Despite its long history, broad application areas and great innovation potential, the extrusion process is one of the least understood technologies in the food industry. The limited knowledge has not been a significant problem for the industry, as the desired products could usually be developed by trial and error. Now, however, the challenge is to create very complex foods, such as plant-based meat alternatives. Given the complexity, the trial-and-error approach does not yield efficient solutions. Our research aims to develop mechanistic process engineering and materials science tools that make extrusion technology more accessible for targeted process and food design. Our team consists of experts with many years of experience in extrusion research and works closely with leading research institutions such as KIT to actively advance the field. We make our research platform available for both academic and industrial research, where we clarify, design, and systematically investigate key questions.
Excellence in Innovation
We use our research approach to improve our mechanistic understanding of extrusion. We proactively use this understanding to develop enabling extrusion technologies for the food industry. To perform this effectively, we work closely with extruder manufacturers and ingredient producers, which gives us the flexibility we need at the technological and formulation levels. This allows us to modify the process according to our needs and perform advanced testing in a high-impact way. Our innovation platform, therefore, provides an effective basis for the development of tailor-made products and for the reverse engineering of ingredients to meet the requirements of end products.
Excellence in the operational process
One of the most important, but also most challenging tasks in any extrusion project is the scale-up. At nexnoa, we can manage this task with relative ease, as our approach is not based on trial and error, but on a thorough analysis of the process. This creates a clear and solid basis for the rapid and effective transfer of technology, processes, or products from the laboratory to industrial scale. We enhance and strengthen operational excellence by assisting it through digitalization and providing process-specific solutions in terms of troubleshooting, ease of operation, and cost-efficient processing as well as training workshops. To facilitate operational excellence, our extrusion platform is equipped with various high-end twin-screw extruders, from laboratory to industrial scale with highly flexible auxiliaries. We enable to test, to experience, and to progress.