36th VHYC 2025

_{Welcome to the 36^th VHYC

Preliminary conference program for the VHYC 2025}

This is the schedule for the VHYC 2025. Clicking the arrows will reveal the abstract text for conference presentations.

_{All times in CEST = UTC+2:00}

Wednesday, 21.05.25 (day before conference)

02:30-04:30 p.m. | Cofalec Technical Commitee meeting - on Cofalec invitation
05:30-06:30 p.m. | VH Berlin Technical Advisory Board (TAB) - on separate invitation
06:30-08:00 p.m. | VH Berlin Advisory Board meeting - on separate invitation

Thursday, 22.05.25 (Conference Day 1)

08:30 a.m. | VH Berlin General Assembly - on separate invitation 

10:15 a.m. | Conference opening and welcome President Antoine Chagnon, Lallemand Inc. (CAN)

10:30 a.m. | Corporate Carbon Footprints as the Foundation for Decarbonizing the Yeast Industry: Methods, Challenges, and a Case Study R. Frank, fjol GmbH (GER)

Regulatory demands and ambitious sustainability targets make accurate carbon footprint assessments more important than ever. But how can companies navigate this complex process with both precision and efficiency? What are the right steps to assess the Greenhouse Gas Inventory in a systematic way? What strategies help bridge data gaps and streamline integration?

Using a case study from the baking industry, this presentation offers practical insights, tackles key challenges, and uncovers opportunities for leveraging software-driven methods to accelerate decarbonization.

11:00 a.m. | Scaling-up bioprocesses, from lab to industrial scale in 24 months S. Christiano, MicroHarvest (GER)

MicroHarvest is a company that produces protein extracts by harnessing the power of microorganisms.

This talk will present the strategy used by a newly formed startup to navigate the "Valley of Death" - the critical phase between lab-scale innovation and full-scale industrial production, where scalability and commercial viability must be demonstrated. Many startups struggle at this stage due to rising costs, time constraints, and the urgent need to gain the confidence of investors and the market.

MicroHarvest's approach focused on developing a high-value product through a process that, while not fully optimized, was mature enough for transfer to pilot scale. The pilot stage presented significant challenges, primarily due to cost-limited trial opportunities. Success depended on identifying critical areas for process improvement and ensuring adaptability to industrial-scale equipment and operational constraints. This phase provided invaluable feedback, allowing process parameters to be refined and a realistic, cost-effective path to industrial-scale implementation to be established.

At the industrial scale, securing a strong partner to share the technical and financial risks was critical. The knowledge gained from earlier stages allowed the process to be adapted to existing production lines within a short timeframe, focusing on key parameters that maintained product quality. A major advantage in this journey was the use of fast-growing microorganisms, which allowed rapid process iterations and an accelerated scale-up timeline - an unusual feat in biotechnology.

11:30 a.m. | Climate balances: reduction of flour CO₂-footprint for baked goods A. Hohlt, Lieken GmbH/Agrofert Group (GER/CZE)

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12:00 p.m. | Sustainable solutions in defoaming: Eco-friendly innovations for a greener future J. Kubitschke, LEVACO Chemicals GmbH (GER)

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12:30 p.m. | Conference lunch break

02:00 p.m. | Posters and industry views 

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02:50 p.m. | Coffee break

03:05 p.m. | BLE project scope "YeastExProPlus": reduction of anti-nutritive effects in alt protein/meat products, enriched with mineral yeasts by HMCE(xtrusion) processing TU Berlin/VH Berlin (GER)

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03:35 p.m. | Fungtional-bio: ML HTS platform for “in-silico” media optimisation C. Spier, Fungtional-bio (GER)

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04:00 p.m. | End of lectures

04:30 p.m. | Visit: Shuttle bus I to industrial bakery "Harry Brot", Ratingen

04:45 p.m. | Visit: Shuttle bus II to Duesseldorf downtown

06:30 p.m. | Convivial evening in downtown Duesseldorf

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11:00 p.m. | End of conference Day 1

Friday, 23.05.25 (Conference Day 2)

09:00 a.m. | Product Life Cycle Assessment inactive yeast production B. Bashiri, TFTAK (EST)

The global food system substantially contributes to up to 30% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, is responsible for approximately 32% of global terrestrial acidification and 78% of eutrophication, consumes about 70% of freshwater resources, and occupies over one-third of all potentially cultivable land.

Given these significant impacts, a fundamental transformation of the food system is imperative. It is widely believed that animal-based proteins play a significant role in the food system's environmental impact. Therefore, it is necessary to switch to more environmentally friendly alternative proteins. Single-cell proteins (SCPs) could be a good alternative. SCPs present a promising substitute for animal- and plant-derived feed and human nutrition ingredients. Although there are science-based claims that SCPs are sustainable, there is always room for process improvements and optimization aiming to reduce the environmental impacts even more.

This study presents a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of dried yeast extract production, evaluating the sensitivity of its environmental footprint to key process modifications. Specifically, we assess the potential impact of:

Replacing conventional nitrogen sources (e.g., ammonia) with renewable alternatives,
Transitioning to renewable electricity sources, and
Implementing more sustainable drying/evaporation technologies.

