World Grain - September 2022 - 54

FEATURE: MÜLLER'S MÜHLE GROWS WITH PLANT-BASED PROTEINS IN MIND
The processing
equipment
for the pulse
protein
concentrate
line was
supplied by
Bühler and
Hosokawa
Alpine.
Müller's Mühle joined the GoodMills group in 1989,
and with the integration of Aurora Mühlen GmbH in
2014, it also became a leading supplier of branded
flour. The various flours are made from wheat, rye and
spelt as well as semolina and also include baking mixes
for bread and cakes.
The GoodMills Group is one of Europe's largest
milling companies with 24 production units across
seven European countries and processing 2.8 million
tonnes of grain. This ownership structure ensures that
Müller's Mühle has a consistent and reliable supply
chain with the latest technological know-how.
The existing pulse facility processes lentils, peas,
chickpeas and beans with a capacity ranging from 2.5
to 4 tph and rice with a capacity of 15 tph. The new
With the exploding demand
for concentrates made
from pulse proteins to
produce plant-based meat
alternatives, it was a logical
step for Müller's Mühle to
enter this market.
Randy Urban, team manager
Customer Service Sales, Bühler
protein concentrate line primarily processes chickpeas
and yellow peas.
Protein expansion
Planning for the protein concentrate facility started
years ago, with the project originating from Uzwil,
Switzerland-based Bühler's Customer Service department.
Installation of the project started in the middle of
a second coronavirus wave in November 2020, which
required flexibility from everyone involved.
" We have been working with Bühler, in particular,
for decades and are very satisfied with their expertise
and service, " Prantl said.
Along with Bühler, Müller's Mühle chose to work
with Hosokawa Alpine, a Germany-based company
specializing in the processing and handling of powders,
granulates and bulk materials. Bühler and Hosokawa
formed a strategic collaboration in June 2021 for the
production of plant protein solutions. As part of the collaboration,
Bühler provides upstream pulse processing
while Hosokawa provides the technology for the dry
separation of pulses' protein, including fine grinding
and air classification.
The new facility focuses just on production of pulse
protein concentrate. Unlike pulse flour, the protein content
in the concentrates is much higher at about 60%.
To achieve this high protein content, a fine grinding is
needed followed by an air classification that separates
the starch (low protein content) from the concentrates
(high protein content).
Bühler's equipment and processes covers the upstream
steps of the process, including coarse and fine
cleaning as well as dehulling. Equipment supplied for
the project includes separators, destoners, Sortex optical
sorters and pulse dehullers.
The first cleaning step is a rough cleaning to remove
the coarse impurities followed by a finer cleaning.
After dehulling, the material is moved over to
54
September 2022 / World Grain / World-Grain.com
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World Grain - September 2022

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