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GEA expands capacities at Ahaus Test Center with two new modules

10 Dec 2021

GEA is expanding capacity at its in-house test center in Ahaus, Germany, by adding two more modules to its technology offering. With this addition, GEA is raising the Ahaus Test Center’s profile as a key facility dedicated to piloting aseptic processing as well as the filling of sensitive foods and beverages.

The GEA Test Center for Aseptic Processing & Filling in Ahaus, Germany, features a pilot line to produce sensitive food and beverages. Its facilities span all processes from mixing raw materials through thermally treating the starting products to aseptic filling into containers. This picture shows the filtering of ready-to-drink tea on a GEA Plug&Win centrifuge. Image: GEA/Mike Henning

The GEA Test Center for Aseptic Processing & Filling in Ahaus, Germany, features a pilot line to produce sensitive food and beverages. Its facilities span all processes from mixing raw materials through thermally treating the starting products to aseptic filling into containers. This picture shows the filtering of ready-to-drink tea on a GEA Plug&Win centrifuge. Image: GEA/Mike Henning

  • The GEA Test Center in Ahaus, Germany, raises its profile as a key facility for aseptic processing and filling in the dairy, beverage and food industries
  • A new 500-liter batch mixer and bottle filler increase test capacity

GEA is expanding capacity at its in-house test center in Ahaus, Germany, by adding two more modules to its technology offering. With this addition, GEA is raising the Ahaus Test Center’s profile as a key facility dedicated to piloting aseptic processing as well as the filling of sensitive foods and beverages.

The new 500-liter GEA BATCH FORMULA® PRO High Shear Test Mixer is an attractive option for customers who want to implement their own product tests before scaling up to full production. Previously, GEA had installed an Aseptic Filling Pilot Plant in Ahaus to simulate the process steps for customers, from formulation to filling, now also with a bottle filler.

The test center provides solutions to complex product requirements

Customers can use the GEA Test Center for Aseptic Processing & Filling to trial product developments and process sequences before integrating them into their own production lines. Each year, more than 100 tests are conducted. The focus is on aseptic technologies that ensure long-term product shelf life and food safety, especially for dairy products. In recent years, Ahaus has also expanded its testing options and capacities to serve other promising markets. Beverage manufacturers are increasingly coming up with highly complex product requirements regarding ready-to-drink teas and plant-based beverages for which there are still no standard solutions.

Scale up and invest safely

Ulrich Rolle, Head of Product Development Hygienic Processing at GEA in Ahaus, explains how the pilot studies work: “We not only define processes and technology parameters but even specify recipe details. Customers are provided with reproducible results that they can then implement in production.” Right from the outset, GEA experts take an interdisciplinary approach to optimizing process efficiency. Working hand in hand with customers considerably speeds up the time to market. “Most importantly, customers can feel confident they are making the right investment since they have personally tested and validated the processes. Our expertise and commitment make a compelling case for GEA as the partner of choice.”

Further information

The 500-liter high shear test mixer that does it all
With the new BATCH FORMULA® PRO High Shear Test Mixer, GEA is already preparing today’s customers for tomorrow’s mixing processes. It optimizes mixing and processing times for products with varying viscosities, such as mayonnaise, dressings, sauces, beverages, dairy as well as home and personal care products. The multifunctional unit employs an efficient vacuum system to introduce powder below the liquid’s surface. This results in a uniform and homogeneous product. To create a stable, even product consistency, oil is introduced directly into the mixing device where it is instantly emulsified. This one-pot design shortens process time, saves energy, and consequently also increases manufacturing profitability. For example, a variety of spreads can be heated up to 140ºC and immediately cooled down again. Thanks to an integrated control system which creates and monitors recipes, customers can keep closer tabs on the initial investment. In addition to the GEA BATCH FORMULA® PRO technology, the test center also includes an INLINE FORMULA® SOL Test Mixer that allows customers to simulate an inline process, including big and small powder bag emptying stations.

The new BATCH FORMULA® PRO High Shear Mixer, which is available at the GEA Center of Competence Mixing Technologies in Skanderborg, Denmark, improves pilot process scalability with its test batch size of 500 liters. Photo: GEA

The new BATCH FORMULA® PRO High Shear Mixer, which is available at the GEA Center of Competence Mixing Technologies in Skanderborg, Denmark, improves pilot process scalability with its test batch size of 500 liters. Photo: GEA

Pilot plant for aseptic filling
The GEA Aseptic Filling Pilot Plant is the second new unit at the Ahaus Test Center. It is specially designed for producers of sensitive beverages who want to conduct feasibility studies to develop new products, trial expanding to series production, select technologies and optimize existing small-scale processes. The filling module can handle a wide range of bottle shapes and sizes, ranging from 100 milliliters to three liters, as well as test various container materials. Since the system features a sustainable, dry sterilization process, no water is used during production. Thanks to the use of hydrogen peroxide vapor, the unit achieves log six reduction in decontamination on bottles and caps.

GEA recently installed an Aseptic Bottle Filler in the Ahaus Test Center in order to simulate process steps for customers from product formulation to filling. Thanks to a sustainable dry sterilization process, this GEA Aseptic Filling Pilot Plant does not require any water during production. Photo: GEA

GEA recently installed an Aseptic Bottle Filler in the Ahaus Test Center in order to simulate process steps for customers from product formulation to filling. Thanks to a sustainable dry sterilization process, this GEA Aseptic Filling Pilot Plant does not require any water during production. Photo: GEA

Contact

Fanny Förster

Phone: 49 211 9136 1504

Media Relations

GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft

Peter-Müller-Str. 12


40468

Düsseldorf


Germany

+49 211 9136-0

À propos de GEA

GEA est un des principaux fournisseurs de l'industrie agroalimentaire et d'autres industries, qui sont à l’origine d’un revenu consolidé qui a atteint près de 4,9 Mrd EUR en 2019.

C’est un groupe international spécialisé dans les machines et les installations, ainsi que dans les technologies de procédés et composants. GEA fournit des solutions énergétiques durables, utilisées dans des process de production de pointe pour divers marchés, et offre une gamme complète de services. Le groupe réalise près de 70 % de son revenu dans l'industrie alimentaire et des boissons, un secteur caractérisé par une croissance durable de long terme. Au 31 décembre 2018, la société employait plus de 18 500 personnes dans le monde. GEA est un leader du marché et des technologies dans ses secteurs d'activité. La société est cotée sur l'indice boursier allemand MDAX (G1A, WKN 660 200), sur l'indice STOXX® Europe 600 et sur des indices de durabilité globale MSCI sélectionnés.
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