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.

Insects are an important base level of the food chain. Without flying insects we would not have pollination of 80% of our wild plants or the food source for 60% of the world’s birds. Insect habitats have declined, contributing to this loss of insects. FaunaPhotonics aims to work with companies who implement measures to restore habitats for this important community, monitoring the effectiveness of the measures taken.

The start-up company FaunaPhotonics is building real-time insect biodiversity monitoring systems. The technology platform combines patent-protected sensor technology with artificial intelligence to calculate the number of insect families present, the number and activity of the insects, and the overall insect biomass present in the area.

Monitoring insect populations systematically, efficiently and accurately is key

Smart insect classification

Science is refining biodiversity targets, emphasizing the importance of companies’ compliance with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Monitoring biodiversity is crucial for conserving insects and upholding planetary health, aligning with SDG objectives. FaunaPhotonics’ cloud-based data upload, occurring every 30 minutes, enables easy access to real-time information on insect activity supporting ESG compliance efforts.

FaunaPhotonics develops its systems with collaboration in many sectors, including solar parks, restoration agriculture, and companies with biodiversity-minded construction projects. Their data ensures that the efforts taken to conserve or increase biodiversity are effective.

JEROS A/S is making a large difference for food manufacturers all over the world with their product range of various food production washers and tray cleaners. With their cleaning solutions, food manufacturers can achieve unparalleled levels of hygiene, while reducing the water usage, thus playing a central role in achieving a more sustainable production.

It can be difficult for food manufacturers to reduce their water consumption without compromising the high hygiene and food safety standards required by authorities and consumers. When operators wash processing equipment by hand, it is also difficult to ensure standards are met.

The Danish company JEROS is making a difference for food manufacturers all over the world. Based on more than 55 years of experience, their cleaning solutions ensure unparalleled levels of hygiene with less water usage – enabling manufacturers to improve the sustainability of their production.

The system cuts cleaning time to just six minutes and water consumption to 16 litres

One of their solutions, the JEROS ACE, is the most flexible and efficient cleaning system for multi-head weigher components and other scale parts in food production.

Using a traditional manual process, it typically takes operators an hour to clean 32 multi-head weigher components and 730 litres of water. The JEROS ACE system cuts cleaning time to just six minutes and water consumption to 16 litres.

A rinse temperature of 85°C also ensures all components are thoroughly disinfected and hygienic – ready for the next product batch. This is a huge improvement that can play a large role for companies, as time spent cleaning is often time spent producing nothing. Therefore, efficient cleaning is a must.

Trusted around the world

With a JEROS system, food producers can look forward to more environmentally friendly production, uniform food safety and lower operating costs. Large food conglomerates like Pepsico and Nestlé and the Danish dairy giant Arla Foods have all implemented JEROS solutions in their production.

Milk holds second place on the global list of most commonly adulterated foods. The highest risk is in countries with an emerging dairy sector, where control systems may be less well established. But even in well-developed markets, experienced milk hauliers and processors must stay alert to contaminants from tanks, equipment and criminal activity.

To maintain trust in dairy production, the industry must ensure consistent safety and quality, optimise raw material use and boost productivity. This makes reliable, high-frequency testing essential across the entire value chain.

Automated milk testing with results in less than a minute

In the dairy industry, Danish technology company FOSS provides high-tech testing solutions that serve as a standard quality assurance tool. By screening for bacteria, contaminants and overall milk quality, dairies can ensure high standards of food safety and fair payment for farmers.

Using FOSS technology, milk testing centres can program their instruments to screen raw milk samples for known sources of adulterant while determining the milk’s composition of protein, fat, lactose and total solids. Results are delivered in less than a minute.

By comparing samples with the composition of normal milk, the technology can identify individual adulterants that pose a threat to consumer health in less than a minute

FOSS has pioneered the use of Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis to meet this specific need. By comparing samples with the composition of normal milk, the technology can identify individual adulterants that pose a threat to consumer health in less than a minute.

Smarter milk testing supports safer, more transparent production

Innovative solutions from Danish analytical technology supplier FOSS empower the global food industry to safeguard food safety and quality. Automated screening of milk samples enhances transparency and efficiency, helping dairies optimise livestock yield and productivity.

For decades, FOSS has worked with the dairy sector to drive smarter, more sustainable food production – ensuring high food safety standards and improving trust across the value chain.

Innovative technology from Cimbria Unigrain is tackling two major challenges for the food industry – the need to improve food safety and reduce food loss to a minimum.

As a world leader in grain handling and seed processing technology, Cimbria Unigrain has specialised in developing advanced solutions that sort and grade seeds, protect crops from post-harvest spoilage and, through that, effectively reduces waste.

