Bühler launches innovations and releases major upgrades to its Grains & Food portfolio

Bühler Group, the Swiss leader in processing technologies for food, feed, and advanced materials, is presenting multiple new and improved solutions in the wake of Interpack 2026 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Harnessing the full potential of the latest findings in hygienic design, usability, and digital solutions as well as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Bühler has developed a variety of upgrades and new processes to ensure maximum reliability, improve yield, and open new market opportunities for its customers. Some of the innovations will be launched and showcased at booths C46 and C47 in hall 3 at Interpack from May 7 to May 13.

Bühler’s customers are navigating increasingly volatile markets. Fluctuating raw-material prices, rising expectations for food and feed safety, traceability, and transparency, and rapidly shifting consumer trends demand constant agility. This fast moving landscape brings challenges – but also significant opportunities for producers ready to innovate and respond decisively to emerging needs.

Excellence from bean to bar

Roasting the cocoa nibs is a vital step at the beginning of the chocolate production value chain. Bühler’s new cocoa roaster, Lucent, is setting new industry standards. Built on the company’s proven technology and expertise, it helps industrial-scale cocoa processors improve efficiency, reliability, and food safety. Compared with its predecessor, the Tornado roaster, Lucent uses at least 20% less energy per batch of cocoa and delivers up to 20% higher throughput, while minimizing yield loss. Its stainless steel, easy-to-clean design and fully sealed product flow ensure high hygiene standards and safe food production. Lucent is also designed for effortless operation, with predictive, self-learning controls that help customers achieve consistent roasting results without requiring deep machine expertise.

Bühler’s Chocolate Business Unit will be presenting key advancements across chocolate mass processing: The Finer S Edition 26 five-roll refiner and the ELK S Edition 26 single-shaft conche. The latest editions are designed to offer improvements in areas such as cleanliness, usability, transparency, and efficiency. “Our five-roll refiner has been a trusted technology in chocolate production for many years,” says Skeljzen Nesimi, Head of Product Management, Chocolate & Flavor Creation at Bühler. “With Edition 26, we have focused on enhancing the user experience and supporting customers with improvements in operation, maintenance, hygiene, reliability, and energy performance.”

Bühler is also introducing an upgraded version of the ELK S Edition 26 single-shaft conche, designed to support flavor development and process consistency in chocolate mass production.  “We have refined several elements of the machine to make day-to-day operation and servicing more straightforward,” says Skeljzen Nesimi. “The latest edition includes a new automation system and further developments aimed at hygiene, maintenance, and overall production efficiency.”

Flexibility meets precision

Launched in 2025, CompactMix brings together the proven ShearMix mixing system with a spiral agitator for fast, uniform mixing, and the Aurora ball mill for grinding. This combination ensures optimal mixing and refining performance, forming the basis for CompactMix’s exceptional product consistency. The system delivers uniform textures with particle sizes below 20 microns, resulting in a smooth mouthfeel. It also handles everything from low-fat to high-fat recipes, giving producers full flexibility in chocolate mass production while consuming up to 30% less energy than conventional models.

Designed for operational efficiency, the new solution enables fast product changeovers with minimal waste and cleaning time under two hours. Its hygienic, fully enclosed design supports global food safety standards, and its modular scalability – from 400 kg/h to 3000 kg/h – makes it suitable for both small-scale and industrial production.

Once the chocolate mass is ready to take its final form, Bühler’s ChocoX, the next-generation modular chocolate moulding line, takes over. It exemplifies the direction in which confectionery production is evolving: away from rigid line concepts and toward flexible systems that can be adapted to changing market requirements. With ChocoX, manufacturers can produce a wide range of products on a single line – from solid and filled chocolate bars and pralines to one-shot applications and aerated products. “The moulding line can be expanded step by step and easily configured to a growing product portfolio. No more cost and time-intensive line modifications. Modules can be added or exchanged within 30 minutes, while the automation system automatically detects new line setups. This shortens the introduction of new products significantly, reducing time-to-market for new products by 4-5 months,” says András Somfai, Head of Product Management Confectionery at Bühler. Additional benefits include improved cleanability, with cleaning times reduced by 70%, a compact footprint with a system height of just 2.5 meters, and up to 50% less downtime during format changes. In a market shaped by a wide variety of product variants, seasonal demand impulses, and shorter innovation cycles, ChocoX sends a strong signal and stands for future-proof chocolate moulding.

