This year, the world’s population will top 10 billion people—and finding new ways to sustainably produce food is a priority.
One option to meet increasing demand is alternative proteins—meat made from plants, cultivated from animal cells, or produced via fermentation.
Rockwell Automation is working with U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA)-approved alternative protein manufacturing facilities to help grow this emerging sector. The goal: create products that taste the same as conventional products yet cost the same or less to produce, reducing the draw on natural resources.
One of the biggest challenges facing alternative protein manufacturing facilities is taking a proven idea and scaling production—or going from growing a few cells at a bench-top to cultivating thousands of liters of cells for mass production.
A solid first step is having the right technology to collect, record, and analyze data early in the product development stage to allow for better testing and modeling using digital inputs.
Rockwell technology, including PlantPAx® modern distributor control system and model configuration using FactoryTalk® Batch software, is helping producers move from manually testing to automation. This means instead of testing hundreds of batches to see which product is the most effective, manufacturers can quickly find the product option that is the most nutritious, profitable, and repeatable—and therefore most likely to be successful—all while saving time and cost.
In the case of alternative protein production, the benefits of automation apply to every part of the manufacturing chain, starting at raw materials, through to processing, waste minimization, byproduct extraction, and even the packaging of the finished product.
Rockwell continues to refine solutions that use data intelligently and provide ongoing support that will help the alternative proteins sector to operate in a way that is compliant, efficient, and sustainable. The solutions expand beyond food.
Learn more about how a cultivated meat production facility used Rockwell solutions to automate its control system for its pilot alternative protein plant.