09:30 a.m. | ZIM project “Yeast Control”: Digital modellinig and a predictive feed control in baker’s yeast fermentations J. Sturm, BlueSens; F. Dymek, WHS Recklinghausen; L. Horstmann, VH Berlin (GER)

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10:00 a.m. | Rethinking energy in the yeast industry - concepts for energy transformation A. Eicher, Autensys (GER)

The subject of energy and energy consumption extends beyond the implications of climate change. Key considerations include: How intensive is the energy consumption for the companies? How are energy costs trending? Is a reliable energy supply ensured? Furthermore, can companies optimize energy utilization and reduce associated expenses?

The answers to these questions have a direct impact on a company's economic success. Particularly in energy-intensive manufacturing processes, such as yeast production, the use of renewable energy can generate positive effects for both the environment and economic efficiency. However, to achieve this, potential for flexibility in meeting energy demands must be identified and practically implemented.

The presentation by Alain Eicher, an expert in sustainable energy concepts at AutenSys GmbH, explains how transformation strategies can help to identify such flexibility potential and utilize it to cover the energy requirement.

He presents simulations and case studies from the production of an industrial company and shows how sites can be made energy secure for the future.

One focus is on the use of green energy sources. It is shown how the use of PV systems, wind power and biogas influences the consumption of electricity and how waste heat can be leveraged within the production process.

10:30 a.m. | Posters N.N.

10:45 a.m. | Coffee Break

11:15 a.m. | Komagataella phaffii - filling gaps in fundamental knowledge towards enhanced process sustainability S. Gangl, Bisy GmbH (AUT)

Although the discovery and commercial use of Komagataella phaffii goes back several decades, the methylotrophic yeast can still be considered a “young” player in biotechnology, especially when compared to Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Today, a wide range of commercial products in the pharmaceutical, diagnostics and food sector are associated with proteins made by K. phaffii. Most of these were derived from production strains, which were generated from a single natural strain isolate from California. In fact, only a few natural K. phaffii strains are available in public culture collections and this raised questions about the general occurrence and viability of K. phaffii, its natural stress responses and sensitivity. While such information is available for S. cerevisiae, published basic data about K. phaffii is still scarce. However, basic knowledge about a production host not only allows optimal design of industrial processes towards higher sustainability, it also enables the search for innovative valorization strategies for production process side streams such as the biomass.

We highlight the relevance of basic knowledge about K. phaffii and present fundamental data to support a sustainable process design and potential valorization of biomass by employing new methods to study the viability of K. phaffii in various microcosms. In addition, the investigation of fundamental viability data and about survival in competitive environments identified anaerobic fermentation processes as an efficient method for biomass valorization.

11:45 a.m. | Investigation of a bioelectrochemically enhanced single-chamber anaerobicver digester for energy storage by CFD simulation S. Feilner, TU Berlin (GER)

Efficient energy storage is essential to ensure the stability and reliability of power supply, particularly when integrating renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Due to their intermittent nature, these sources often produce energy surpluses that must be stored for periods of low generation. As the demand for efficient and sustainable energy storage solutions grows, innovative approaches to biomethane production are gaining increasing attention. In this context, the EU-funded project Biomethaverse explores different methanization technologies.

One of the subprojects focuses on the development of a bioelectrochemically assisted anaerobic digestion (AD-BES) system, aiming to enhance methane production by integrating bioelectrochemical processes. Bioelectrochemically improved anaerobic digestion (AD-BES) is an emerging technology for biomethane production, integrating BES electrodes within the AD reactor. In AD-BES, the oxidation of organic matter occurs at the bioanode, leading to the generation of carbon dioxide. In parallel, the carbon dioxide is reduced to methane by electromethanogenic archaea at the biocathode, through the application of an external voltage.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a valuable instrument for developing mechanistic models. It facilitates the simulation and prediction of factors such as fluid flow, mixing conditions, chemical species transport, among other parameters. This capability is crucial for the design, evaluation, and optimization of efficient bioreactors, including AD-BES.

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the fluid dynamics within a single chamber AD-BES using CFD. For this purpose, a digital twin of an AD-BES reactor was created using ICEM 19.1 software for the reactor geometry and meshing and Fluent 2023 R1 for the fluid dynamic simulations. The results help to understand how the geometry of the reactor and the operating parameters influence the flow conditions within the reactor and thus its overall performance.

12:15 p.m. |
Energy- and CO2-neutral Wastewater Treatment, a showcase N. Trautmann, Aqua & Water International (GER)

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01:00 p.m. | Feedback & Farewell Vice President Thomas Lotz, Lesaffre Germany (GER)

01:15 p.m. | Conference lunch

02:30 p.m. | End of conference

Welcome to the 36th VHYC Preliminary conference program for the VHYC 2025

_{Welcome to the 36^th VHYC

Preliminary conference program for the VHYC 2025}