based meat.
Additionally, Bühler is set to open a Grain Processing Innovation Center in Kano, Nigeria, to develop products using local grains and cereals. In another collaboration for the alt protein sector, Bühler and MMS AG of Zurich are developing functional ingredients for meat and dairy alternatives.
Ian Roberts, Bühler’s CTO, emphasized, “Collaboration is key to building a sustainable future for food, with the goal of feeding the expected 10 billion world inhabitants by the year 2050.
“The MISTA facility demonstrates that these collaborations provide real results. The partnership with MISTA, Givaudan, and Bühler is providing a world-class technology platform for food innovators to develop and scale the protein sources that will sustainably nourish the world’s growing population.”
