The Dutch Agro-Industrial Group Royal Cosun is currently building a pilot plant for developing processes for getting the most out of its raw materials and by-products. Cosun Food Technology Centre (CFTC), has approached Lindor specifically for mixing and drying of its products after the processing of their by-products. For these products the mixing and even more importantly the drying, should be conducted in a controlled manner without any side effects.

Cosun wants to extract as much as possible from the crops it uses. In the pilot plant the crop will be completely taken apart in several stages for conversion into valuable and useful new products. All kinds of materials originating from the cells will be converted to products used in the food, animal feed, and chemical industries. The remaining bio mass will be used to generate “green energy”.

Cosun's objective is to make the most of its crops in an economical and ecological sense. It is because of this that Cosun is investing in the development of knowledge and expertise in exploring valuable applications and the further development of bio refining processes.

The by-products are converted into a syrup from which a crystalline, semi-dry product is generated. For drying this product Cosun has chosen to use a Lindor L70 mixer-dryer. The unique concept of the Lindor machine, in which the drum rotates without any separate moving parts in the product, makes it suitable for this process.

Due to the lack of friction there is no risk of damage to the crystals and therefore no dust creation. Because the entire drum and its contents are rotating, all product particles are in continuous movement, so product particles are exposed to the drying air in an even and controlled manner. The mixing and drying therefore is gradual, controlled and without any side effects.

“Lindor has a wide range of mixers among which some models are specially developed for testing and pilot production like the L70 we have purchased," said Martin Jaspers of Cosun Food Technology Centre.

Royal Cosun is a Dutch agro-industrial group firmly rooted in the primary sector. The Cosun businesses - Suiker Unie, Aviko, Sensus, SVZ, and Duynie - produce food ingredients and products that make their way to the food industry, foodservice sector, and retail channels. In addition, the group is increasingly focusing on components for non-food applications.

Cosun is a cooperative with some 10,000 members/shareholders, more than 4000 employees and annual turnover of about €1.8 billion.

For more information, visit www.lindor.nl.