A new biorefining technique has unlocked the high protein content of Danish clover grass and will soon make it available in feed for organic pork and poultry producers.

Containing more than 40% protein and all the right amino acids, clover grass has great potential as locally sourced nutrition feed. Results from livestock feeding trials have proven that the extracted protein is an efficient alternative to soya meal in pig and poultry feed.

Containing more than 40% protein and all the right amino acids, green herbage has great potential as locally sourced nutrition

The technique has been co-developed by research partners from the private and public sector and involves squeezing large amounts of freshly and finely cut clover grass in a screw press. The juice is then transferred to an acid tank, heated and fermented using a lactic acid culture.

Concentrated protein is removed from the juice by centrifugation. Residues from production can also be used to feed cows and fuel biogas plants.

Once ready for commercial launch, the green protein feed will provide organic and conventional farmers with an additional, locally produced supply of essential nutrients for their livestock.

Traditional testing methods are time consuming and poultry companies risk further outbreak of diseases as they await results. A collaboration project across borders has developed a portable device that can detect pathogens and viruses in less than an hour.

Rapid detection of pathogens and viruses is vital in the poultry industry to avoid outbreaks of salmonella, campylobacter and bird flu that are a risk to consumer health and may lead to expensive losses for producers.

Farmers and food producers currently rely on traditional test methods, which involves sending samples to a laboratory for analysis and waiting for up to two days for the results. Due to the speed at which infectious diseases spread, the delay may have critical consequences.

Thanks to the fast result, farmers and food producers have the opportunity to contain and eliminate undesirable microorganisms from a much earlier stage

Fast analysis on location

The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) teamed up with partners in Sweden, France, Germany and Italy to develop a solution. Together, they came up with Vetpod, a portable device that can detect pathogens and viruses in poultry flocks or fresh meat processing lines in less than an hour.

Vetpod contains a specially designed chip, so throat or rectal samples from the animals can be analysed on location. Thanks to the fast result, farmers and food producers have the opportunity to contain and eliminate undesirable microorganisms from a much earlier stage.

Developed as part of the EU-funded VIVALDI project, Vetpod is commercially available now.

New 3D trimming technology addresses the challenge many slaughterhouses deals with when they trim the fat layer of different meats. The technology utilises a 3D picture, which can then be used to direct a machine to conduct fast and efficient trimming.

Producing uniform, high-quality pork loin is no longer a challenge using 3D trimming technology developed by the Danish Meat Research Institute in partnership with machine manufacturer Frontmatec and the meat processing companies Tican and Danish Crown.

Their advanced and fully automated machine is designed for precision trimming of the fat layer on pork loin, improving quality and reducing waste.

For slaughterhouses, the machine overcomes a long-standing challenge – the reliance on manual evaluation of the meat by slaughterhouse workers, who then determine the thickness of the fat layer on, for example, back bacon for the UK market.

The advanced and fully automated machine is designed for precision trimming of the fat layer on pork loin, improving quality and reducing waste

Four-second process

The solution starts with the machine computer, which generates a precise 3D picture of each pork loin to determine where fat and meat intersect. Based on that information, a patented automated knife system then cuts the loin fast and efficiently. The whole process takes just four seconds per joint.

The technology adapts easily to the varying needs of individual markets, resulting in pork loin that always meets expectation and makes the best possible use of the meat.

In collaboration with various research organisations, Samson Agro has developed technology that ensures real-time measurements of nutrients in manure. The technology enables farmers to avoid nutrient overuse.

Samson Agro has applied the latest technology to its agricultural machines for more than 75 years. The challenge is always to meet farmer needs to increase crop yield while making efficient use of the nutrients in manure and reduce their environmental impact.

To ensure product innovation of the highest possible standard, Samson Agro partners with universities and other research organisations. As a result, the company has been able to expand its smart farming technology with a GPS solution for variable slurry application based on GPS mapping.

The solution is combined with a nuclear magnetic resonance sensor system that takes precise real-time measurements of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the natural fertilisers. In this way, farmers can be sure that slurry spreaders distribute nutrients precisely, according to the requirements of each field section.

