Bühler AG have formed a strategic partnership with the DIL Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik e. V. to work together on the next generation of extruded meat substitutes.

Swiss technology group Bühler AG and the DIL, a research institute focusing on food technology and food science, have teamed up to develop new production technologies for healthy and sustainable food products, focusing on alternative protein-based products with a lower environmental impact than the CO2-heavy meat value chain.

New sustainable plant-based proteins have significantly less environmental impact, less land use, and a lower CO₂ footprint than the animal meat value chain. It is therefore essential to explore and identify alternative and underused sources of protein and develop efficient technologies to convert these into attractive, marketable products.

A key technology to unlock this opportunity is extrusion. Highly versatile, it enables the formation of texturized proteins with different structures from different raw materials. High moisture extrusion enables the conversion of plant proteins into food products with textures similar to meat. It is a technology in which Bühler leads the market.

“With Bühler's expertise in extrusion, but also in other engineering disciplines, such as milling, plant proteins, and powder handlings, we will be able to provide new and customized solutions for our clients and for the rapidly changing market,” says Volker Lammers, Head of Research Platform Process Engineering, DIL. “With Bühler, we have a competent partner along the full protein value chain.”

The DIL campus in Quakenbrück, Germany, provides state-of-the-art food safety labs, pilot plants and research capabilities. Over 200 scientists and technologists from diverse fields of expertise collaborate with a growing number of spin-off and start-up enterprises to develop solutions that improve food safety and quality.

“With DIL, we have found a great partner who can provide a food grade test and production lab combined with extensive analytical services,” says Christoph Näf, Head of Business Unit Human Nutrition, Bühler. The partnership will create a platform to support start-ups, existing customers, and future partners to develop new end products and generate synergies.