Scheduled in Parma from October 24 to 27, the 2023 edition of the trade fair will showcase trends and innovations in the Italian and international food machinery industry.
With over 120,000 square meters spread across 5 exhibition halls, Cibus Tec 2023 is about to open its doors. It is the international trade fair by Koeln Parma Exhibitions dedicated to technologies for the food and beverage sector. From October 24 to 27, more than 40,000 operators from Italy and 120 countries around the world will have the opportunity to discover a rich array of 1,200 exhibitors (including 400 international brands from 30 countries). One of the main attractions of the fair is undoubtedly the opportunity for visitors to get up close and personal with numerous innovations offered by the most influential food tech companies.
Cibus Tec reaffirms its position as one of the international events in food technology that is most attentive to innovation and the future challenges facing the sector. This special focus allows the fair to gather a wide range of the best solutions for the food and beverage industry, from innovative processing lines to the latest green packaging technologies, from automation solutions to laboratory equipment, as well as cutting-edge beverage filling systems and, not least, intralogistics. The offering is completed with the latest developments in ingredients and flavors.
The richness of the exhibition is evidence of the high value of the Italian industry in this sector. It’s no coincidence that our country stands among the leaders in exports in Europe and the world. The analysis by the Machinery Observatory Cibus Tec for Food & Beverage, carried out with the support of Nomisma, shows that machinery for the food and beverage sector is the industrial sector with the greatest export vocation, accounting for 16% of total manufacturing exports. In addition, in the first quarter of 2023, exports of food and beverage machinery grew by 20.6% compared to the same period in 2022, reaching a value of 1,985 million euros.
MAIN EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS
Innovative and Sustainable Packaging
The future of packaging is one of the hottest topics in the food industry (and many other industrial sectors) today, partly due to its obvious environmental implications and also due to the growing consumer awareness of the subject. Several innovations in this area include the new green and aseptic packaging by GOGLIO (Hall 5 – Booth B018): made from mono-PE multilayer material and a completely recyclable EVOH coextruded laminate, this particular innovation allows products to be processed at room temperature, without preservatives, while preserving their properties for longer. Moreover, it does not require refrigeration, resulting in significant energy savings. BMB (Hall 2 – Booth F049), on the other hand, has developed a revolutionary solution that triples packaging speed using bell packaging principles and guarantees a constant oxygen residue of less than 0.01% in all packages, synonymous with absolute quality and processing safety.
A new stretchable paper film that can expand up to 40% is the ecological gem offered by RLCONSULTING (Hall 2 – Booth I037); it’s a 100% eco-friendly solution, thanks to its entirely FSC-certified paper composition.
Food Processing
Efficiency in processes is the common thread that unites the innovations presented at Cibus Tec in the field of food processing. Among others, there are machines on display that allow for the autonomous production of stretched-curd cheeses (IANNELLO INOX, Hall 6 – Booth K030) or the production of up to 2100 burratas per hour in a completely automatic manner, without the need for external inputs (MOZZAMATIC, Hall 6 – Booth H012). Improving industrial performance is at the heart of CookTymix®, an innovation presented by MTS (Hall 6 – Booth B066): it’s a new cooking system that reduces execution times by 55% thanks to innovative heat conduction methods. Digitalization also plays a central role in managing the typical processes of food transformation supply chains: this is the case with TRACK, software developed by ZUFFELLATO TECHNOLIGIES (Hall 2 – Booth M034), which allows full control of the entire production line in compliance with food regulations. Riding a topic dear to the most digitally inclined audience, IMPRIMA (Hall 2 – Booth M034) has transformed a simple label into a sophisticated hi-tech identification system connected to multiple digital contents.
Food Safety and Quality Control
One of the operational areas that food companies increasingly focus on is reducing non-compliance reports, with the aim of preventing recalls and withdrawals. For this reason, Cibus Tec 2023 will feature innovations related to food safety and quality control, such as the innovative computerized tomography technology presented by BIOMETIC (Hall 2 – Booth K044). This tool allows real-time 360° imaging of packaging, enabling the verification of aspects such as integrity, filling level, and the presence of contaminants (e.g., glass particles) during the production line. In the same vein, GHERRI MEAT TECHNOLOGY (Hall 6 – Booth C030) presents one of the most advanced systems for detecting foreign bodies, even of low density (metals, light contaminants, bones), generally impossible to distinguish with traditional X-ray inspection systems.
Green Solutions, Environmental Responsibility, Circular Economy
At Cibus Tec, green themes converge within an extremely rich thematic area full of innovations with strong socio-environmental implications aimed at reducing impacts or reintroducing waste products into the production cycle. The innovation proposed by CLAUGER-TECHNOFRIGO (Hall 6 – Booth I012) operates on these principles, aiming to recover waste heat from industrial processes. The idea is to capture energy from hot process emissions to produce high-temperature water, which can then be used for various purposes, resulting in energy savings and decarbonization of the industrial site, reducing the use of fossil fuels (gas, diesel). Aware of the environmental impact of traditional refrigeration systems, ZUDEK (Hall 6 – Booth H042) offers the Biomatik machine, capable of producing food-grade CO2 by processing waste used in biogas production.
