Fermentation Tanks for Alternative Protein Production

Plant or Cellular Processing

Fermentation is vital in the production of Alternative Protein or Animal-Free foods. Fermenters assist in processing plant-derived ingredients and enablers into foods that carry the same texture, mouth-feel and flavor of animal-derived meat and dairy products.

In cell-based meats, fermentation can help produce growth factors, aiding in the production of the food. 

Different Types of Food Fermentation

Borrowing from the Good Food Institute's 3 definitions of food fermentation:

• Traditional fermentation uses intact live microorganisms to modulate and process plant-derived ingredients
• Biomass fermentation leverages the fast growth and high protein content of many microorganisms to efficiently produce large quantities of protein
• Precision fermentation uses microbial hosts as “cell factories” for producing specific functional ingredients. 

Our equipment engineering expertise can help you determine which fermenter is best for your process. And answer questions you may be having around scale-up, repeatability and sustainability.

Getting to Commodity Levels of Production

If you have been using a pilot system or co-packer in your production and the time has come to scale up, we can partner with you to determine the best equipment design and processes for maximum efficiency and repeatability. We can build one piece of equipment or scale up your entire plant for continued success and efficiencies of scale. Should you require on-site construction resources, those can be provided through our trusted vendor network. Then when you're ready, that plant can be duplicated in another location.

We can help you with sizing, heating and cooling aspect, the ratio of tank design and agitation, and cleanability. 3A sanitary standard available.

Heat Transfer in Alternative Proteins

• Full-coverage heat transfer design
• Sustainable options - attached heat exchanger stacks that capture any extra heat or steam heat and reuse in the plant, depending on purity
• Zone control of temperature 
• Meeting cooling requirements. We can work with you to identify if a chiller is needed
• Easy cleanability
• Standard or custom designs and sizes

Agitation in Alternative Protein Production

Agitation can be the difference between a reaction working or not working. Our agitators can control the following, providing you the end result you are looking for: 

• Loads and limits
• Consistency
• Even temperature spread
• Eliminating hot and cold spots
• Appropriate mixing levels for efficient reaction
• Hydrofoil agitation options

Contact us today to learn more about our fermenter scale-up process and how it can work with your operation.