Trade press release

New GEA nitrogen freezing pilot plant for bacteria allows for process testing before investing

07 Nov 2019

GEA has launched its new nitrogen freezing pilot plant for bacteria, giving food and dairy processors the opportunity to trial this new technology in their own plants before investing in production-scale equipment. By freezing bacteria into pellets before drying, GEA is now able to provide processors with greater flexibility, a higher active cell count and reduced costs through better utilization of their fermentation lines and freeze dryers.

Freeze-dried bacteria using nitrogen freezing from GEA

Many dairy and food processors, as well as suppliers of probiotic products, use live bacteria as part of their production process (e.g., yogurt or cheese). Traditionally, they have kept their own strains of bacteria and transferred them from one batch to the next. However, as more specialized strains of bacteria have emerged, so too the need to distribute them more widely. This is typically done by freezing them to -50 Celsius and then storing them under temperature-controlled conditions until they are required. This, however, requires a continuous cold chain, which may be no problem in developed countries, but more challenging elsewhere. 

For this reason, freeze-dried bacteria have become popular because it can be transported and stored at ambient temperature and rehydrated as required. On the other hand, freeze drying bacteria is a long process requiring several hours to freeze, then an additional 48 to 72 hours for the lyophilization process to be completed; this ties up expensive freeze-drying equipment and limits production.

With its new pilot plant, GEA has taken a different approach, freezing the bacteria in droplets using a liquid nitrogen bath outside the freeze dryer then drying the pellets via the normal procedure. This method has many significant advantages: for example, rather than freezing all of the bacteria in a single batch, it can be collected from a continuous stream improving flexibility and equipment utilization; fermentation and freeze drying are separate so the freeze dryer does not need to be available when the product is frozen: bacteria can be stored at -50 C until it is required; the bacteria cell count resulting from this process is nearly double that of traditional freeze drying techniques; and frozen pellets dry much quicker than bacteria in slab form, therefore the lyophilization process is also faster, typically 24 to 36 hours compared to up to 72 hours.

“Although there is a cost for the liquid nitrogen, this is more than offset by the optimized utilization of the freeze dryer,” explains Morten Pedersen, Area Sales Manager for GEA Process Engineering. “Freeze dryers are expensive so we need to make sure customers are getting the best possible output from them.”

Regarding the higher cell count from this technique, Morten states, “Bacteria that is frozen quickly via liquid nitrogen and dried in this way, is retaining twice as many viable cells than other techniques. This product is more effective than other options and ultimately, reduces the customer’s costs.” 

The new pilot plant has a simple design, is easy to use and can be cleaned in place. “We are absolutely committed to this technology and want our customers to have the opportunity of trying it out for themselves in their own factories,” says Morten. “The results already seen with this new pilot plant are impressive and we’re confident that our customers will also be delighted with the results.”

The GEA nitrogen freezing pilot plant will be on display at stand 6F141 in Hall H6 at the Food Ingredients Europe Exhibition in Paris from December 3-5, 2019. GEA sales and technical staff will be available to demonstrate the system as well as provide specific application advice.

Media Relations

GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft

Peter-Müller-Str. 12


40468

Düsseldorf


Germany

+49 211 9136-0

About GEA

GEA is one of the world’s largest suppliers of systems and components to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. The international technology group, founded in 1881, focuses on machinery and plants, as well as advanced process technology, components and comprehensive services.

With more than 18,000 employees, the group generated revenues of about EUR 5.4 billion in more than 150 countries in the 2023 fiscal year. GEA plants, processes, components and services enhance the efficiency and sustainability of customer’s production. They contribute significantly to the reduction of CO2 emissions, plastic usage and food waste. In doing so, GEA makes a key contribution toward a sustainable future, in line with the company’s purpose: ”Engineering for a better world“. GEA is listed on the German MDAX the European STOXX® Europe 600 Index and is among the companies comprising the DAX 50 ESG, MSCI Global Sustainability as well as Dow Jones Sustainability World and Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Indices.
 
Receive news from GEA

Stay in touch with GEA innovations and stories by signing up for news from GEA.

Contact us

We are here to help! With just a few details we will be able to respond to your inquiry.