Bühler Grows Sesame Processing At Silo Foods Industries

Swiss technology group Bühler has completed a processing line for tahini halva, from receiving and handling raw sesame seeds to the finished product, at Silo Foods Industries in Sadat City, Egypt. The food processing complex is an affiliate of the National Service Projects Organisation (NSPO). The tahini halva line is part of the second stage at Silo Foods Industries, which was officially opened by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in early February.

This is the first complete tahini halva processing line supplied globally by a single technology provider, in one of the most advanced food complexes ever built. The project is a significant showcase of Bühler’s presence in the Middle East, Africa and India region, says Hesham Barakat, Head of Business Development and Consumer Foods, Middle East and Africa, at Bühler Group.

“Silo Foods Industries contributes significantly to sustainable food processing practices in Egypt by boosting productivity, improving quality, and increasing efficiency,” says Barakat. Combining all the manufacturing steps in a single site reduces the transportation time along the value chain as well as the overall manufacturing footprint. “Innovative solutions with energy-saving features were always at the core of the decision-making criteria at Silo Foods Industries,” he adds.

The scope of work for the 18-month project encompassed the sesame seed handling and cleaning process, sesame color sorting (a first for tahini), sesame storage, roasting, peeling, and grinding − another innovation thanks to Bühler’s Nova S ball mill. The scope further extended to storing the tahini, cooking the sugar, and mixing it with the tahini, as well as handling and feeding the forming line, followed by cooling, cutting, and packaging.

“We devised an innovative control system to handle all the different parameters that was quite unique,” says Barakat. The system integrated all the components of the processing line and ensured proper sequencing. Bühler oversaw the overall project management, which involved Bühler global suppliers from Switzerland, India, Germany, the US, and China.

Silo Foods Industries was established by the Egyptian government to improve nutrition for children and students in the Upper Nile region. The state-of-the art food complex is expected to transform the food system in Egypt, supplying safer and secure nutrition, especially for young people. The second stage of the project aims to improve the school nutrition system with the establishment of a factory for dairy, biscuits, halva, and tahini products.

Bühler develops solutions for multiple aspects of the food processing sector, ranging from handling and milling of grains to sorting, extruding, and drying among others. It contributes to enhancing food security worldwide by providing solutions that increase food safety and quality. Bühler is committed to having solutions ready to multiply by 2025 that reduce energy, waste, and water by 50% in the value chains of its customers.