GEA constructs alt-protein tech center in US for cell cultivation and precision fermentation

14 May 2024 --- F&B equipment supplier GEA has unveiled plans to bolster alternative proteins by commencing construction of a technology center in the US. The company will use the facility to formulate industry-ready alternatives to meat, dairy, seafood and eggs in a bid to support manufacturers in keeping up with demands for complementary proteins and ingredients to conventional animal-based products.

The construction comes a year after GEA invested €18 million (US$19.4 million) in the technology center amid a significant demand for technology in the fast-growing US new food market.

The center — located in Janesville, Wisconsin — will house pilot lines for cell cultivation and precision fermentation to bridge the gap between benchtop and commercial production of alternative proteins.

“The technology center will offer food tech businesses a platform to develop and de-risk their processes to ensure technological and commercial viability,” says Arpad Csay, leader of GEA’s new food activities in North America.

“It helps start-ups in the sector implement a business strategy that requires little upfront investment. This way, we help accelerate the development of market-ready products.”

The new technology center complements the existing production facility in Janesville (Image credit: GEA).The building will operate without fossil fuels, using only renewable energy, and is set to begin operations next year.

The move builds on GEA’s continued focus on new protein sources, including the recent innovative perfusion technology it showcased on Anuga FoodTec 2024. At the event, the company talked to Food Ingredients First about the role of technology in helping manufacturers overcome scalability hurdles for alternative proteins or “new foods.”

“Engine for future growth”
Innova Market Insights data suggests that alternative protein use in F&B has a 6% growth from July 2018 to June 2023, with meat substitutes showcasing the highest alt-protein use.

GEA’s alt-protein center will serve as an engine for future growth and innovation in the Midwest, as a direct response to the rising consumer demand for meat substitutes. The center will train young professionals in the novel food production processes, increasingly gaining ground in the F&B industry.

“This development will require a diverse pool of skilled professionals from operators in the plants to bioprocessing engineers designing production systems and scientists pushing boundaries through research and development,” underscores Csay.

“Our technology center will help develop this future workforce by educating students and young professionals about the underlying biology and bioprocesses.”

The team plans to work with community colleges and universities to build these competencies in the region.

Leveraging green energy
GEA’s 1200 sqm technology center will complement an existing production facility in Janesville and derive energy from “renewable sources” to align with its sustainability goals, notes the company.

“Heat pumps and systems powered by electricity will replace the natural gas conventionally used for building technology and process equipment.”

Further, a ground-mounted photovoltaic system will produce 290 MWh of electricity per year, exceeding the energy requirement by at least a quarter. “The surplus energy will be fed into the grid,” GEA details.

The photovoltaic system is “expandable” to facilitate clean energy generation in the future when the process demands surge, as a step toward becoming a net-zero operation by 2040.

Last year, GEA helped UK-based soft drinks manufacturer Britvic cut down emissions by 1,200 metric tons annually by supplying a heat recovery system that reuses low-temperature waste heat from the existing production system.The construction comes a year after GEA invested in the technology center amid demand for technology in the new US food market (Image credit: GEA).

Alt-protein rages on
By 2040, alternative proteins will constitute a quarter of all foods, according to a GEA-commissioned survey of 1,000 chefs in eleven countries.

Some 43% of the chefs believe that the alt-protein-based meals will reach between 26% and 50% by 2040, and 23% think the protein substitutes could be used more by 2040 than traditional ones.

In Germany, GEA’s food experts tapped into the burgeoning cultivated meat sector at the Food Application and Technology Center of Excellence it unveiled last year. The site leverages a cell cultivation and fermentation pilot line to fast-track innovations from the lab to commercial-scale manufacturing.

FrieslandCampina Ingredients is harnessing Triplebar Bio’s specialized biotechnology techniques to scale up the production of cell-based proteins via precision fermentation, improve human health and infant nutrition and reduce reliance on traditional protein sources.

Meanwhile, Israel-based food tech start-up Vgarden is substituting conventional fish protein with its vegan tinned tuna made using pea protein. The product has the same appearance, texture and flavor as the canned kitchen staple.

Last year, the country also expanded its alt-protein and fermentation scope with a US$13.8 million investment from the Israel Innovation Authority to establish permanent microorganism fermentation labs for the food industry.

By Insha Naureen

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