Pioneer and leader in energy-efficient drying technologies Singnergy Group announced its latest NewFood portfolio, which features high-value food ingredients produced from edible food waste or by-products that are usually perceived to be of no further value or use.

Given a new lease of life, NewFood can be used in food products such as food premix, ingredients, food additives, and sauces. NewFood is produced using the company’s Super-Quick (SQ) drying technology. Wet food substances, which cannot be kept for long, are transformed into dry food ingredients that can be used for human consumption and animal or aqua feed.

During the drying process, the technology kills mycotoxins and pathogens while preserving nutritional qualities of the food substances, enabling upcycled food ingredients that are nutrient-rich, aromatic and sterile.

NewFood has proven to be superior in nutrient retention such as protein, obtaining as much as 54.5% from dried fish waste and 27.3% from dried Okara. With the SQ drying technology’s short heat contact time, the original colour of the food products is retained and the aroma is much more intense. This makes the food products more appealing to the senses than those which are exposed to long heating durations, resulting in darkened colours and reduced aroma.

“The orange peel powder produced and dried by Singnergy from our used peels have a bright colour which is surprising. It still has the citrusy, tart, sweet and authentic orange flavour when we tasted it,” said Mr Bruce Zhang, Chief Executive, IJOOZ AI PTE LTD.

The SQ drying technology can reduce the water content of food waste or by-products from as high as 80% to less than 5% within 10 to 18 minutes. In comparison, conventional drying processes typically take about a few hours to a few days, depending on the quantity and materials being dried. Singnergy has since been granted patents in more than 46 countries, including Singapore.

Additionally, many types of drying technology require heat transfer mediums such as hot air, steam or thermal oil to convey the heat, which are bulky, energy inefficient, and require external boilers or heaters. Singnergy’s technology, on the other hand, dries food substances in the absence of heat transfer mediums and the process does not depend entirely on heat. It utilises induction heating with compression to enhance drying performance, increasing energy efficiency and reducing operation costs. The equipment is also compact and modular, which means it can be fitted into any food production line easily.

To accelerate the development of its SQ drying technology, Singnergy collaborated with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) through two runs of the Technology for Enterprise Capability Upgrading (T-Up) programme. This programme was launched by A*STAR to support promising local companies in enhancing their business competitiveness through seconding of A*STAR scientists to local SMEs for up to two years to aid in their research and development (R&D) projects.

During the first run of T-Up, Singnergy worked with A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) to develop a new material that minimise heat losses during machine operation. The new material is now used in the REVOZ series of dryers to produce NewFood. This success led to the second T-Up project with A*STAR’s SIMTech on a specially formulated coating which can improve overall operation and maintenance efficiency.

“SIMTech’s various programmes are well equipped with expert consultants to support SMEs like ourselves. The programmes strengthen Singnergy’s R&D capabilities and broaden business applications, positioning the company with a leading-edge competitive advantage,” said KT Chua, Managing Director at Singnergy Corporation Pte Ltd.

“We are pleased to work with local companies such as Singnergy to co-innovate novel technologies that can enhance their
business competitiveness and help them build technical capabilities. We hope to support more local SMEs like Singnergy in accelerating technology deployment and help them create new products, processes or services,” said Dr David Low, Executive Director of A*STAR’s SIMTech.

Singnergy is currently partnering with food manufacturing companies to integrate its compact, modular SQ drying technology into the companies’ existing production lines, reducing disruptions to business operations. Other smaller manufacturers or companies access Singnergy’s drying services at its various operation locations.

For example, Singnergy works with BREWERKZ, Singapore’s longest-running craft brewery, to advance the food waste revolution. The SQ drying technology turns homogenous brewer’s spent grains into sterile and high-quality food ingredients for BREWERKZ to produce exclusive food products.

“In terms of the barley spent grains that Singnergy have dried for us, we found them to be very natural and wholesome in terms of look, aroma and texture. After several months, the dried food ingredients still maintain optimal food qualities,” said Mr Tan Wee Tuck, Executive Director, BREWERKZ.

Singnergy is also working with food tech company, CRUST Group, to drive the upcycled food movement. Singnergy’s SQ drying technology turns food wastes like surplus breads and fruit peels into high quality food ingredients for CRUST Group to produce specialty products such as CRUST beers and CROP non-alcoholic beverages.

Singnergy originally specialised in the drying of sludge to reduce the volume of waste or by-products, helping companies to minimise disposal costs or turn them into biomass for energy generation. However, through industry engagements, the company observed a strong demand for turning edible food waste or by-products into food ingredients that retain high levels of nutrients, and circulating them back into the food chain.

Last year, Singnergy was awarded the National Environment Agency’s Food Valorisation Award for its efforts in turning food waste into useful ingredients, contributing to Singapore’s “30 by 30” goal to enhance food security and sustainability by 2030.

about Singnergy
SINGNERGY specialises in solutions and services for the valorisation of wasteful products into budding resources with our internationally patented Super-Quick drying technology in an Energy, Space and Time efficient manner.