A new era in food and feed extrusion 

With a focus on increasing process hygiene, boosting productivity, and integrating the latest digitalization technologies, Bühler’s extrusion engineers developed the Nutrex 7 Series in close collaboration with customers. Building on 40 years of experience in extrusion for cereals, snacks, pet food, meat alternatives, ingredients, and more, one central element remained untouched: the proven twin screw extrusion technology that has reliably powered hundreds of machines worldwide for decades. “We concentrated on a holistic approach based on four main categories: hygienic design, process stability, integrated intelligence, and service excellence. All with the goal of increasing Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) for our customers,” says Stefanie Hardtmann, Product Manager Value Nutrition at Bühler.

An important aspect is access to the machine during cleaning. The easier the machine is to access, the more efficiently cleaning can be carried out and the faster the line can be put back into operation. Nutrex 7 Series is designed in every respect for short and efficient cleaning processes. “Externally, we opted for a slimmer extruder design. The elevated base frame provides greater ground clearance, and the hydraulic box has been moved from the base frame to the side of the extruder. This allows direct access for cleaning equipment, simplifying the process and reducing cleaning time,” adds Stefanie Hardtmann. Nutrex 7 Series is already in operation on selected customer sites, where the cleaning time has decreased by around 50%. This means more production time, more efficient product changeovers, and more time to focus on quality and process stability.

Raising the bar in bakery and confectionery production

Expanding its Smartline portfolio for biscuit and cracker production, Bühler is introducing TurbuBake Smart oven and RotaMold Max Smart rotary molder – solutions designed to increase efficiency, simplify operation, and offer greater production flexibility. In addition, Bühler is launching SoftDrop, a flexible and cost-competitive solution for soft mass depositing. “With TurbuBake Smart and RotaMold Max Smart, we are further expanding our Smartline portfolio with solutions that combine efficiency, flexibility, and ease of use,” says Céline Vachet, Head of Product Management Biscuit at Bühler. “At the same time, SoftDrop broadens our offering with a versatile solution for soft mass depositing, helping manufacturers address a wider range of applications with a cost-competitive setup.”

RotaMold Max Smart is Bühler’s new high-precision rotary molder for biscuit production. Designed for fast and continuous processing, the system supports line speeds of up to 40 meters per minute. Its large 390 mm die roller ensures consistent biscuit shape and size with a coefficient of variation of 1% or less. The machine also supports operational efficiency, with the hopper, die roller, and knife designed for easy removal during cleaning and maintenance.

With TurbuBake Smart, Bühler is launching a new gas IFC tunnel oven that combines cost efficiency with improved energy performance and ease of use. Its standardized design reduces complexity and total cost, while an optimized heating and airflow concept lowers energy consumption by up to 15%. Updates to the baking chamber design improve accessibility, reduce cleaning time, and simplify maintenance. A modern and intuitive HMI (Human-Machine Interface) system further enhances ease of operation.

Bühler is also expanding its biscuit portfolio with SoftDrop, a flexible and cost-competitive solution for soft mass depositing. Suitable for depositing, wire-cutting, and extruding applications before or after baking, the system can be used for a wide range of products – from muffins and meringues, to jam or paste fillings, and decorations. A lightweight pumphouse and practical roll-on/roll-off feature simplify handling and operation, making SoftDrop a versatile solution for flexible production environments. A modern and intuitive HMI system further enhances ease of operation. 

With OptiBake, Bühler is taking wafer baking to the next level. The inductive wafer oven, launched in 2025, reduces energy consumption by up to 50% compared with conventional gas-heated systems, while also enabling a baking process with no direct CO₂ emissions. At the same time, the technology brings clear advantages in process control: temperature can be regulated precisely and flexibly, ensuring consistent wafer sheet quality across a wide range of textures and thicknesses. “With OptiBake, we are demonstrating that sustainability and performance do not have to be competing priorities,” says Johannes Greil, Head of Product Management Wafer at Bühler. “Manufacturers benefit from significantly lower energy consumption while gaining greater control and consistency in the baking process.”