Just a few years ago, Krones’ subsidiary Steinecker opened a technology center in Freising (GER) where customers can create and test recipes for beer and plant-based drinks. Now, the group is setting another important milestone in the evolution of beverages and processes. In early May, at the company’s headquarters in Neutraubling (GER), a fully-equipped R&D lab was officially inaugurated and dubbed the “Process Technology Center”.

The new Process Technology Center is designed to support Krones customers in their product development processes and meet the flavour demands of the global markets. It makes no difference whether the customer already has a finished recipe for a future product or is still at the start of the product development journey and would like to leverage Krones’ expertise for those first steps.

Krones itself will use the new technology center to more closely analyse the effects of various process parameters on different products. The results will then go into further developing and refining Krones machines and lines.

Expertise for process technology and water design

The technology center is divided into two sections: process technology and water design.
On the process technology side, various process and treatment steps can be realistically simulated on a pilot UHT system. That makes it possible, for example, to compare the thermal impact of indirect heating using a shell-and-tube heat exchanger versus direct heating. For this, customers can choose between two processes: steam injection and steam infusion. For other trials, the facility is also equipped with systems for mixing, flash pasteurisation, deaeration, homogenisation and filling. The results are then evaluated in-house, for example in Krones’ own microbiological and chemical testing labs.

Optimising the flavour profile of water

In the field of water design, customers can fine-tune the flavour of their water by adding just the right amounts of minerals and flavour compounds. The technological possibilities include deaeration, carbonation, electrodeionisation, ionisation, mineral dosing and filling.

A water sommelier provides support throughout the trials. Customers also have access to Krones’ extensive network of experts, with engineers in a variety of disciplines, including food and process engineering, to collaborate on transforming product ideas into real products.

Combined product portfolio and manufacturing capabilities create unique botanical platform in North America

The Martin Bauer Group is excited to announce the acquisition of BI Nutraceuticals, a leading full-service manufacturer and supplier of plant-based ingredients in the United States. The acquisition creates an extensive portfolio of botanical ingredients and a versatile manufacturing hub servicing the U.S. Tea, Beverage, Food and Dietary Supplements industries.

The investment in BI Nutraceuticals will build on Martin Bauer Group’s local capabilities including R&D, formulations and manufacturing, in support of the Group’s strategy to foster accelerated growth in North America. A distinction of Martin Bauer Group’s portfolio is the responsible and vastly diversified sourcing of raw materials, with quality standards and controls in place starting at source and continuing throughout the procurement and manufacturing processes. “The addition of BI Nutraceuticals to our Group buttresses our commitment to reliable, quality, safe and clean label raw materials, meeting an increasing demand from our customers and consumers,” stated Ennio Ranaboldo, CEO of Martin Bauer Group in North America. The two companies will continue to operate independently, and further communications will be issued to ensure seamless integration both internally and for all customers.

“We are thrilled to be a part of the nature network® and the Martin Bauer Group,” said George Pontiakos, President and CEO of BI Nutraceuticals. “This represents a significant move forward for us and our combined customer base. The Martin Bauer Group is a family-owned international company with a long history as a manufacturer and supplier of teas, extracts and botanical products going back more than 135 years. BI Nutraceuticals will now have access to the global resources of the Martin Bauer Group in the areas of raw materials sourcing, processing technology, liquid extract production and research and development. As part of the Martin Bauer Group, we become a true single source solution provider. Our customers can be even more confident in our long-standing commitment to safety, quality, service and innovation.”

This latest expansion follows a recent announcement of a major investment in Milwaukee to create a new Natural Colors site in the US, including expanded laboratory and production capabilities.

Chr. Hansen Natural Colors purchased the site in Montpellier 18 years ago. Since then, the site has grown to become the company’s main R&D center for natural colors & coloring foodstuffs.

The expansion and upgrade of the facilities will start as soon as September 2018, with the full new building and site upgrade finalized by November 2019.

The building capacity will house additional employees on site and the laboratory space will be more than double what it is today. The new building will include a modern show room for welcoming customers – both for training or development work in the laboratories.

The Technical Workshop has become an annual tradition for everybody working in technical fields in the juice industry, from quality managers to R&D people to staff working in the laboratory. With very low registration fees, compared to “regular” conferences in the industry, it should also give the employees that normally don`t go to conferences the chance to learn about new developments, discuss relevant topics and establish networking with fellow col- leagues.

The IFU Technical Workshop 2018 will be held on Monday, March 19th, in Cologne – just one day before Anuga FoodTec.