Lyras is doubling its UV system tenfold

28 September 2023 | Lyras A/S

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Lyras is launching a new facility which - as far as is known - is the world's largest for UV treatment and inactivation of microorganisms in opaque liquids. It can process over 100 cubic meters of liquid product per hour, e.g. whey, brine, juice or fermentation liquid.

Danish Lyras, whose replacement for pasteurization saves 60 to 80 percent water and 60 to 90 percent energy compared to pasteurization, is now launching its largest raslysation plant to date. It is called The Raslysation Castor and tenfold the amount of treated liquid per hour compared to Lyras' other systems. It has been developed in collaboration with Novozymes and is modular so that it can be quickly adapted to the individual customer.
"Now we can ensure that food producers with over 100 cubic meters of liquid per hour can inactivate all microorganisms in, for example, whey or brine in an easy and simple way. We are very proud of the new modular plant, which gives the food and enzyme industry unprecedented flexibility in this process," explains CTO of Lyras, Nete Zarp Nielsen.

Expanding globally
The global interest in Lyras' energy- and water-saving replacement for pasteurization, raslysation, is so great that Lyras has now opened branches in the Netherlands, France, Spain and South Africa
"Our goal is for the food and processing industry to have saved at least one million tonnes of CO2 with our technology as early as 2030. That's why we can't just make a difference in Denmark. We now see the US as the next natural step for us," says CCO Mark Kalhøj Andersen, Lyras.

Higher yield and full microbial control
In addition to saving water and energy and thus reducing the environmental impact, Lyras' technology, raslysation, provides higher product yields and maintains full microbial control with lower operating costs. The raw material's valuable proteins are preserved in their original form, as heating is omitted. The technology ensures high food quality in opaque liquids such as dairy products thanks to ultraviolet light and unique hydraulics that effectively inactivate microorganisms. When the technology is used to replace depth filtration, a higher yield and increased degree of automation in the production process is ensured. The liquid is led past a UV light source, combined with a light filter in a controlled movement, so that all parts of the product are illuminated. This inactivates all unwanted microorganisms while preserving more of the original taste as well as vitamins and proteins.

Award-winning and popular
Raslysation effectively inactivates bacteria and other microorganisms in liquids while saving 60 to 80 percent of water and 60 to 90 percent of the energy that traditional pasteurization requires. The taste and structure of the product is preserved as heating is avoided. With raslysation, a dairy with a single plant from Lyras can reduce its energy consumption and thus CO2 emissions annually by approx. 850 tons. This corresponds to 164 trips around the world in an ordinary family car.
Lyras' goal is to implement raslysation in food production all over the world and thereby both contribute to reducing the world's total CO2 emissions and to significantly increase food safety globally. The global demand for raslysation is increasing rapidly. The technology has been sold in the USA, Germany, Australia, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark. The company has been honored with several awards, including the title EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2021 in the category Social Entrepreneurship – Future Impact, the award Sustainable Food Processing 2022 and most recently the Spanish awards Food Tech Innovation Award 2023 – Most innovative FoodTech at Food 4 Future, World Food Summit in Bilbao.

Explore Lyras on stand D3138 at hi Tech & Industry Scandinavia.
Download photos of Nete Zarp Nielsen and Lyras' technology here. For further information, please contact: Ruben Riksted, Marketing Manager, Lyras, 29 81 22 21 and RAR@lyras.dk

Facts about Lyras and raslysation
Lyras has developed the ground-breaking technology, raslysation, which inactivates microorganisms in beverages and other opaque liquids using UV light. The technique is far less energy-intensive than traditional pasteurization and filtration. Raslysation therefore saves between 60 and 90 percent energy and 60 to 80 percent water compared to traditional pasteurization. If, for example, a dairy that produces 40 tons of whey per hour switches to raslysation instead of traditional pasteurization, it will (based on the EU average) emit approx. 850 tons of CO2 less per year. This corresponds to the energy consumption of driving 164 times around the world in an ordinary family car.

Raslysation uses a UV light source, combined with a light filter that concentrates a specific type of UV light. The liquid is directed past the light source in a controlled movement so that all parts of the liquid are illuminated. This effectively inactivates all unwanted microorganisms. At the same time, more of the original flavor as well as vitamins and proteins are preserved.