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Sign upDecember 2, 2024
Schweizer Zucker
Aarberg
Schweizer Zucker (SZU) is a Swiss sugar company founded in 1912. Sugar is a highly volatile commodity in a declining market, making returns unpredictable. On top of that, SZU’s sugar factory produces molasses, a side-stream of sugar production that generates very low value.
Furthermore, Switzerland imports half of its food consumption. Agriculture represents 16% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. To meet climate goals, the country should aim to cut meat consumption by 2/3.
Planetary implemented its BioBlocksTM industrial fermentation platform in SZU’s sugar mill by installing a 50kL bioreactor directly within the existing factory and started production in December 2024. The platform is now producing mycoprotein, a high-protein, low carbon-footprint, and locally-produced ingredient. This mycoprotein is used in dairy and meat alternatives to help reduce meat consumption in Switzerland while offering a stable offtake of sugar and molasses to SZU.
Planetary’s 50kL fermenter in Aarberg can produce up to 2.2kT of low carbon-footprint mycoprotein (2.67 kg CO2eq/kg). Assuming this protein source is used as a substitute for beef (~60 kg CO2eq/kg), the plant’s mycoprotein production saves 126kt CO2eq/kg of GHG emissions yearly.
Just one 50kL fermenter requires 2600t of molasses or 1300t of sugar per year. This gives SZU a stable revenue source of CHF 680k/yr for molasses or CHF 1.2m/yr for sugar, and a steady valorization stream for molasses.
With recent advancements in biotechnology, up to 60% of commodity products can be sustainably produced, disrupting conventional production in a planet-positive way. Planetary is here to power the bioeconomy by operating a global network of fermentation facilities. Our full-stack fermentation offering and proprietary BioBlocks™ platform enables the sustainable production of foods and materials from biomass fermentation, precision fermentation, and other bio-based production systems while leveraging novel bioprocess technologies, associated A.I., and flexible feedstocks to drive down production costs, minimize environmental impact, and maximize strategic synergies with existing agro-industrial operations.
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