Hillenbrand makes donation to food science lab

The Purdue Food Science Pilot Lab is celebrating an over $900,000 investment designed to give students a hands-on, industry-grade opportunity to study alternative protein foods. Batesville-based Hillenbrand said Tuesday it is donating an extruder, which it described as a critical piece of equipment for food processing.

Hillenbrand, an industrial and processing equipment company, gave Purdue food scientists a Coperion ZSK 27 Mv PLUS Extruder, which it said contributes to high product quality output and maximum flexibility of alternate proteins.

Purdue has a dedicated faculty and program specializing in food science and conducting research for advancement of food manufacturing technologies. The university said the investment will allow students and researchers on the West Lafayette campus to create and test alternative protein products before they go to market.

Alternative proteins are used in food products such as almond milk and plant-based meat, as well as agricultural products such as biopesticides.

"This donation from Hillenbrand will help our food science department serve the land grant mission and the people of Indiana," said Karen Plaut, executive vice president for research at Purdue University. "Both students and researchers can gain from this state-of-the-art technology which is crucial to new innovation and to prepare our students for competitive job opportunities in food science."

As part of the partnership, Coperion's North American customers will also be able to visit Purdue's food science lab to aid Purdue scientists in their research.

"This partnership fills a void in our industry by providing customers with access to essential equipment, but also, talented students dedicated to alternative proteins who can aid customers in exploring new food products to meet consumer demand," Coperion President Ulrich Bartel said in a news release. "We look forward to seeing the outcomes of the Purdue research into alternative proteins and how this partnership advances our collective capabilities."