Desmet’s new Innovation Center to bring technical advances to Asian plant-based oil industry

Photo: Desmet

Desmet has announced the opening of a brand-new Oils & Derivatives Innovation Center in Malaysia, a first for Southeast Asia. Desmet’s new facility will bring cutting-edge environmental and efficiency innovations closer to the local plant-based oil producers and foster collaboration with academia in the region.

Edible oil consumption has boomed over the past decade in every part of the world, now representing more than 200 million metric tons per year. The plant-based oils dominant in Southeast Asia represent 45 percent of the global edible-oil market and deliver a high oil yield per hectare. These plant-based oils are versatile with usage in virtually all food applications in addition to usage in downstream oleochemical products like cosmetics and detergents. They appear in nearly every home, even in faraway markets such as the U.S. where their use has grown as a replacement for partially hydrogenated oils.

A name proven in progress

Advances in technology from companies such as Desmet have helped the edible-oil processing industry to realize gains in quality, yield and food-application diversity, in addition to crucial improvements to the sustainability of these crops by reducing the environmental impact of processing them. With more than 75 years of experience, Desmet holds 70 patents and has delivered over 25,000 projects in 150 counties globally.

Desmet currently has two fully equipped R&D facilities in Europe, reflecting the commitment to “Science Behind Technology,” which allows the company to stay in front of the evolving requirements of the oil-processing industry through innovation and investigation. This drive and commitment to the oil and fats industry has enabled the company to produce many patented technology innovations.

The Innovation Center in Belgium is focused on oils and derivatives to meet the many challenges facing the oil industry with respect to quality end-products, sustainable production and health topics. The Innovation Center in France is focused on oilseeds and grains, where the knowledge and expertise has realized new developments to enhance protein feeds and achieved reliable and safe industrial operations for various feedstocks.

An example of patented innovation that supports processing of plant-based oils from Southeast Asia is Statolizer™ Fractionation, a dry-fractionation technology that offers higher yields and lower steam and electricity consumption compared to more conventional processes like panning and pressing, via a fully automated operation, requiring minimal manpower and offering an extremely low operating cost.

A step forward for the region

The new Oils & Derivatives Innovation Center in Malaysia allows for Desmet’s further global expansion of R&D to the East, bringing advanced technologies closer to local producers. Located at the heart of traditional regions for edible-oil production, this Innovation Center will bring a combination of new and proven global processes and expert knowledge closer to the local market.

The site will allow Desmet’s clients to test their products and customize Desmet technologies to their specific needs in a confidential setting. The latest Innovation Center will further demonstrate Desmet’s capabilities in achieving quality and performance through investigative trials, along with backup analytical facilities to support troubleshooting during start-up and commissioning.

Collaboration projects with local universities will provide a bridge to academia for better access to industrial research and feedback, while enhancing the capability of industry for new development through collaborative R&D.

In its first phase, the facility will feature pilot-scale models of Desmet’s patented oils-and-fats modification technologies. Mobulizer™ Crystallizer is a state-of-the-art continuous crystallizer, with an innovative cooling-integrated agitation system that offers a true synergy of economics and performance. The improved Tirtiaux Crystallizer is a cost-effective design that is typically used for large batch-operating palm-oil fractionation plants, where the long cooling-cycle times guarantee steady crystal growth and smooth filtration. Finally, Statopress is a hybrid design of Desmet’s patented Statolizer™ Crystallizer and a filter press in a pilot-scale unit for both static crystallization and the high-pressure filtration.

There will also be a range of analytical equipment to allow the measurement of primary quality parameters like free fatty acids (FFA), glyceride and fatty-acid composition, IV, SFC, melting and cloud-point analysis.

The capabilities of the Oils & Derivatives Innovation Center Asia will be further extended to refining in 2024-’25, and finally to oleochemical processing in 2025-’26.

The site opened May 24 with more pilot equipment and analytical capabilities added regularly throughout the coming years. When added to Desmet’s existing Innovation Centers located in Belgium and France, this takes the total capacity of Desmet innovation facilities close to 2,000 square meters, with over 20 employees devoted to innovation roles.