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From ingredient concept to a scalable process

Process Development for Food Ingredients

Turn your ingredient concept into a practical and scalable process. Bodec combines process expertise, laboratory testing and flexible technologies to develop a robust production route that meets your product, quality and business requirements.
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From concept to a workable production process

A promising ingredient concept needs more than a successful laboratory of kitchen result. The individual processing steps must work together, the desired product properties must be achievable and the route must remain practical at a larger scale. Bodec helps define and develop that route, from raw material to finished ingredient.

When can Bodec help?

Process development is suitable when you have an ingredient concept, formulation or early laboratory method, but the production route is not yet sufficiently defined or validated. We also support companies that need to compare technologies or redesign part of a process before moving to pilot scale.

A development approach built around your product

We start with the intended ingredient, product requirements, available raw material and target scale. Together, we identify the critical process steps and parameters. Depending on the project, laboratory work or pilot testing can be used to assess feasibility, compare conditions and select the most promising route before larger trials are planned.

Processing expertise

Bodec can develop and combine process steps involving mixing, extraction, enzymatic hydrolysis, solid-liquid separation, centrifugation, membrane filtration, evaporation and several drying technologies. The most suitable route depends on the raw material, desired functionality, food-safety requirements and commercial objective.

What does the project deliver?

The outcome is a clearer and better-supported process route: tested conditions, observations on yield and product quality, identified risks and recommendations for the next step. Where appropriate, the project continues with pilot testing and process scale-up at Bodec.

The advantages of process development with Bodec

  • Tailored process routes

  • Feasibility testing

  • Technology selection

  • Yield and mass-balance insights

  • Preparation for pilot scale

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Process development in the food industry means designing, testing and improving the way a food product or ingredient is made. It is the step between a promising idea or lab recipe and a reliable production process. This can include selecting the right processing steps, defining process conditions, improving yield, reducing waste, ensuring food safety and making sure the product can be produced consistently at a larger scale. At Bodec, process development is always practical. We look at what is technically possible, what is commercially realistic and what is needed to make the process work in actual production. A key advantage is that the process can be tested directly in our pilot plant, allowing customers to validate and improve their process before moving to industrial-scale production.
Yes, Bodec supports companies in developing production processes for new food products, food ingredients and innovative raw materials. We help translate a concept, formulation or lab-scale process into a practical and scalable production process. The focus is not on making a product only once, but on developing a process that can be scaled up towards industrial production. By testing and improving the process in the pilot stage, we help identify the right route towards larger-scale production. Our role is to help customers understand how their food ingredient(s) can be produced in a safe, repeatable, scalable and economically viable way.
Scaling up a food process is done step by step. A process that works in the lab or kitchen does not automatically work at pilot or industrial scale. Larger volumes often behave differently, and factors such as heat transfer, mixing, viscosity, processing time, yield and cleaning become much more important. At Bodec, we usually start by understanding the lab/kitchen process and the desired product specifications. We then test the process at pilot scale in our pilot plant, adjust the process parameters and evaluate the results. From there, we define the most suitable route towards larger-scale production. This approach helps reduce technical risk and gives customers a clearer picture of product quality, production capacity and cost price before moving to full industrial production.
Yes, Bodec can help optimize or redesign existing food production processes. This may be relevant when a process is too expensive, has capacity limitations, gives inconsistent product quality or produces too much waste. We can review the current process, identify bottlenecks and test alternative process conditions or technologies. Optimization can focus on improving yield, reducing processing time, lowering energy use, improving product quality, increasing capacity or making the process easier to operate in practice. Depending on the project, our technologists can support this work at Bodec or directly on-site at the customer’s production facility. This allows us to understand the real production environment, work closely with the customer’s team and develop practical improvements that can be implemented in day-to-day operations.
Yes, Bodec works on both food process development and bioprocess development, especially where these areas come together. Many innovative food ingredients are developed using biological or fermentation-related processes, but they still need to be processed, separated, concentrated, stabilized or dried before they can be used commercially. Bodec can support customers with the downstream processing and scale-up of these products, helping them to turn biological or food-tech innovations into ingredients that can be produced and applied at industrial scale.
A process is ready for large-scale production when it is technically stable, repeatable, safe and economically realistic. At Bodec, we test and validate the key process steps before moving to larger volumes. We look at product quality, yield, processing time, equipment suitability, food safety, cleaning requirements and operational risks. We also help customers understand the practical production conditions: what raw materials are needed, what volumes are realistic, where the bottlenecks are and what the expected cost drivers will be. The goal is not only to prove that the process works, but also to make sure it can be repeated reliably in a real production environment.
Yes, Bodec works with customers from both inside and outside Europe. Many food innovation projects are international by nature. Companies from different countries come to Bodec for process development, pilot production and scale-up support. Our facilities are located in the Netherlands, in the heart of the European food and technology ecosystem, but our customers can be based anywhere in the world. We regularly support international companies that want to develop, test or scale up food ingredients and food processes for the European or global market.

Cases

How we help our clients create, scale and perfect food ingredient processes

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Curious how Bodec can support your next step? Let’s chat.

Bodec’s specialists are keen to help you with the best solutions: targeted, practical, flexible and fast. Partnering with Bodec means benefiting from extra capacity and the latest facilities, without having to invest in them yourself. Do you want to know what’s possible? Schedule an appointment for a chat. We’d love to show you!
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Insights

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Process Development

From Research to Scalable Food-Grade Production

Food ingredient process development at Bodec

Bodec supports food ingredient companies in developing practical, robust and scalable production processes. With over 30 years of process-technology experience, we combine laboratory testing, practical process expertise and flexible food-grade facilities to turn ingredient concepts into workable production routes.

Our development approach starts with your raw material, formulation, desired product properties, quality requirements and target scale. Depending on the project, we investigate and combine process steps such as mixing, pH-controlled extraction, enzymatic hydrolysis, centrifugation, membrane filtration, evaporation and drying.

Laboratory trials help assess technical feasibility, compare processing conditions and identify critical parameters. Once a promising process route has been established, it can be validated further through pilot testing and process scale-up under realistic conditions.

If a project requires equipment that is not permanently available in our pilot plant, we can source or rent additional equipment through our technology and equipment partners. Subject to technical fit, food-safety requirements, available space and utilities, this equipment can be temporarily integrated into the pilot setup.

The results of a development project provide practical information on process conditions, yield, product quality, risks and possible bottlenecks. This information can support pilot planning, equipment selection, feasibility studies, technology transfer and the future design of a production line. Where specialist engineering expertise is required, Bodec can work together with its technology and engineering partners.

Questions?
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Got questions about what we can do for you? Just give us a call, send us an email, or fill in the contact form – we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

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