GEA builds a large-scale mixing plant for taste creation at the Symrise location in Holzminden

GEA has announced the construction of a large-scale mixing plant for Symrise's flavour production at the company's main production location in Holzminden, Lower Saxony.

Symrise will benefit from GEA's turnkey process technology, increasing its flexibility and manufacturing capacity. Installation of the plant began in summer 2025, with commissioning scheduled for April 2026.

Symrise's on-site tastes, which include vanilla extracts, citrus oils, meat flavours, and menthol-based essences, are used both internally and as ingredients for the food and beverage sector. They are utilised in a variety of product applications, such as yoghurt, confectionary, ready meals, and beverages.

Symrise processes a wide range of raw materials at Holzminden, including alcohol-based solutions and viscous syrups. Advanced technologies are necessary to meet strict safety and product quality requirements.

Ethanol-containing products necessitate explosion-proof design, while powders present extra dust explosion hazards. Meanwhile, chemicals such as citrus oils are antagonistic to certain materials and necessitate particular sealing. The viscosity range, from water-like liquids to syrupy consistency, and temperatures ranging from -20°C to +80°C, necessitate careful process control. Additionally, strong-smelling menthol blends, kosher recipes, and sweet flavours must be kept completely separate.

The new factory provides a fully integrated solution to suit these different requirements. At the centre of the structure is a large mixing area where raw materials from the nearby tank farm or containers are vacuum conveyed to the mixing tanks. Powders are added via a specific filling nozzle, and the homogeneous mixes are either sent to cooling tanks for maturation or immediately to the fill line.

The plant is linked to a cleaning and steaming system, and it includes a heat recovery system for CIP return flows, which recycles some of the process energy and minimises energy consumption per batch. Additional improvements, such as water-saving CIP cleaning and improved insulation, cut water and energy use even more. Heat recovery enhances efficiency and helps meet environmental laws by cooling wastewater to less than 30°C.

GEA stated that the variety of flavours handled places a significant demand on process control, material selection, and thorough product emptying to reduce losses. With this in mind, the company has created tailored solutions for Symrise that take advantage of the versatility of its components, such as hygienic seat valves with bellows and sample valves designed to eliminate product residue. These solutions were developed in close collaboration with the ingredients industry and refined using 3D planning to fit smoothly into the facility.

Symrise's plant manager of liquid compounding, Karsten Zota, stated, "The creation of liquid flavours is one of Symrise's core competences. The new plant boosts our capacity by up to 50% while drastically reducing delivery times. This gives us greater flexibility and allows us to better meet expanding client demand."

Existing and new formulas may be effectively applied in the plant, allowing Symrise to respond swiftly to market trends like natural flavours and clean label products.

Lukas Schnöing, GEA's liquid food expert and project manager, stated, "This project highlights how important bespoke solutions are for demanding applications. Our experience processing complicated liquid products, along with accurate project management and the capacity to build tailored solutions, enabled the construction of this plant."

Source: FoodBev Media Ltd