Bringing automated, real-time process control into the starch-based industry

ended

The enzymatic process of extracting the starch from cereals and breaking it into fermentable sugars is called mashing. Today there are no analytical tools available at industrial facilities providing real-time information on the concentration of sugars and their degree of polymerisation. In consequence it is not possible yet to monitor and optimise in real time the mashing process, which will indeed determine the outcomes of large industries such as beer, food ingredients and bio-ethanol production. At Specshell we have seized this opportunity and developed ENZEYE, the first control system to provide continuous and real-time information on the degradation of starch and the formation of sugars throughout the mashing process. Our uniqueness is based on (1) the adaptation of mid-IR technology to the industrial setting, which enables for the first time to identify the dissolved species directly as the product flow, and (2) our proprietary chemometrics libraries, converting in real-time the IR-absorption spectra data into parameters of interest for plant operators. The first version of our product has been implemented in different industrial breweries and reported savings amounting €1million annually to each plant, thanks to a smarter dosage of raw materials and enzymes, improved temperature control, and increased conversion yields. Our first target market is the brewing sector: we aim at benefiting them by facilitating the optimisation of their resources and enable them to produce small batches of beers in a fast manner and immune to fluctuations of raw materials’ quality. In addition, ENZEYE will be introduce in the bio-ethanol sector and become a key enabler in helping Europe to become the leader in the widespread implementation of the second generation of bio-ethanol production. ENZEYE will positively impact our company reporting revenues surpassing the €45 million in the 3rd year after market uptake, and enabling the creation of up to 35 new positions.