NEW AGREEMENT SETS TO OPTIMIZE WATER SUSTAINABILITY IN FOOD PRODUCTION

The food industry is one of the world’s biggest water consumers. As of 2015, the food production and supply chain accounts for about 30% of total global energy consumption, according to UNESCO, as well as a large share of global water consumption… As such, the industry has a huge potential to pursue sustainability and in particular reuse and clean water.

In order to optimise the sustainable industrial use of water a Joint Development Agreement has been concluded between the billion-dollar global food and beverage process company JBT Corporation, Florida, USA and water technology company Aquaporin A/S, Denmark.

Thomas Christian Beck, Chief Operating Officer of Aquaporin A/S, says: “We are very proud and excited to work with JBT Corporation. Together our expertise can achieve not only a more sustainable industrial use of water, but hopefully also higher food quality and significant energy reductions.”

As part of the agreement, the parties will use JBT Corporation’s food and beverage processing knowledge and Aquaporin A/S’s biomimetic membranes and together explore the use of the novel forward osmosis process.

This process uses only the osmotic pressure difference between a feed water stream and the draw solution as a driving force, making it highly energy efficient. Normally, water is forced out during a dry-food production process, but by using forward osmosis water is instead naturally lured from the foods, causing a significant reduction in energy consumption and a higher food quality.

Carlos Fernandez, President of JBT’s Liquid Foods business unit, remarked that, “Collaborating with Aquaporin on developing new applications for their novel technology is just one way JBT is fulfilling its vision to explore the edges of its traditional product portfolio. Our goal is to deliver more sustainable solutions to our food processing customers and to the public at large.”

Further information:

COO, Thomas Christian Beck, Aquaporin A/S, Nymøllevej 78, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark. Phone: +45 82 30 30 82, www.aquaporin.dk

Notes to editors:

Aquaporin A/S is a water technology company headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark with activity in Singapore and China. Our company is dedicated to revolutionizing water purification through the use of industrial biotechnological technique and thinking. Our company is a global leader in developing, producing and marketing biomimetic membranes for industrial and consumer water applications based on nature’s own water filtration system – the highly selective and efficient aquaporin water channels. The Aquaporin Inside™ platform uses biotechnological principles in a technological context which is a novel upcoming field with large commercial perspectives and is capable of separating and purifying water from all other compounds.

JBT Corporation (NYSE: JBT) is a leading global technology solutions provider to the food processing and air transportation industries. JBT Corporation designs, manufactures, tests and services technologically sophisticated systems and products for regional and multi-national industrial food processing customers through its JBT FoodTech segment and for domestic and international air transportation customers through its JBT AeroTech segment. JBT Corporation employs approximately 5,000 people worldwide and operates sales, service, manufacturing and sourcing operations located in over 25 countries. For more information please visit www.jbtcorporation.com.