Its name may sound very official, but the DIL is actually 100 percent independent and keeps pace with private sectors. “We operate in four business areas: product innovation, process technology, food safety, and the Center of Food Physics. Our research areas are divided into bioeconomy, structure and functionality, protein technology, robotics, and process analytics,” Heinz explains. This unique composition enables the institute to generate new knowledge in food production and processing and channel the acquired knowledge into industrial processes. “We are integrated into around 50 research partnerships at national and international level. With over 190 partners in the industrial sector, we are constantly exchanging new findings and receiving important impetus from industry that we, in turn, incorporate into our research. This exciting dynamic is what really fascinates me about working at the DIL, because it creates a continuous regenerative cycle of innovation.”
Christoph Vogel can only confirm this. As Head of the Proteins & Ingredients Market Segment at Bühler, he works in close contact with the institute. “The DIL has been an excellent platform for the food industry to develop future-oriented solutions. The modern laboratories combined with profound knowledge also help our customers to overcome the challenges of modern food production,” he says. “The DIL in Lower Saxony is at the center of the meat industry, which now has a wonderful opportunity to set itself apart. At the DIL, our customers can develop their innovative products with the latest Bühler technology and produce trial batches under food grade conditions. If the product is successful, the customer doesn’t have any scale-up risk and we can build and commission the entire plant together.”