By maximising the use of animal manure, farmer reliance on chemical fertilisers is reduced – along with their environmental footprint

Digital solutions that prevent nutrient overuse are the smart way to higher farm yields and profits. By maximising the use of animal manure, farmer reliance on chemical fertilisers is reduced – along with their environmental footprint.

Samson Agro is a Danish example of a company that leads the way with the development and sale of high-quality agricultural machinery. Wherever farmers are located in the world, Samson Agro designs machinery to give the highest yield.

VARO’s complex sorting and packaging system ensures fast and efficient packing and palleting of goods in food processing plants. The technology frees up man-hours of workers due to higher efficiency and better quality control of the packaging process. 

Up to 120 million cans of mackerel roll off the production lines at Sæby Fiske-Industri every year. A high-speed packing system, delivered by VARO, ensures each can is sorted and securely packaged before dispatch, primarily to supermarkets throughout Europe.

ABB has supplied the five FlexPicker robots on each of the two fully automated packing lines. Between them, they handle 800 cans a minute – more than 700,000 a day. Integrated vision software ensures every can lives up to the factory’s high quality standards.

Automated packing lines handle 800 cans a minute and more than 700.000 a day

Meeting complex needs

For automated equipment supplier VARO, ABB’s FlexPickers were the optimum choice for carrying out complex sorting and packaging tasks. As Sæby Fiske-Industri is Europe’s leading producer of private label canned mackerel, the robots are critical for ensuring a fast and smooth switch between the many packaging types and patterns for packaging and palletising.

The packing system is also equipped with an X-ray device that detects metal and other foreign materials before the cans are sent for date printing and to the vision unit, which checks for any deviations on the actual can.

Since installing the packing lines, Sæby Fiske-Industri has improved efficiency and eliminated manual tasks that cause repetitive strain injury. Employees can now focus on other work, including servicing the robots and filling boxes at the packing stations.

A real-time, virtual simulation tool developed by the Danish company, Niras, can help manufactures design and build complex production facilities. The tool lowers the costs and also the risks of a manufacturing investment due to more information about the facility prior to being build. 

Demands on efficiency, traceability and food safety are growing fast in industrial scale food production, and that often calls for major investments in new or upgraded facilities. Danish consultant engineering company Niras has developed a digital tool to help manufacturers take the risk out of their investments.

The tool is a real-time, virtual simulation of the production process, line or plant – a digital twin, where all parameters can be finetuned for the best possible performance. Using this technology, manufacturers can then design and build complex production facilities in real life, often at lower cost.

By using a digital twin, manufacturers
can design and build complex
production facilities in real life at a
lower cost

Niras is building a strong track record in the field. For one dairy that needed a new microdosing system, the investment cost was cut by EUR 630,000 after a digital twin validated and optimised the design.

Continuous monitoring

Once a new processing line is in operation, the digital twin can continue to inform manufacturers about potential problems so timely adjustments can be made and preventive maintenance carried out. When new equipment is added or there is a change in the product mix, the digital twin can also predict the impact, including the risk of bottlenecks elsewhere on the line.

In one dairy assignment, a digital twin was used to validate and optimise the design of micro-dosing equipment for a new powder blending section. Bottlenecks were identified and removed, cutting the investment by EUR 630,000 in just three weeks of simulation work.

Niras has also successfully designed digital twins for the brewing, dairy, meat, poultry and fish industry.

A Danish consortium took microalgae production to the next level from a sustainability perspective. Microalgae is a sustainable alternative to traditional animal feed and the new technology will make this alternative more cost-friendly and efficient. 

Microalgae has high potential as an alternative protein source for animal feed. Requiring up to ten times less space for cultivation than conventional feed proteins, it grows fast and efficiently in areas typically not suited for agricultural production.

The biogas plant can feed a production of 4700 tons of microalgae a year with CO2 and nutrients from the side streams of biogas production

A Danish consortium of research institutions and businesses took the sustainability perspective to the next level. Through the development project ReMAPP, their ambition was to produce microalgae with CO2 and nutrients from the side streams of biogas production.

