SWITZERLAND- Bühler, a global leader in the food and agriculture sector, has unveiled its state-of-the-art food innovation hub in Uzwil, Switzerland, signaling a major leap forward in the company’s commitment to advancing sustainable and efficient food processing.
The hub consolidates four Application and Training Centers—Flavor Creation Center, Food Creation Center, Protein Application Center, and Energy Recovery Center—providing a comprehensive platform for customers to explore a wide range of capabilities.
“In this fast-evolving world, customers require flexibility and creativity to adapt their products to address key issues such as sustainability, the use of local raw materials, healthy diets, and affordability,” emphasized Johannes Wick, CEO of Grains & Food at Bühler Group.
“With the completion of the new Application & Training Centers, we can cover the entire scope of production, offering our customers enormous flexibility and the options they need to disrupt their markets.”
The new Protein Application Center is a standout feature of Bühler’s innovation hub, focusing on the development of processes for the production of plant-based food, including meat substitutes, plant-based drinks, and ingredients.
Equipped with cutting-edge wet isolation and fractionation techniques, the center operates in collaboration with Bühler’s partner, endeco, connecting various other centers within the hub.
The Extrusion Application Center, conducting 80 to 90 trials per year, closely collaborates with the new Protein Application Center.
This multi-purpose laboratory allows customers to conduct tests on food and animal feed, experiment with new recipes, and explore various product shapes and textures.
The upgraded Flavor Creation Center, processing coffee since 2013 and cocoa and nuts since 2022, offers innovation, training, process optimization, and raw material analyses. Operating in conjunction with Bühler’s Chocolate Application Center, Food Creation Center, and Energy Recovery Center, it plays a pivotal role in enhancing Bühler’s flavor capabilities.
The newly established Food Creation Center, spanning an area of 850 square meters, supports customers throughout the innovation and industrialization process.
It combines cutting-edge technology, analytical services, product and process development, workshops, and training.
Bühler’s commitment to sustainability extends to the Energy Recovery Center, serving as both a heating facility for Bühler’s headquarters and a demonstration platform for customers seeking to reduce their CO2 footprint, waste production, and energy costs through the utilization of side streams.
“The energy generation from biomass as an integrated part of process solutions for food has not been systematically developed and therefore has an enormously high potential, both from a business and sustainability perspective,” Johannes Wick stated, emphasizing the importance of the Bühler-Vyncke Energy Recovery Center in implementing sustainability goals.
Looking ahead, Bühler has ambitious plans, with the construction of the Grain Innovation Center (GIC) in Uzwil and the Grain Processing Innovation Center (GPIC) in Kano, Nigeria. The GIC, scheduled to start operations by the end of 2024, will focus on developing sustainable and efficient solutions for grain and feed processing.
Simultaneously, the GPIC, opening its doors in early 2024, will concentrate on the development of products, recipes, and processes using local grains.
“More than the impressive capacities of each new Application & Training Center we have been investing in, these are built to work in an integrated manner, offering a comprehensive process so that customers can take the best of it and achieve tangible and remarkable outcomes,” Johannes Wick concluded.
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