Stellar technology
For over 164 years, Bühler has been synonymous with innovation. But how do groundbreaking advancements come to life? Collaboration is key. A prime example is our revolutionary Stellar technology, developed in close collaboration with leading academic institutes to transform research into scalable industrial applications. Stellar significantly accelerates cell growth in various biological systems, enhancing the efficiency of food production processes. It offers commercial benefits to customers and contributes to sustainable nutrition.
Bianca Richle, November 2024
Food Biotechnology, a field of technology that implements biomolecular and cellular processes in the creation of food products, offers promising solutions to the urgent challenges of today’s food production systems. However, traditional methods of cell growth and germination are often time-consuming and inefficient, leading to higher operational costs and increased contamination risks. By harnessing advanced techniques, such as Bühler’s Stellar technology, the industry can push the boundaries of established operations, making processes faster, safer, and more efficient.
Stellar speeds up bioprocess efficiency in food production by providing an extra boost so that biological cells can thrive. “It’s like drinking coffee in the morning. By stimulating the cells in a specific manner, Stellar makes the entire process more efficient, leading to faster results. This not only shortens the production time, but also reduces the risk of contamination, ensuring safer and more reliable outcomes,” explains Dr. Leandro Buchmann, who has been Head of Bioprocessing at Bühler since 2022.
The seeds for the development of Stellar technology were sown 7 years ago, while Buchmann was studying food science at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. He was working on a project to make microalgae production more economically viable. The impetus for the project was a study by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) that showed that the growth of a leaf can be accelerated by electrical pulses. The project team, led by Alexander Mathys, Professor in Sustainable Food Processing at the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health at ETH Zurich, wanted to make use of this knowledge. This led to opportunities for Buchmann. In his master’s thesis, he established a laboratory for nanosecond pulsed electric field processing, the underlying principle of Stellar. He was then offered a doctorate at ETH in Sustainable Food Processing to explore and broaden the application field.
With Stellar, we managed to scale the amount of malt treated in a malting plant from 500-gram batches to 150 tonnes per hour.
Leandro Buchmann,
Head of Bioprocessing at Bühler
“Influencing biological cells using an electric field is actually an old concept that has been used for decades to modify single cells or plants,” Buchmann says. “By shortening the pulse duration, we were able to specifically target the ion homeostasis in cells, which significantly enhances control over cellular functions and minimizes unintended effects.” As part of his doctoral thesis, Buchmann built a prototype that made it possible to treat one liter of cells per hour; previously, only a few milliliters per hour had been achieved.
“This enabled the technology to be integrated for the first time into industrially relevant operations in fully controlled twin bioreactor runs,” he explains. Bühler experts, who worked closely with ETH, and regularly exchanged ideas with Buchmann. This connection led to Bühler offering him a position to elevate the technology to an industrial scale. Bühler’s strong reputation at ETH played a significant role in his decision to join the company, alongside a compelling words of an ETH professor: “Research is only finished when it is implemented industrially.”
“Influencing biological cells using an electric field is actually an old concept that has been used for decades to modify single cells or plants,” Buchmann says. “By shortening the pulse duration, we were able to specifically target the ion homeostasis in cells, which significantly enhances control over cellular functions and minimizes unintended effects.”
As part of his doctoral thesis, Buchmann built a prototype that made it possible to treat one liter of cells per hour; previously, only a few milliliters per hour had been achieved. “This enabled the technology to be integrated for the first time into industrially relevant operations in fully controlled twin bioreactor runs,” he explains.
Bühler experts, who worked closely with ETH, and regularly exchanged ideas with Buchmann. This connection led to Bühler offering him a position to elevate the technology to an industrial scale. Bühler’s strong reputation at ETH played a significant role in his decision to join the company, alongside a compelling words of an ETH professor: “Research is only finished when it is implemented industrially.”
Stellar is a physical stimulus based on a technology called nanosecond pulse electric field (nsPEF) processing. This technology uses targeted electrical pulses to facilitate the mass transfer of ions within biological systems. This makes it possible to accelerate biology in a non-invasive physical manner. The production efficiency of microorganisms such as yeasts, bacteria, microalgae, cyanobacteria, plant, or animal cells and of macro-organisms such as barley can be accelerated. This creates the potential to make various food production processes economically viable beyond their current perceived limits. Stellar systems are available in Bühler’s application centers and its partner network for customer-specific process intensification trials.
