Beyond The Headlines: Bühler’s protein application center, dsm-firmenich gets Canadian approval for methane-reducing solution

02 Feb 2024 --- In this week’s industry news, Bühler unveiled its new Protein Application Center to expand food innovation capabilities in Uzwil, Switzerland. FAO launched a portal for statistics on food and diet for harmonized food and nutrient data, while Nestlé Professional opened its Customer Engagement Centre in Singapore to elevate F&B industry support.

Business highlights
Swiss technology group, Bühler opened its new Protein Application Center in partnership with endeco to focus on technology solutions necessary to go from pulses or grains to finished consumer products, such as dairy or meat replacements or ingredients including proteins, fibers or starches. The facility offers two protein isolation processes- one based on an isoelectric precipitation process, the other being membrane fractionation. Customers can test processes and develop new products in dairy alternatives, such as vegan drinks, yogurts and cheeses, in a dairy application line, part of the small testing facility. The new test center will also research the valorization of the co-produced side streams of starch and fiber.

Nestlé's Customer Engagement Centre explores innovative on-trend concepts for increased overall operational efficiencies (Image credit: Nestlé).Nestlé Professional opened a Customer Engagement Centre (CEC) in Singapore to focus on in-depth industry knowledge and expertise in food services that address key industry challenges while serving the evolving customer needs. Designed to resemble a café, the CEC consists of a professional kitchen and bar area and will hold tastings and demonstrations to understand Nestlé Professional’s solutions better. This includes product and machine demonstrations where product training, tailored applications, creative menu development and recipe ideas are offered to meet unique business needs. 

North American food distributor Performance Food Group Company (PFG) joined forces with The Hershey Company to incorporate various Hershey products into its desserts. Some products from PFG’s dessert portfolio, Sweet Encore, will now incorporate Hershey ingredients, including chocolate, caramel, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Reese’s Pieces, and Heath Bar bits. The packaging is expected to be co-branded.

The Cerrado Coffee Growers Cooperative (Expocacer) commenced operations in the US through a logistics hub in the state of Delaware, sending its first shipment — a container with around 320 bags of 60 kg of coffee.The move aims to boost the economy and consumption of specialty coffee, which is growing increasingly in the internal and external markets. According to Expocacer, the hub represents the effective presence of its members in the North American market, as it is the extension of the producer’s arm, forming the direct farm in its true essence. The cooperative will offer its entire quality portfolio and experience in producing environmentally friendly coffee, such as regenerative and low-carbon coffee farming.

A quarter teaspoon of dsm-firmenich's Bovaer per cow per day reduces enteric methane emission by 30% for dairy cows and 45% for feedlot beef cattle.The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) report revealed a spike in sales of red meat and dairy in the UK during the 2023 Christmas season. Consumer purchases of total meat, fish, and poultry (MFP) grew by 11.6% year on year during the two-week run-up to Christmas day. Across the red meat category, even though cost pressures still occupied consumers’ minds, chilled gravy volumes rose 11% over the holiday period. Overall, during the Christmas week, sales included £4.8 billion (US$ 6.1 billion) spent on grocery, with an increase of 4% year-on-year (w/e 23 December 2023, NIQ Homescan Panel) and £13.7billion (US$ 17.5 billion) spent during the month of December (4w/e 24 December 2023, Kantar).

Sustainable food and farming
The FAO and key private sector players outlined a roadmap to accelerate agrifood system transformation in the region during an interactive dialogue titled “Engaging the Private Sector in Accelerating Agrifood Systems Transformation in the Near East and North Africa” held virtually recently. The event was co-organized in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), and the Group Business Forum (THIQAH). It was held in preparation for the 37th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East. The partnership is aimed at unlocking opportunities for substantial investment flows, innovation, and more sustainable practices with a focus on the development and transformation of food systems.

Dsm-firmenich received market authorization from Canadian authorities for Bovaer — its methane-reducing feed ingredient for cattle — which enables dairy and beef farmers to lower their carbon footprint substantially. Post inclusion in the enteric methane emissions protocol for beef cattle and the Alberta Fed Cattle protocol, the environmental feed additive can be used by cattle feeders to generate carbon offsets as an additional source of income. Bovaer reduces methane emissions by 30% on average for dairy cows, thereby lowering the overall greenhouse gas footprint per liter of milk by 10-15%, as per the company. dsm-firmenich aims to make the feed additive available to the Canadian dairy and beef sector soon.

Launches and innovation
The FAO launched a new domain in the Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT) portal to help close data gaps and contribute to better guidance for nutrition-sensitive agri-food systems policies. The Food and Diet Domain has four sub-domains, such as FAO’s Food and Nutrition, Statistics and Fisheries and Aquaculture Divisions. The portal reports statistics on the availability, apparent consumption, and dietary intake of foods, energy and 17 main nutrients in a bid to capture different dimensions across the food supply chain, from supply through to individual-level consumption. It offers statistics on food, energy and nutrient supply for 186 countries from 2010 based on supply utilization accounts. The domain will include figures for energy, protein, and fat and for carbohydrates, fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, potassium, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin C, vitamin A, and other important nutrients from aquatic foods.

The FoodmanShip Awards by HAS awarded six students for innovative projects focused on the theme "Taste the Future" (Image credit: HAS).AgTech company NRGene established Supree, an Israeli food-tech company that develops self-drying fruits and vegetables using NRGene’s genomics and AI technology. Supree’s first product line includes a semi-dried tomato variety with a high nutritional value and a one-year frozen shelf-life. The tomato’s skin structure is filled with microcracks, enabling natural moisture evaporation for natural drying, preserving the taste, color, vitamins, and antioxidants. F&B manufacturers can use them in snacks, salads and cooked dishes, baked goods and desserts.

Other highlights
HAS green academy, a university of applied sciences and expertise center for agriculture, food and the living environment in Den Bosch and Venlo, Netherlands, declared the FoodmanShip Awards 2024. Six students who won in various categories presented their innovative concepts that answered current challenges within the food industry, with a specific focus on health, sustainability and the transition of the food system. The categories included sustainable alternative proteins, healthy body and mind, sustainable food systems, unwaste reduction and prevention, meaningful food innovations.

By Insha Naureen