Symrise boosts flavor capacity with GEA-built mixing plant

German engineering group GEA is constructing a turnkey mixing facility at Symrise’s main production site in Holzminden, Germany, designed to increase the flavor manufacturer’s liquid compounding capacity by half and significantly reduce delivery times.

The plant, which has been under installation since summer 2025 with commissioning scheduled for spring 2026, will produce vanilla extracts, citrus oils, meat flavors, and menthol-based essences for both internal processing and supply to F&B manufacturers. The flavors will appear in products ranging from yogurt and confectionery to savory ready meals and beverages.

“The production of liquid flavors is one of Symrise’s core competencies. The new plant increases our capacity by up to 50% and significantly shortens our delivery times,” says Karsten Zota, factory manager for liquid compounding at Symrise. “This makes us more flexible and enables us to better serve growing customer demand.”

The project addresses complex technical challenges inherent in flavor production. Symrise processes raw materials spanning from alcohol-based solutions to viscous syrups, with viscosity ranging from water-like liquids to syrupy consistencies and temperatures between –20°C and +80°C.

Ethanol-containing products require explosion-proof ATEX-certified design, while powders pose dust explosion risks. Citrus oils prove aggressive to certain materials, demanding specialized seals. The facility must also maintain complete separation between strong-smelling menthol blends, kosher recipes, and sweet flavors to prevent cross-contamination.

Integrated process design

The new building centers on a spacious mixing area where raw materials transfer from an adjacent tank farm or containers to mixing tanks via vacuum conveying. Powders are added through a dedicated filling nozzle. Homogeneous mixtures then move to cooling tanks for maturation or directly to filling lines, with the entire system connected to cleaning and steaming equipment.

GEA developed customized solutions leveraging flexible components, including hygienic seat valves with bellows and sampling valves designed to remove final product residues and minimize losses. The company refined these solutions through precise 3D planning to integrate within the plant’s confined space.

“This project demonstrates how vital customized solutions are for demanding applications,” says Dr. Lukas Schnöing, liquid food expert and project manager at GEA. “Our experience in processing complex liquid products, combined with precise project management and the ability to engineer tailored solutions, made this plant possible.”

The facility incorporates a heat recovery system for cleaning-in-place return flows, reusing process energy to reduce consumption per batch. Water-saving CIP cleaning and optimized insulation further cut resource use. The heat recovery system cools wastewater below 30°C to meet environmental regulations while improving efficiency.

The flexible design allows rapid implementation of both existing and new formulations, positioning Symrise to respond quickly to market trends, including natural flavors and clean label products. The investment represents a strategic move to strengthen the company's position in the global flavor market.

Symrise ranks among the world’s leading suppliers of fragrances and flavors, with liquid flavor production representing a core competency at its Holzminden headquarters.