Having proven that its Disruptor technology is more than suitable for the winemaking and beer sectors, South African biotechnology company Green Cell Technologies (GCT) states that it has turned its attention to the lucrative fruit sugar concentrates market.

The company explains that its technology is directly challenging current outdated ‘pressing’ methods, thereby ushering in a new era of modern, cost effective and more natural processing that has far-reaching consequences for the global food and beverage manufacturing sector.

In August this year, the company released the outcomes of a series of comprehensive trials confirming that, with the use of the Dynamic Cellular Disruption (DCD) process through its Disruptor, natural sugar extraction can occur with greater ease.

“This happens without the need for any added enzymes – no pectinase or amylase at all. All available sugars are extracted and are immediately available for concentrates. “This is achieved in one smooth process,” the company explains.

GCT further adds that the natural pectin in the pumice that remains, is intact, and that this opens up opportunities to “easily use the natural pectin and on-sell to the food industry for a multitude of applications”.

The cellulose fibres that are left behind in the pumice are also able to be efficiently processed, and used for the baking industry, as an example.

“This has enormous consequences and significance for the global multibillion-dollar concentrates commodity market, the world fruit juice-manufacturing sector, as well as food processing that involves pectin and cellulose,” the company enthuses.

To date, the company adds that manufacturers are reliant on traditional ‘press’ methods of extraction, which typically generate huge amounts of wastage containing vast levels of sugars. This represents millions of dollars of unrealised revenue, the company notes.

“The results are impressive and have further benefits down the line too. “With the same technology and similar process, it means that manufacturers are now able to produce fruit juices with lower sugar content, but with similar taste profiles and added nourishment. “This comes as a result of the DCD process opening up all of the plant cell structures – without the use of harmful heat or chemicals – to release all of the available nutrition.”

The company further explains that, with consumers being more informed about the effect of the foodstuffs they consume and the growing demand for less sugary products, this is good news for producers and marketers hard-pressed to find novel ways to make better products, at a reduced cost and with actual benefit.

“We have always ‘theoretically’ known what processing apples upfront using the Disruptor could achieve, but now we can conclusively show that the use of Disruptor technology can replace the conventional press and use of added enzymes for making juices and extracting fruit sugars,” GCT CEO Roy Henderson explains.

By the Numbers

In addition, the company explains that. if one looks at an industry standard of 14 Brics in an apple, with the costly addition of amylase and pectinase enzymes and other now unnecessary processing aids, typical yields are 113 ℓ to 115 ℓ of 70 Brics concentrate per tonne of raw material used.

This is only the first press, the company adds.

A secondary processing step is also undertaken to use the pumice by adding water, more enzymes and heating the product to a specific temperature that needs to be retained for a period, then centrifugally decanting to remove more of the sugars. This then takes the yield to a typical 130 ℓ to 132 ℓ of 70 Brics concentrate per tonne of raw material.

However, in one simple continuous flow, the company explains that the Disruptor achieves an average of 150 ℓ of 70 Brics concentrate per tonne with no added enzymes or D-Galacturonic acid present.

“DCD concentrates can command higher commodity prices for the simple reason that they are unadulterated. “Couple this with the fact that it is also far more cost effective to process using Disruptor technology, GCT has really hit the sweet spot in this highly competitive market,” the company enthuses.

Henderson further avers that the reason that today’s food and beverage manufacturers use the range of processing aids they do, is because the current technology has reached its zenith and has shown that it cannot completely liberate the contents of the plant cell structures.

This is now null and void, he notes.

“It is exciting to watch how manufacturers’ conventional perceptions convert when they realise the true benefits of the Disruptor technology’s effectiveness. “We are already working with some forward-thinking global processors, who are quickly reaping the benefits of being early adopters in a sector under pressure to feed ever-more people from a shrinking supply source, with food and beverages that matter,” he concludes.