Gleaning the Fields, inspired by Leviticus 19:9-10:

“Now when you reap the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your field, and do not pick up with the harvesters drop... leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you.”

We aim to reduce waste, improve the planet, nourish people, and boost bottom lines by gleaning excess and underused resources, transforming them into nutritious and profitable materials with our innovative technology. We bridge the gap between producers and consumers to create a circular economy.

Our system is comprised of our innovative mill technology, along with the ancillary equipment needed to install and run it. The full system includes custom design, fabrication, installation, and training.

The RENU Drying & Milling System is an innovative impact flash drying technology that utilizes rapid compactions to extract moisture and micronize material instantly. A precise combination of controlled pressure, temperature, and motor speed moves raw materials through the system with pre-conditioned air.  

The RENU System Mill impacts material thousands of times per second, simultaneously reducing particle size and eliminating free-moisture content. Elapsed time from material infeed to powder output is less than one second, allowing for energy-efficient drying and superior quality powder.  

Please see RENU Spec Guide & Brochure on our website for more information about how the RENU System works.  

The heat for drying is produced through friction generated in the milling process and is derived from the electrical input to the mill motor.  Unlike conventional drying technologies, the RENU system does not use steam or natural gas for heating. 

Our RENU™ System is unique because it concurrently dries and micronizes food in an innovative way. Our system is:

• Fast: Concurrently dries and finely mills in seconds compared to hours of heat drying

• Effective: Up to 97% of the moisture is removed, which means longer shelf life and less weight/volume

• Energy-Efficient: Doesn’t require natural gas, so energy costs are low

• Nutrient-Dense: Virtually all nutrients are retained

• Small: Our system occupies 400 sq. ft. or less

• Supports Clean-Label Foods: No external chemicals, heat, or other additives are needed

• Soluble: GTF-milled powders have a large surface area, which makes them very water-soluble

RENU is an excellent solution for powderizing virtually any plant-derived food; ie, fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and legumes. However, it performs best with semi-solid, free-flowing materials.  

If you are interested in learning more – or about whether a specific material or type can be processed with RENU – please contact GTF at info@gtf-technologies.com to speak with a sales representative.

Below is a list of some of the products we have powderized. We are adding to this list monthly and welcome new materials! If you don’t see your product here, please inquire at info@gtf-technologies.com to speak to a sales representative.  

Fruits 

• Apples 

• Pears 

• Cherries 

• Cranberries 

• Pomegranates 

• Blueberries 

• Oranges  

• Lemons 

• Pineapples 

Vegetables 

• Carrots 

• Onions 

• Kale 

• Asparagus 

• Green Beans 

• Sweet peas 

• Butternut squash 

• Olives 

• Corn 

Nuts 

• Peanuts, skins, shells 

• Almonds, shells 

Legumes 

• Navy beans 

Grains/Spices/Other 

• Oat okara 

• Hops 

• Brewers spent grain 

• Black malt 

• Turmeric 

• Ginger 

• Rosemary 

• Coffee grounds 

Output specifications vary depending on the material, input moisture, and desired output, but generally fall in the ranges listed here: RENU Spec Sheet. More precisespecs can be provided following a material evaluation and sample run with your specific material.   

Infeed rates vary based on the material used, input moisture, and desired output, but generally fall in the range specified here: RENU Spec Sheet. More precise specs can be provided following a sample run with your specific material.   

• Food Processors and Juicers

• Brewer's Spent Grain

• Hemp and Biomaterials

• Post-Consumer Food Waste

• Large-Scale Food Composters

Instead of paying to haul excess materials to the landfill or making pennies on the dollar for animal feed, companies can transform waste into a new revenue and profit center. Many food byproducts, such as pits, skins, and pomace, are rich in polyphenols with antioxidant properties and can be valorized by our RENU™ Drying & Milling System.

By reclaiming side-stream food materials, companies can also:

• Sell GTF-milled powders

• Reintegrate powders into their own products

• Reduce their carbon footprint, minimize their impact on the environment, and even sell sequestered carbon credits

• Claim tax benefits by donating powderized food products to hungry people through our non-profit, Gleaning the Fields

GTF has an in-house Research and Development Center where new materials are evaluated and tested for compatibility with our RENU System. This process includes:  

• Material Evaluation: The customer provides a small sample of their material to GTF to evaluate and confirm compatibility, and identify necessary equipment needed to effectively process the material. During this step, we provide a report with our findings and recommended next steps at no cost to the customer.  

• Feasibility Testing and Sample Run:  Following a successful material evaluation, our production-size R&D RENU System evaluates system performance with a larger shipment of the customer’s material and creates powder samples to their specifications. This step includes a Sample Run Report and Powder Certificate of Analysis by a third-party laboratory. A nominal fee is charged for this service, which is applied toward the purchase of a RENU System.  

In addition to a production-scale RENU System, the GTF R&D testing facility includes laboratory equipment for material and powder evaluations, various feeding and conveyance options, a screw press for mechanical dewatering, a dicer for gross size reduction, and cold storage.  

