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AGRANA starts potato fibre production at Gmünd starch mill to achieve 100% utilisation of potatoes

This new and versatile product for the food industry is rich in dietary fibre and low in calories.

Date: 13.11.2018

This week, AGRANA is launching the processing of potato fibres at its potato starch mill in Gmünd, Austria, to produce a product high in dietary fibre yet low in calories. Dietary fibre consists of the indigestible components in our food which are an indispensable element of a healthy diet. They rapidly satisfy hunger, reduce blood sugar and fat levels, bind harmful substances in the body and promote a healthy gut flora. Dietary fibre is used in many food products, such as baked goods, liquid refreshments and meat products.

“Until now, the pulp generated as a by-product of potato starch production was unutilised. Our investment in a potato fibre processing and drying plant allows us to produce food-grade potato pulp as a means of reducing calorie intake. As a result, we will now be utilising 100 percent of the valuable components found in potatoes,” explains AGRANA CEO Johann Marihart. This investment at the Gmünd mill is part of a 40-million-euro project in the course of which the daily processing capacity of the plant is also being increased from 1,600 to 2,000 tonnes.

About AGRANA Gmünd
At Gmünd, Austria’s only potato starch mill, AGRANA manufactures not only food-grade starches but also starches for technical applications such as those in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. The facility also processes organic potatoes to make organic starches, organic sweeteners and organic long-life potato products such as purées, potato dough mixes and baby food. In total, AGRANA manufactures over 300 different starch products at its mill in Gmünd.

About AGRANA Starch
With a total of five mills, of which three are located in Austria, in Aschach/Donau, Gmünd and Pischelsdorf, and a further two in Szabadegyhaza (Hungary) and Tandarei (Romania), AGRANA has established itself as a specialist for customised starch applications. “Accounting for over a quarter of all revenues, starch production is indispensable for AGRANA. Our Starch segment processes over 250,000 tonnes of potatoes and 2.5 million tonnes of corn and wheat every year,” says Marihart. AGRANA’s economic footprint is equally impressive. The direct value added generated in Austria by the Starch segment is more than doubled, from € 197m to € 404m, by the goods and services supplied to the mills.

About AGRANA
AGRANA converts agricultural raw materials into high-quality foods and numerous industrial intermediate products. About 8,700 employees at 59 production sites worldwide generate annual Group revenue of approximately € 2.6 billion. Established in 1988, the company is the world market leader in fruit preparations and the leading producer of fruit juice concentrates in Europe. As well, its Starch segment is a major manufacturer of custom starch products and bioethanol. AGRANA today is also the leading sugar producer in Central and Eastern Europe.

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