NIZO opens doors to multi-million dollar alt-protein pilot plant in Dutch food valley

08 Mar 2024 --- NIZO, a Dutch science and R&D contract company, has officially opened its Sustainable Protein Innovation and Test Center (SPRINT), a food-grade space to scale alt-protein innovation.

SPRINT was built as an extension within NIZO’s current R&D pilot facility and is open to companies, SMEs, scale-ups and start-ups working in the meat or dairy analog space. The equipment complements NIZO’s existing expertise in product development and sensory analysis.

NIZO invested US$5.4 million (€5 million) in the test plant, which was also supported by The East Netherlands Development Agency (Oost NL) and the European Union. 

The one-time funding was distributed from a recovery program called REACT-EU, focused on driving a green, digital and resilient recovery of the economy post-COVID-19 in the Dutch province of Gelderland. 

Organizations like Oost NL are specifically working to incentivize companies that want to contribute to the protein transition to grow their business in the Netherlands. 

Answering protein development demands
In recent years, various start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs have developed technology on a lab scale for sustainable food ingredients. 

NIZO began exclusively focused on dairy but has expanded into plant-based proteins over the years.However, they lack food-grade testing and scale-up facilities and rely on accessible, affordable, and food-grade third-party facilities. These have not been sufficiently available in the region.

 Ben van der Deen, business development manager at NIZO tells Food Ingredients First: “Although NIZO food research has a well-equipped pilot plant, its primary function has been on processing milk and other liquids with well-dissolved or dispersed components.” 

“In recent years, NIZO has built up a lot of knowledge for processing a wide variety of vegetable and microbial raw materials. However, for further process optimization and upscaling, upgrading existing equipment and investing in new equipment was necessary.”  

A pilot plant enables brands to run tests without stopping production in their factory. 

New equipment on the floor
The new addition completes NIZO’s toolbox for meat and dairy analog development, from protein extraction to sensory analysis.

New machines include a bead mill and homogenizer for protein extraction; an ultrafiltration installation to concentrate and purify proteins; a nanofiltration installation to remove salts; an extruder; a spray dryer; and a fully automated cleaning system to maintain a high hygienic standard. 

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is also available on-site to analyze proteins, peptides and non-volatiles to understand the impact of processing on protein composition, functionality and taste. 

NIZO also has sensory labs where expert panels can evaluate a wide range of food ingredients with profiles, preference mapping, predictive modeling and sensory screening. 

NIZO works closely with many start-ups and other companies in the region and beyond. A user group will be set up in that light. NIZO also works closely with other parties in the ecosystem, such as Foodvalley NL, BraveNewFood, StartLife, Rabobank, Region FoodValley, Sustainable Food Initiative, Hogescholen (HAS, VHL) and Wageningen University & Research (WUR).

Celine Brattinga, marketing manager at NIZODeparting from heritage
NIZO has come a long way from its founding in 1947 by the Dutch dairy industry. In 2009, it became a private and independent company when it was bought out. 

Today, the company focuses on R&D for a variety of foods, but its historical expertise in dairy makes the category one of its specialties. 

Celine Brattinga, marketing manager at NIZO, estimates that 50-60% of its projects are still directly related to dairy, but plant-based innovation is increasing in relevance. 

“When I joined NIZO 16 years ago, we had a lot of projects on cheese, but nowadays, it's much less. Customers are looking for more sustainable products and alternative proteins, so that’s become the focus.” 

In addition to widely established plant-based proteins, such as rice, corn, peas and lupine, NIZO is looking into future protein sources that will be needed to feed the world. 

Research into developing products using precision fermentation, single-cell biomass or microalgae are next on the agenda. Further down the line, NIZO plans to investigate protein from duckweed, seaweed and green leaves, among others. 

By Missy Green