
GEA developed a range of standard skid mounted units suitable for the production of liquid food concentrates. IceCon® provides an affordable solution for producing high quality concentrates, without losing quality. The losses in the discharged water are negligible.
This generally produces water that can be re-used in any up/downstream processes or can be sent straight to the drain. The newly developed compact series will be offered as a complete solution.
All relevant components for running a freeze concentration plant are installed on three modules that make up the IceCon® Compact equipment range, meeting the standards for container transport. The modules will be commissioned and tested before shipment ensuring a smooth and fast installation and startup period.
The freeze concentrator requires only electricity and by installing a pre-cooling skid energy can be recovered for an even further reduced CO2 footprint.
| Unit | Compact 25 | Compact 40 | Compact 60 | |
| Dewatering range | [kg/h] | 100-200 | 200-450 | 450-900 |
| Skid dimensions (l x b x h) | [m] | 5 x 4 x 5 | 6 x 4.5 x 5.5 | 6 x 4.5 x 6 |
| Footprint (l x b x h), incl. maintenance area | [m] | 7 x 6 x 8 | 8 x 7 x 9 | 8 x 7 x 9 |
| Estimated operating weight | [kg] | 6,000 | 12,000 | 20,000 |
| Filling volume | [m3] | 2 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Installed power (excl. chiller) | [kW] | 14 | 27 | 44 |

Last year was not a year of hyped-up headlines for alternative proteins. Perhaps that is precisely why it was an important year for food biotech, the biotechnology behind everyday foods and ingredients. While the sector worked through a difficult funding environment, approvals were still granted, pilot lines set up and new platforms tested in the background. In short: headlines are turning into infrastructure. Frederieke Reiners heads GEA’s New Food business. She and her team work at the intersection of biotechnology and industrial food production. In this interview, she takes us on a world tour of food biotech in seven questions.