Prof. Dr. Andrea Büttner ist seit April 2020 Leiterin des Fraunhofer-Instituts für Verfahrenstechnik und Verpackung IVV in Freising. Die international anerkannte Wissenschaftlerin etablierte zuvor an dem Institut das Geschäftsfeld Produktwirkung sowie die Abteilung Analytische Sensorik. Im ersten Teil unseres Interviews gibt sie Auskunft über die Schwerpunkte ihrer Arbeit und informiert über Pläne und Projekte.
sweets processing: Professor Büttner, where do you see the focus of your work at Fraunhofer IVV and why?
Prof. Andrea Büttner: In view of the global challenges currently faced, we have an obligation to secure food for the growing population and at the same time, of course, to protect our environment and natural resources. Our focus is therefore on the development of new, alternative raw materials whilst ensuring that existing ecosystems are not further endangered and regional crops are utilized both more effectively and sustainably. Of course, this also includes the development of resource- and energy-saving production and processing. But, we are also driven by the need to avoid squandering resources and to better exploit side stream processes and materials. Waste does not exist in nature. Sustainable production and management must be designed analogously. Premium quality values are especially important to us, which is why we undertake to develop technologies and processes for safeguarding, recording and optimizing sensory, techno-functional and biological-chemical product quality along the entire process chain, from the raw materials to the final product.
sp: What about the implementation in practice?
Büttner: A central element of our R&D is its direct implementation to obtain tangible results and products. We want our research, which is geared towards benefitting society, to reach the people, and we work closely with our partners to make as large a contribution as possible in successfully bringing our developments into the market. This applies to our diverse research across all our business fields of Food, Packaging, Product Performance, Processing Machinery, and Recycling and Environment – as
a complete package.
sp: Which plans and projects would you like to implement in the foreseeable future?
Büttner: There is a great need for innovation in the food and packaging sector, but also in the area of consumer goods, especially in a globalized market with interlinked and networked flows of raw materials, products and commodities. Integrated quality assurance and control demand new concepts for cross-linked analysis and control systems. This is similarly applicable to the development of new concepts in packaging, whereby not only the raw materials must be taken into account, but also their workability and the corresponding adaptations of machinery, or the integration of intelligent sensor technologies and diagnostics in process engineering processes.
sp: Can you give examples?
Büttner: In our Processing Technology division in Dresden we are developing a pigging system for suspension of
solids in chocolate processing to avoid mixed phases, such as in pipelines or heat exchangers in these closed systems. This pig adapts itself to the contours of the pipe geometry. Another project deals with the application potential of special cleaning processes in the food industry. We examine treatment processes, such as laser, plasma, dry steam cleaning and dry ice/CO2 blast cleaning treatment in relation to their economic and ecological potential in the food industry. Other activities include the development, in cooperation with manufacturers and producers, of operator assistance systems for confectionery production equipment that aims to eliminate malfunctions in the long term. Process data analyses by AI provide knowledge and instructions for the operating personnel. The development of an assistance system using augmented reality (AR) aims to support operators and technicians when changing production formats by providing instructions and choosing the optimal operating parameters that lead to shorter start-up phases and fewer failures for new products.
sp: How are the current socio-political and economic developments – keyword Covid-19 pandemic – affecting your work and the institute as a whole?
Büttner: In order to ensure that our work and projects can continue unaffected, we instigated new measures and re-organized operations in our laboratories and pilot plants to take into account safety and hygiene requirements. A crisis team was established to develop and manage these measures in relation to latest infection data and political guidelines. The measures range from shifting the working period or location for staff, maintaining physical distancing, as well as the mandatory wearing of appropriate facemasks in certain situations. This enables us to work efficiently with our partners despite the current demanding conditions. Our competencies and developments, for example, in the area of hygienic processing and production, are in higher demand than ever. With our technologies, we make a decisive contribution to ensuring security of supply. A safe, sustainable and high-end supply of food must not be a luxury – it must have the utmost priority.