For inquiries, please reach out to: bioprocessing@buhlergroup.com
Buchmann presented his project to Bühler in February 2020, a few months before his start date in May. Shortly after his first day at work at the company, he was asked to implement the project in its malting division. A mere year and a half later, the first industrial installation of the Stellar system was operational in a malting plant. “We managed to scale the amount of malt treated in the plant from a 500-gram batch to 150 tonnes per hour in a single step. I felt almost prouder of that than I did of my doctoral thesis,” explains Buchmann.
The groundbreaking Stellar technology, using non-invasive electrical pulses, allows cells to grow significantly faster, which leads to increased biomass or, in biotechnology, to increased product yields. It can be applied to countless fields. For example, in malting, the technology makes grain germinate faster. In fermentation, Stellar can improve production for applications ranging from the brewing industry to recombinant protein production and cultured meat.
Buchmann’s expertise, including his experience in fluid mechanics, electrical engineering, and other fields, was crucial for the rapid development of Stellar. Bühler’s innovation network also played a significant role in the quick implementation. “For hardware development, we utilized the rapid prototyping space at Bühler’s CUBIC innovation center, which increased the speed of progress. This simulation expertise along with Bühler’s engineers facilitated the swift optimization of the technology. The analytical laboratory provided a comprehensive portfolio for evaluating and further developing processes,” says Buchmann.
In addition, Bühler leveraged its partnership with the Bioprocess Technology Laboratory at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). This collaboration, now entering its fifth year, focuses on analytical process technologies and automation solutions for Stellar. With access to advanced biotechnology infrastructure, spanning lab to pilot-scale operations, multiple customer trials and application developments have been successfully conducted across a wide range of biological culture systems.
Stellar is an enabling technology with disruptive potential in bioprocessing. It offers versatile implementation options, from cellular agriculture to high-value biopharma plants.
Prof. Dr. Lukas Neutsch,
Head of Bioprocess Technology at ZHAW
A versatile platform is now available that enables customers from all segments of the bioprocessing industry to conduct proof-of-concept trials and early-stage tech optimization on their individual process, strain, and production design within a timeframe of only two to four weeks. And biotech customers are now able to purchase the Stellar Gemini system for lab- to pilot-scale and the Stellar Orion system for outputs of up to 50 cubic meters per hour.
“We see Stellar as an enabling technology with disruptive potential in bioprocessing. Its flexible retrofit concept offers versatile implementation options, from cellular agriculture to high-value biopharma plants,” says Prof. Dr. Lukas Neutsch, Head of Bioprocess Technology at ZHAW. The solution developed for the malting industry speaks for itself. “Our Stellar technology makes the malting process faster and more efficient without extensive changes to existing processes,” Buchmann says. “The technology can be integrated into the existing infrastructure as a pipe insert and therefore has a relatively short installation time.”
The technology is flexible and scalable. To serve the needs of customers, Bühler has developed multiple solutions. The Stellar Gemini system is suitable for both small-scale applications in malting and biotech, while the Stellar Taurus system can process up to 300 tonnes of grains per hour. “The Stellar technology provides a competitive advantage in an increasingly demanding market. The ability to optimize an existing process positions Stellar as an indispensable tool for modern malting plants,” explains Johannes Preiss, Head of Business Unit Malting & Brewing at Bühler. “Pilot tests with a customer are now in the final phase. By the end of 2024, malting customers will be able to purchase the Stellar Gemini system and the Stellar Taurus system from Bühler.”
In the future, Stellar technology could be used for all types of grain, including pulses, to speed up germination and sprouting. And Stellar technology could be applied throughout the biotechnology sector, because the targeted stress indication also works to obtain specific proteins from yeast and can therefore be used in the production of enzymes or biomass. “We are working on these topics with various customers, and are in the process of scaling up a wide range of applications,” says Buchmann. “Cultured plant cells, cultured meat, microalgae, and all sorts of yeast are just some examples of potential application developments in the laboratory.”
All these applications contribute to a more resilient and sustainable agriculture and food system and have the potential to unleash the full power of a growing sector.
Stellar technology provides a competitive advantage in an increasingly demanding market. It is an indispensable tool for modern malting plants.
Johannes Preiss,
Head of Business Unit Malting & Brewing at Bühler
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