APLTA / USC - Aula de Productos Lácteos y Tecnologías Alimentarias

What APLTA / USC - Aula de Productos Lácteos y Tecnologías Alimentarias does

APLTA (Aula de Productos Lácteos y Tecnologías Alimentarias) is a Mixed Technological Platform (Plataforma Tecnológica Mixta) within the RIAIDT research infrastructure network of the University of Santiago de Compostela, physically situated on Campus Terra in Lugo, Spain. Established around 2015, it operates what it describes as one of the most complete pilot plants for the dairy and food industry in Europe, with the mission of strengthening the food industry — particularly the dairy sector — through R&D+I, technology transfer, product development and improvement, specialized training, food analysis and technical advisory services.

The facility's core asset is its pilot plant, comprising dedicated lines for raw material reception, pretreatment and mixing, cheesemaking, fermented milks, sterile products, tangential filtration and selective separation, evaporation and drying, plus support rooms for preliminary development, multi-purpose equipment installation, and culinary applications. Advanced processing technologies including microparticulation, cavitation, carbonation, shear texturization, aseptic ingredient dosing and high-pressure homogenization are available. Three laboratory lines — physicochemical and microbiological, physical properties, and sensory analysis (with 10 computerized tasting booths per UNE-EN 8589:2010, LED illumination with 18 color modes, and FIZZ Network software) — complement the pilot plant. The product mix spans dairy processors and broader food categories (conserves, beverages, soups, creams, baby food, ready meals).

APLTA operates as a public, non-profit university platform rather than a commercial enterprise; revenue mechanics are professional-services based across R&D+I projects, in-person and distance training courses, and fee-for-service food analysis (with tariffs published but not disclosed in scraped material). Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, with regional scope covering Europe and visible co-marketing relationships with ingredient and equipment majors such as Chr. Hansen, Sealed Air, IMCD, SurePure AG and CAPSA/LARSA. The ~10-person multidisciplinary team delivers services on-site at the pilot plant and laboratories, supplemented by content marketing via blog and newsletter.

Name

APLTA / USC - Aula de Productos Lácteos y Tecnologías Alimentarias

Legal name

Aula de Productos Lácteos y Tecnologías Alimentarias

Website

https://aplta.es

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

APLTA is the University of Santiago de Compostela's mixed technological platform in Lugo, Spain, providing R&D, pilot-plant processing, specialized training, and food/sensory analysis services to the European dairy and broader food industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lugo

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Technological Services: Provision of advanced technological services to food industry, particularly dairy sector companies including product development and improvement.
2. Training Services: Specialized training services (in-person and distance) for industry professionals and students in dairy and food technology.
3. Food Analysis Services: Physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory analysis services for food products through three laboratory lines.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

APLTA is a public technology center that sells applied R&D and innovation services, specialized professional training, and food analysis (physicochemical, microbiological, physical-properties, and sensory) to companies in the dairy and broader food industry. Service delivery is anchored in one of Europe's most complete pilot plants for dairy and food processing, plus dedicated analytical laboratories, all operated on the USC Campus Terra in Lugo, Spain.

Product overview

APLTA is a Mixed Technological Platform of the RIAIDT network belonging to the University of Santiago de Compostela, located at the Campus Terra in Lugo, Spain. The center offers specialized services comprising three main pillars: (1) R&D and innovation for dairy and food products, (2) specialized training for industry professionals, and (3) food analysis through three laboratory lines (physicochemical and microbiological, physical properties, and sensory analysis). The facility houses one of Europe's most complete pilot plants for the dairy and food industry, equipped with technologies for reception, pretreatment and mixing, cheesemaking, sterile products, fermented products, selective separation, evaporation and drying, and support facilities including a multi-purpose room, preliminary development laboratory, and culinary applications lab. Advanced technologies such as microparticulation, cavitation, carbonation, texturization by shear effect, aseptic ingredient dosing, and high-pressure homogenization are also available.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• I+D+i (R&D and Innovation) Applied research, development, and innovation services focused on dairy and food products, including own R&D+i lines, technology transfer, product development and improvement, and technical advisory to the industry and to new entrepreneurial initiatives.
• Formación (Specialized Training) Specialized training programs for industry professionals and students covering dairy processing and food technology, delivered in-person at the pilot plant or via remote/distance learning formats, including co-organized courses with industry partners such as Chr. Hansen.
• Análisis de Alimentos (Food Analysis) Comprehensive food-product analysis service combining physicochemical, microbiological, physical-properties, and sensory testing through three specialized laboratory lines, supporting product development, quality control, and regulatory compliance for the food industry.