Energy is indeed a central theme in many product innovations. Exemplary in this regard is KIEPE ELECTRIC (Hall 3 – Booth C031) which, with the brand-new QUANTM pump, promises companies up to 80% electricity savings.
Ingredients and Flavors
Innovation also reaches the field of ingredients and flavors, one of the food tech sectors that more than others decisively influences the taste and olfactory senses of finished products. Among the innovations, we find the innovative range of Yoflex® Premium cultures, offered by CHR HANSEN (Hall 6 – Booth K 054), which helps meet the growing demand for creamier yogurt, reduces the use of unwanted ingredients or additives, and optimizes the use of raw materials. Adopting Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus strains also improves the nutritional profile of the product and reduces added sugar in yogurt. The innovation from HEDESSENT (Hall 3 – Booth G050) transports visitors directly to the Far East: the Novara-based company offers the natural Yuzu flavor, which recreates the freshness and authenticity of the Asian citrus fruit, born from a cross between mandarin and papeda. Extremely versatile, Yuzu flavor enhances the fresh tones of the citrus and enriches it with characteristic floral notes.
NEW THEMES AND AREAS: CIBUS TEC DIGITAL FACTORY AND STARTUP ARENA
Digital solutions are undoubtedly one of the most popular trends to boost industrial mechanics. In line with the highly innovative direction of the event, Cibus Tec introduces the Cibus Tec Digital Factory for the first time: it is a digital model of Food Factory 5.0 based on 40Factory technology, where visitors can interact with digital solutions through headsets. These solutions include Industrial IoT (Internet of Things), VR (Virtual Reality), and Artificial Intelligence, which optimize production efficiency, simplify maintenance and training operations, make production more sustainable, and enable new post-sales business models for machine manufacturers.
In the 2023 edition, Cibus Tec continues to be the ideal place to learn about the most important “innovation incubators” in the food machinery sector. The Start-up Arena (Hall 4) returns, organized in collaboration with Le Village by CA Parma, Eatable Adventures, and Agenzia ICE. Dozens of selected startups present the most interesting applications and tools applied to the sector. Among them, COMPOPACK presents the patented EcoPoD technology, dedicated to the world of roasting, which focuses on studying and implementing production processes that significantly reduce the environmental impact of coffee packaging (in pods or capsules). Addressing food safety and intolerances, the startup COOKI presents unique software: once a recipe is entered and ingredients are selected from an extensive database, the application identifies allergens, calculates nutritional values, and even calculates food costs. HEALLO, on the other hand, is based on a simple philosophy: “everything needed is already in nature; one just needs to know how to valorize it.” Thanks to natural biotechnology, HEALLO makes available substances, fibers, and molecules found in nature to create innovative, highly nutraceutical foods and supplements.
DEMO AREAS
Cibus Tec was also the first trade fair in the sector to offer the Live Demo Areas format, with the aim of showcasing entire production and packaging lines in action. In the 2023 edition, three highly automated lines dedicated to the production and packaging of “pinse” and other baked products, cheese portioning and packaging, and Doypack “product-saving” bag packaging will be reproduced in Hall 2. These lines are organized in collaboration with Antares Vision Group, Ametek, Bilanciai Campogalliano, Ceia, Faber, Fritsch Bakery Technologies, Gelmini, Innova, Ilpra, L.M., Macs, MH Material Handling, Pentavac, PFM, Satech, Siad, Staubli, Veripack.
INTERNATIONALITY AND EXPORT
Thanks to cooperation with ICE Agenzia and the support of the Emilia-Romagna Region, Cibus Tec 2023 will host over 3,000 Top Buyers from food & beverage companies from more than 60 countries. 15% of the total consists of operators from the food and beverage industry in Africa (representing 16 countries). These professional visitors operate in medium-sized companies as well as large industrial groups such as ABC Pepsi, Poulina Group, RFG Foods, Saida Group, and Zambeef.
Thanks to the partnership with the E4Impact Foundation (ALTIS – High Business School of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart), Cibus Tec has also been selected as a stop on the E4I Business Networking Week, a training program, B2B initiatives, and networking that will bring 40 African operators with technology and innovative solutions investment projects to Parma. Africa is currently the second-largest region on the planet in terms of economic growth and is expected to be the main driver of global development by 2100. Currently, it records higher GDP growth than the global average. In particular, an analysis of data from the Machinery Observatory for Food & Beverage Cibus Tec shows enormous growth opportunities for commercial partnerships across the continent, despite a slight slowdown in export growth, recorded in the first months of 2023 compared to 2022. The current conjunctural situations and geopolitical scenarios underlying this event have not diminished the enormous potential of Africa, as demonstrated by the upward trajectory of countries such as Algeria, South Africa, Tunisia, and Ivory Coast, which are experiencing a period of strong development.
