As a pioneer in fluid bed and spouted bed technology, Glatt will focus on highly soluble and dust-free proteins, collagens and functional ingredients at FiE 2024 (Hall 3.0, Stand J60). 

Weimar, September 2024 – At this year’s Fi Europe trade show (19–21 November), Glatt Ingenieurtechnik will showcase technological solutions to significantly improve the functional properties of powders, granules, agglomerates and pellets. Company experts will discuss how to optimise products, plants, and processes, from initial ideas to industrial manufacturing.

Hendrik Schreier, Head of the Sales Team for Process Technology Food, Feed & Fine Chemicals at Glatt Ingenieurtechnik, sees a wide range of applications for the company’s technologies: “FiE highlights a variety of raw materials and ingredients — from technical additives that need improved functionality for increasingly specific applications to active ingredients for food supplements that require the use of suitable processes to increase their effectiveness in the human body.”

“With our expertise,” he adds, “we can help with the design of fluid bed systems for individual requirements and end products, as well as discuss the pros and cons of specific processes.” 

Which procedure is best suited to convert liquid products into bulk solids depends on the desired properties of the particles and the final application. Functional and alternative proteins — a rapidly growing global market — will be a focal point of the trade fair. 

Demand is particularly high for readily soluble and dust-free proteins such as collagen, protein hydrolysates and hydrocolloids. Market interest in substances such as vitamins, minerals and trace elements with defined functional properties is similarly intense. Glatt fluid bed technology offers innovative and efficient process options for the optimisation and functionalisation of all these product groups. 

Continuous processes such as the agglomeration of powders and the drying of liquids with simultaneous spray granulation, as well as film, lipid, or hot melt coating, are ideal for the protection and functionalisation of particles comprising large-volume ingredients. Glatt’s innovative fluid bed solutions offer significant advantages, particularly in comparison with standard technologies such as drying in a spray tower. 

They are far more flexible and can be adjusted to accommodate the desired properties of the product with the right combination and efficient interaction of operational parameters. This applies to particle size, morphology, residual moisture and bulk density. For example, a high bulk density translates to smaller packaging sizes or a greater capsule fill volume, whereas a lower bulk density is better suited to soluble agglomerates with a loose structure. Fluid bed particles have less dust and are significantly more soluble than conventional spray-dried products. 

Hendrik Schreier also sees important fields of application in the formulation of food supplements: “To make phytogenic active ingredients and other essential food supplements more bioavailable, our customers can benefit from both encapsulation processes and functional coatings. They protect the often sensitive active ingredients and release them in a controlled manner.” Glatt offers its customers a fully customised range of services for particle design and plant engineering for functional powders, granules and pellets. This includes both product and process development, contract manufacturing and equipment for laboratory (0.5–15 kg) and production (up to 10 tonnes per hour) applications.