Engineering GEA to Develop New Large-Scale Mixing Plant for Flavor Production

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GEA is currently developing a large-scale mixing plant for flavor production for Symrise at its main site in Holzminden, Lower Saxony, Germany. With GEA’s turnkey process technology, the company is increasing its production capacity, enhancing flexibility and meeting the highest requirements for hygiene and material quality.

Düsseldorf/Germany – GEA is constructing a large-scale mixing plant for flavor production for Symrise at its main site in Holzminden, Lower Saxony, Germany. Symrise is one of the world’s leading suppliers of fragrances and flavors. With GEA’s turnkey process technology, the company is increasing its production capacity, enhancing flexibility and meeting the highest requirements for hygiene and material quality. Installation of the plant has been underway since summer 2025, with commissioning planned for spring 2026.

“The production of liquid flavors is one of Symrise's core competencies. The new plant increases our capacity by up to 50 % and significantly shortens our delivery times,” says Karsten Zota, Factory Manager Liquid Compounding at Symrise. “This makes us more flexible and enables us to better serve growing customer demand.”

The flavors produced – including vanilla extracts, citrus oils, meat flavors, and menthol-based essences – are used both for internal processing and as ingredients supplied to the food and beverage industry. They appear in a wide range of end products, from yogurt and confectionery to savory ready meals and beverages.

Challenge: Complex raw materials with specific requirements

Symrise processes a wide variety of raw materials at its Holzminden site – from alcohol-based solutions to viscous syrups. This places high demands on technology and safety. Ethanol-containing products require explosion-proof design (Atex), while powders pose additional dust explosion risks. Substances such as citrus oils are aggressive to certain materials and require special seals. The viscosity range, from water-like liquids to syrupy consistencies, and temperatures between –20 °C and +80 °C demand precise process control. In addition, strong-smelling menthol blends, kosher recipes, and sweet flavors must remain completely separated. The new plant meets these diverse requirements within a fully integrated concept.

Expanded capacity for flavor production

At the heart of the new building is a spacious mixing area where raw materials from the adjacent tank farm or from containers are transferred to the mixing tanks via vacuum conveying. Powders are added through a dedicated filling nozzle. The homogeneous mixtures are then transferred to cooling tanks for maturation or directly to the filling line. The plant is connected to a cleaning and steaming system.

Energy efficiency and sustainability in process technology

The plant features a heat recovery system for CIP return flows, which reuses part of the process energy and reduces energy consumption per batch. Additional measures, such as water-saving CIP cleaning and optimized insulation, further cut water and energy use. Heat recovery not only improves efficiency but also helps meet environmental regulations, as wastewater is cooled to below 30 °C.

Customized design for complex liquid food processing

The diversity of the flavors processed places equally high demands on process control, material selection, and complete product emptying to minimize losses. GEA developed customized solutions, leveraging the flexibility of its components – such as hygienic seat valves with bellows and sampling valves designed to remove even the last product residues. These solutions were designed in close cooperation with the customer and refined through precise 3D planning to integrate seamlessly into the plant’s confined space.

Technology strengthening market positions

“This project demonstrates how vital customized solutions are for demanding applications,” emphasizes Dr. Lukas Schnöing, Liquid Food expert and Project Manager at GEA. “Our experience in processing complex liquid products, combined with precise project management and the ability to engineer tailored solutions, made this plant possible.”

Thanks to its flexible design, both existing and new formulations can be implemented quickly and efficiently – a decisive advantage when responding to market trends such as natural flavors and clean-label products. The investment marks a strategic step in strengthening Symrise’s leading role in the global flavor market.

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