Quantifiable outcome

• One of Europe's most complete pilot plants for dairy and food industry

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• IMCDminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024IMCD celebrated its 6th Insight Day Food Challenges 2024 at APLTA facilities, focused on food industry challenges.
• Sealed AirminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2016Technical workshop on tangential filtration and microparticulation organized by APLTA in collaboration with Sealed Air.
• Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (USC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPLTA is a Mixed Technological Platform (Plataforma Tecnológica Mixta) belonging to the RIAIDT (Red de Infraestructuras de Apoyo a la Investigación y el Desarrollo Tecnológico) network of USC. Located on Campus Terra of USC.
• Chr. HansenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized training course on soft paste cheese production with APLTA. Course included theoretical-practical sessions and commercial cheese tasting.
• SurePure AG (Switzerland) and Atlántica S.L.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on photopurification study using UV Surepure technology in raw milk. APLTA presented technical study results.
• Corporación Alimentaria Peñasanta S.A. (CAPSA) / LARSAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint innovation awards 'Impulsando Galicia' for healthy food innovation launched with Campus Terra-USC.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• NIZO Food Research: Private Dutch food and dairy contract research organization operating pilot-scale fermentation, separation, and cheese-making facilities for industry clients — comparable service mix of pilot plant, R&D, and analytical services.
• Teagasc Food Research Centre (Moorepark): Ireland's national food and dairy research center with extensive pilot plant capabilities, food analysis laboratories, and industry training programs — the closest publicly-funded analogue to APLTA in scale and mission.
• CSIC - Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación (CIAL): Spanish public research institute dedicated to food science with pilot plant and laboratory capabilities serving the Spanish food industry — directly comparable publicly-funded food R&D peer based in Spain.
• ACTALIA (CNIEL dairy technical center network): French dairy industry technical center providing pilot-scale processing, training, and food analysis to dairy companies — directly mirrors APLTA's mission as an industry-facing dairy R&D and training platform.

Broad incumbents

• INRAE (Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement): French public research institute with multiple dairy and food technology units (including UMR STLO and URTAL) operating pilot plants and sensory analysis — a major publicly-funded peer to APLTA in dairy-focused R&D infrastructure.
• Mérieux NutriSciences: International food testing and sensory analysis services provider serving dairy and food manufacturers — comparable to APLTA's food analysis laboratory services in target customers and test categories.
• Wageningen University & Research - Food & Biobased Research: Largest European food research institute with broad portfolio of dairy/food pilot facilities, sensory labs, and contract research — overlaps with APLTA across nearly all service lines but at significantly greater scale.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV): German applied research institute offering pilot-scale food processing, packaging, and analytical services to industry — directly comparable in providing R&D, pilot testing, and training to food manufacturers.
• Eurofins Food Testing: Global food testing laboratory network offering physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory analysis to food manufacturers — competes directly with APLTA's analytical services arm at much larger commercial scale.

Regional players

• IRTA (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries): Catalan agri-food research institute with dairy and food processing pilot facilities and industry service programs — a regional Iberian peer operating under a similar public-sector applied research model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aula-de-productos-l-cteos---usc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about APLTA / USC - Aula de Productos Lácteos y Tecnologías Alimentarias