Sea Chromex is one example. A full-colour vision system combined with near-infrared technology, it represents the most advanced vision-based seed and grain sorter on the market – capable of recognising and separating the tiniest defects in colour, shape and size, which are invisible to the human eye.

advanced solutions that sort and grade seeds, protect crops from post-harvest spoilage and, through that, effectively reduces waste

Cimbria Unigrain has incorporated InGaAs technology in Sea Chromex to enable precise removal of hidden flaws, such as grain contaminated with mycotoxins or sclerotium, unshelled grain or fragments of nutshells.

In this way, the quality of grain and seeds reaches a new level of excellence. Grain meets the highest standards for food and feed safety, and damaged seeds with low germination potential are removed. The reduction of loss also cuts costs – a major benefit for the agriculture sector and the food supply chain as a whole.

The Danish-based brewery group, Carlsberg, has set ambitious climate goals to which eliminating water waste will be central. In May 2021, its first total water recycling plant opened, leading a world-wide transformation. At the Fredericia brewery in Denmark, the brewery will recycle 90% of all process water and halve previous water use on site while cutting energy consumption by 10%.

Whether producing soft drink or beer, water stays as a main ingredient at breweries. Today, droughts and water shortages are leading to rationed use of water around the world and therefore, water-efficient technologies are a prerequisite for operating new markets for companies that traditionally have a large water consumption, such as breweries.

Partnering to minimise water waste

Carlsberg is part of the Danish public-private partnership for resource and water efficient industrial food production (DRIP) to address the problem of water waste in the food industry. Through the DRIP partnership, Carlsberg has tapped into the combined knowledge of academic institutions and technology companies which has helped the brewery in Denmark to find the right partners to develop solutions that can further reduce water waste.

Water consumption for beer production will be reduced from 2.9 to 1.4 hl of water/hl of beer. For soft drinks, the reduction is 1.5 to 1.2 hl of water/hl of soft drink

At the Fredericia brewery, new technologies have always been used to ensure a high degree of water efficiency. When the brewery first opened in 1979, the water-to-beer ratio was 4:1 at a time when the global norm was above 6:1. In 2019, the Fredericia brewery was selected as a test site for Carlsberg’s first total water recycling plant.

Since the recycling plant opened, the process wastewater from cleaning of equipment and packaging material has been directed to the wastewater treatment and water recycling (Water Recovery) plant. The water is treated to remove nutrients and organic material, passed through a sterile filtration membrane to remove bacteria and then rinsed through a second tighter membrane that removes salt. In other words: The solution makes it the first brewery in the world to practically eliminate all water waste.

Flagship for sustainability programme

With the new wastewater treatment and recycling plant, Carlsberg aims to reduce the average water consumption in beer production to 1.4 hectolitres (hl) of water per hl. of beer and in soft drinks production to 1.2 hl. of water per hl. of soft drinks. The project is a flagship for Carlberg’s Together Towards ZERO sustainability programme. It consists of four ambitions: ZERO carbon footprint, ZERO water waste, ZERO irresponsible drinking and a ZERO accidents culture. Each of these is underpinned by individual measurable targets to be achieved by 2022 or 2030.

Over the past 10 years, Carlsberg has been closely involved in developing and testing the HYDRACT process valve, and since 2016 Carlsberg has implemented the HYDRACT valve at the company’s brewery in Fredericia, Denmark, reducing electrical power consumption for valve actuation with more than 90%.

There is a growing demand and an environmental need to push global development in a greener direction, which creates momentum to accelerate the green transition across sectors. Just in Denmark, the food industry accounts for 30% of the industry’s total energy use. In recent years, Danish food companies have been keen on working with the optimisation of production processes to support the green transformation of the food industry.

The smallest things make a huge difference

A unique valve technology from Danish company HYDRACT has since 2016 been implemented at Carlsberg’s brewery in Fredericia, making the beer production both cheaper and greener. The invention is a water-hydraulic valve that opens and closes much more accurate than all other valves. Because water is incompressible, the hydraulic valves provide an unprecedented level of precision and control compared to pneumatic valves.

The valve technology reduces the electrical power consumption by more than 90%

The brewery in Fredericia has more than 7,000 valves that today are controlled by air. The new valves use water to send various liquids through the thousands of pipes instead and are saving the brewery a significant amount of electrical power in beer production. The precision and repeatability achieved with water hydraulics as an alternative to compressed air enable an entirely new approach to effective and sustainable beer production.

Brewing a game-changer at Carlsberg, Fredericia

With the valves from HYDRACT, Carlsberg can reduce their energy consumption for valves by more than 90% compared to today- equivalent to approximately 5-10% of the brewery’s total electrical power consumption. Carlsberg has committed themselves to reduce energy in their own project “Towards ZERO” and here the HYDRACT valves will be a great help. Not only by reducing energy, but also by minimising production waste and water consumption together with reducing the chemical use and cleaning costs with up to 30%.