If you are interested in testing your material, please contact a sales rep at info@gtf-technologies.com.

Our nutritionally dense powder can be used in many applications. Some of these include:

• Vitamins

• Nutraceuticals/Supplements

• Upcycled Foods

• Beverages

• Biomaterials

• Spices

• Extracts

• Food Ingredients

• Pet Food

• Fertilizer

Worldwide, over 1/3 of all food produced (approximately 1.3 billion tons worth $1 trillion) and half of all fruits and vegetables are thrown away each year. That’s roughly 1,000 tons every minute!

When food is wasted at the consumer level, all the energy, resources, and money that goes into producing, packaging, and transporting the food are also wasted, contributing to over 3.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Since agriculture is the largest human use of water, it’s estimated that about half of the water used to produce food goes to waste.

Food scraps and other organic materials that are dumped in a landfill get packed down and buried. Without access to oxygen, their chemical composition changes, emitting methane in the process, a greenhouse gas 84 times more potent and damaging in the short-term than carbon emissions from fossil fuels—and a key driver in climate change. Food waste generates 57% of methane emissions worldwide.

If food waste and loss were a country, it would be the third-largest source of all greenhouse gas emissions, behind China and the US; about 3.3 gigatons per year worldwide.

The Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 aims to cut food waste and reduce food loss by 50% by 2030. This goal was adopted by the UN, USDA, and EPA in 2015.

• Currently, 12 states have passed legislation to help achieve this.

• Vermont and California’s laws are the most stringent. Both states ban organic material from landfills and require edible food to be donated. Additionally, California has set a goal to cut organic waste in landfills by 75% by 2025.

• GTF can help achieve your food waste reduction goals!

System energy consumption varies based on the material being processed, the input moisture content, and the desired output powder specifications.  Generally, power consumption falls in the range specified here: RENU Spec Sheet.  More precise specs for your application can be provided following a sample run with your specific material.  

A single RENU System occupies less than 400 square feet and is custom-designed and configured to the customer’s facility. Conveyance can also be customized directly from your production line to optimize efficiency and mitigate product decay. RENU’s compact, modular design allows for scalability and the flexible use of existing real estate.  

We would be happy to discuss with you whether RENU can be configured in your existing space and/or what modifications would be required. Please contact a sales rep at info@gtf-technologies.com to discuss.

• Electricity - RENU is 100% electric and requires no natural gas or steam.  A single-point three-phase electrical connection is used for most applications. 

• Cooling Water - Cooling Water is used in the system for dehumidification of air supplied to the mill.  

• Process Water – Process Water is used for the mill water jacket system. 

• Process Drains – Water drains are used for system cleaning. 

• CIP – Cleaning fluids for the mill CIP are typically supplied from and returned to a customer system.  

• Compressed Air – Dry, oil-free air is used for instrumentation, seals, and powder fluidization. 

RENU features a fully automated operating system:  

• Allen Bradley CompactLogix PLC with cabinet-mounted PanelView HMI for monitoring and control of system (alternate vendors may be requested)   

• One-touch interface monitors all components, variables, and recipes with minimal operator intervention 

• Provides immediate feedback while processing to quickly identify any process upsets and minimize off-spec product  

• Includes user management and controlled access levels 

The RENU Mill features an intuitive clamshell design with integrated rails, providing easy opening and full accessibility to mill internals.  

Clean-In-Place (CIP) -- an automated process for fast, easy cleaning without major disassembly of equipment -- is implemented for the RENU system equipment. Removable spray balls are provided for automated cleaning of the Mill, Air Filter Receiver, Pneumatic Conveying Line, and Feed System (if applicable) to reduce downtime and labor. Spray balls may be retractable to avoid impact on material flow.  

A CIP supply skid with tanks and pumps may be supplied by GTF or can connect to existing customer CIP systems.  

A maintenance platform is recommended to facilitate easy access to all equipment and reduce the overall footprint through vertical stacking.  

The RENU System is designed for minimal operator intervention and maintenance; however, like all industrial equipment, regular maintenance and cleaning practices ensure smooth operation and prevent failures.  

Refer to our Maintenance Manual for specific maintenance schedules for a typical RENU system.  

RENU includes an integrated 5-log kill step for microbial reduction to dry, micronize, and produce Ready-to-Eat/Ready-to-Drink (RTE/RTD) food in one step.  

To learn more about this, please contact a GTF Sales representative at info@gtf-technologies.com

Each RENU System is built with a strong focus on ensuring operator safety and maintaining the highest standards of product safety, including:  

• Integrated explosion suppression system for combustible dust safety 

• Magnets for metal removal prior to powder discharge – upstream metal detection and/or x-ray may be added at the customer’s discretion 

• PLC process/device real-time monitoring for robust operation with automatic shutdowns on abnormal conditions 

• Controls system user management and access levels via HMI 

• Dedicated safety controller with dual channel monitoring safety devices