Food pasteurization boosts safety and cuts energy use
“Our process is chemical free and does not utilize ionizing radiation,” a spokeswoman told FoodProductionDaily.com. “Additionally, surface pasteurization can be accomplished after the food is packaged, increasing the safety of the products.”
Energy savings depend on the particular application but she estimated the recurring costs to be: “… less than one tenth of the costs associated with low dose irradiation and chemical treatment.” The savings arise from delivering concentrated energy to the surface of food so reducing the amount of wasted energy in current pasteurization methods.
Bacterial contamination
About 95 percent of the energy produced in the form of heat produced by millimeter waves is directed to the food surface. This is particularly useful for ground meats and citrus, which commonly have higher risk of bacterial contamination, said the company.
Unlike conventional pasteurization, the technology does not rely on chemicals or ionizing radiation to destroy harmful bacteria.
In tests using samples of meat pre-contaminated with three harmful bacteria, the system killed all three in less than 16 seconds.
In addition to food safety, the technology is said to preserve food quality and to help economise on plant space. “Two important benefits of this solution are that it does not alter the biochemical or nutritional content of the food,” said the spokeswoman. “So it will also not alter the taste of the food.”
Ionizing radiation
Also because this technology can be incorporated into existing food processing lines, pasteurization results are said to be achieved more quickly than bulk pasteurization using ionizing radiation.
Lee Silvestre, the company’s vice president of Mission Innovation, said: "As our world food supply is becoming increasingly susceptible to contamination, it is important that we continue to develop healthier, more efficient methods to keep our food supply safe."
Raytheon is currently seeking partners to commercialize the technology.