Danish Technological Institute developed tube-shaped bags for the first test production at the NGF Nature Energy biogas plant. Producing 13 million cubic metres of biogas annually, the plant has the capacity to feed the production of 4,700 tonnes of microalgae a year.

The ReMAPP project, that was supported by the Danish Innovation Fund, focused on the whole microalgae supply chain, from cultivation and harvest to processing into a safe and nutritious protein for animal feed. A Danish farm with organic vegetable and poultry production and own biogas plant tested the concept in early 2022 with great success.

Just-weaned piglets have an immature immune system that leaves them highly susceptible to diarrhea. To treat and prevent the problem, farmers traditionally turn to antibiotics – an expensive practice that may not always be necessary.

Part of the explanation for this routine antibiotic use is that farmers do not have time to follow the standard procedure for diagnosing disease, which is to send samples to a laboratory for analysis. Such a delay can lead to a higher mortality rate with associated losses in production.

Fast E.coli Detection

The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) is developing a biosensor to overcome this challenge. Based on nanotechnology, the sensor is designed to capture so-called virulence factors from E. coli bacteria, which kill more than a million piglets a year in Denmark alone.

Using this detection tool, farmers can quickly determine whether diarrhoea-provoking bacteria are to blame when piglets become sick.

Using this detection tool, farmers can quickly determine whether diarrhea-provoking bacteria are to blame when piglets become sick.

The ultimate goal is to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, which contributes to the development of multi-resistant bacteria. At the same time, animal welfare and farm profits are both improved.

DTU is currently working with pig farmers to evaluate how the biosensor can be used to greatest benefit.

Food waste and livestock manure are valuable raw materials at the Horsens Bioenergi co-digestion plant. Operated by engineering company Bigadan, the plant uses this feedstock to produce 28 million cubic metres of biogas a year – enough to meet the energy needs of 4,000 Danish households.

Local farmers and food producers such as Danish Crown have sent their waste and side streams to the biogas plant since 2014. Restaurants, canteens and others in the catering sector rely on waste management company Daka ReFood to collect their food waste and deliver it to the plant for recycling.

The plant uses feedstock to produce enough biogas that meets the energy needs of 4000 danish households

Upgrade to Natural Gas

Bigadan has built a reputation on its skilful ability to engineer and run biogas plants adapted to specific feedstock. This expertise has also driven the recent increase in capacity for upgrading biogas to sustainable natural gas, supporting the transition away from fossil fuels.

All feedstock is sterilised on arrival at the plant to remove potential pathogens and weed seeds. Around 100 farmers then use the degassed leftovers as a fertiliser that returns nutrients to the soil.

Surplus heat from the biogas plant and wastewater from local industry are used for the pulping process at neighbouring Daka ReFood.

The entire operation adds up to a great example of a circular bioeconomy, where renewable raw materials create maximum sustainable value.

Traceability is crucial when managing the production of high-end meat products and ensuring optimum use of raw materials at the same time. The automation experts at Frontmatec understand that need completely. Their tailored software solutions for modern meat processing companies are the proof.

Based in Denmark, Frontmatec is a worldleading supplier of customised automation solutions for the food industry. Frontmatec’s GOSystems are designed to record every step in the production cycle from raw material reception to packing and final product dispatch. Through carcass grading, slaughter lines, cutting and deboning lines, hygiene systems and logistics and packaging, the software solutions ensure constant, direct access to valuable process and product data.

Accurate traceability is key to guaranteeing the quality and food safety of premium meat products

For manufacturers, accurate traceability is key to guaranteeing the quality and food safety of premium meat products and selling them at the best price. Real-time alarms built into the system keep manufacturers informed about expiry dates, reducing food loss. Potential quality problems are also easy to isolate, minimising the risk of recalls and related expense.

Recently, Frontmatec completed the implementation of a new automation system at a leading pork processing plant in Finland, one of the most advanced of its kind in the world. The entire cutting and deboning process is governed by highly automated recipe and order management, allowing planners and operators to control every aspect so each sales order is delivered precisely on spec.