Millions pumped into meat ingredients laboratory

Raffinerie Tirlemontoise and Beneo, in conjunction with parent company Südzucker, channelled €5m ($5.5m) into the modernisation and expansion of technical labs in Tienen, Belgium. Among the improvements is the development of a lab set up to explore meat applications that can only be analysed in temperature-controlled environments.

Rudy Wouters, vice president of Beneo Technology Centre, said the investment highlights the growing onus the business places on research and development. Through the modernisation of facilitates, Wouters said the business would be able to “respond with substantiated knowledge to the latest trends in a constantly evolving food industry​”.

‘Benefits’​

Analytical and microbiological research will focus on meat, dairy, breads and cereals, and results from the research will inform food processors of the “many benefits of Beneo’s ingredients​”, said Wouters.
The multi-million euro investment has also been used to expand the offices and modernise technical facilitates at the Tienen site. Research here falls under Südzucker Group’s wider plan for research and development across Austria, Belgium and Germany.

All exploratory work is overseen by Südzucker’s Central Department for Research & Development Services. Key areas include biofuels, fruit preparation, functional food ingredients and sugar.