Chr Hansen and GEA open new fermentation plant in Copenhagen, Denmark

Global bioscience company Chr Hansen and the process technology supplier GEA has opened a new fermentation plant for bacterial cultures at its site in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The new plant is reported to be the largest production site of its kind, featuring two lines with 45m³ fermentors each and two lines with 100m³ fermenters.

Chr Hansen Global Operations executive vice-president Torsten Steenholt said: “The hygienic requirements when producing bacterial cultures are much stricter than for other types of food production.

“We needed a supplier that could provide this in their application solution for cultures, along with the automated functions, and GEA accomplished this task to our great satisfaction.

“Furthermore, the high level of hygiene and the automated production process have enabled significant cost savings.”

GEA noted that it has delivered one of these big fermentation lines to the Chr Hansen’s Copenhagen production facility and installed them while existing production lines were running.

GEA Application Center Food head Ulrik Lund Jakobsen said: “We work together with Chr Hansen on a both strategic, project-related and operational level.

“This makes for a very strong dynamic and has played a major part in the successful completion of the AIR17-project, as well as the entire ten-year project collaboration.

“The production site in Copenhagen is not the only Chr Hansen site where we collaborate using this model.”