Lesaffre Ingredients Services (LIS) has begun the pilot extrusion porosification technology (EPT) unit, the first pilot installation of its kind in Europe on drying processes.
A collaborative effort with Clextral, Diana Pet Food, Triballat and LIS, the EPT produces a new generation of porous powders with enhanced properties (rehydration, flowability and preservation of assets).
The applications range from powdered milk, soluble coffee to a variety of food ingredients.
The EPT process could dry highly viscous products and save between 20% and 40% of energy compared with the conventional process of drying through atomization.
With a total cost of €3 million (US$3.34 million), the project was financed by the four industrial partners involved.
The pilot platform, based at the LIS industrial plant in Cérences, has been operational since early June.
