Revolutionary solution without additives or chemicals against germs in ready-to-eat products (suitable for organic also)

Germany

Tuesday 13 March 2018

The production of ready-to-eat, packaged fresh products such as fresh-cut salads has increased in the last couple of years. As an example: one important main element in fruit salads are apples. They are washed and cubed – while remaining unpeeled. Thus, removing the adherent micro-organisms from the skin accurately is a basic requirement.

This aspect is addressed by a project named DEKONWA, which KRONEN GmbH is working on together with its partner, the ATB Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy. Goal of the project is to not just wash apples, but to also hygienize them in a gentle way and without using any additives or chemicals.

Fresh fruits which were treated with hot water in the laboratory, showed a high impact against most of the relevant germs. A water temperature of 50 to 55 °C seems to be the optimum condition for longer exposure times. Shorter exposure times at a temperature of 55 to 60 °C were successful, too. At this point the main impact of the treatment with hot water is supposed to be due to the microbial reaction induced by the heat shock. Since the thermal procedure works without any chemical additives, it can be used for organic fruit salads.

„KRONEN works with a sustainable, holistic approach: We offer high-level consulting and planning, in close cooperation with our partners from industry and research. We want to introduce new ideas for delivering innovative, tailor-made solutions in the interest and for the benefit of our customers” says Eric Lefebvre, Technical Director of KRONEN. “Our project DEKONWA is one example how we want to meet the requirements

of the industry in regards to achieving optimum decontamination and food safety without using additives. The system is supposed to be integrated into an existing processing line easily and flexibly. Eventually, we plan to transfer the process to other products, such as fresh-cut salads, too”.

At Anuga FoodTec the topic will be presented in a lecture titled “Fresh fruit and vegetable decontamination by an innovative moderate heat treatment” taking place at the Forum „Technology of Fresh-cut products“, organized by the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) in the Congress Center East, Room 1+2, on 22 March from 14:00 to 16:00 pm. Speakers are Eric Lefebvre and Bertram Schmidt, who is Research Scientist for Horticultural Engineering at the ATB Potsdam.

To get more information about Kronen machines as well as complete processing lines– highduty machinery for washing, cutting, dividing, peeling, de-watering, drying, and packaging food, visit company`s Stand F-8 in Hall 10.1 at Anuga FoodTec.

Contact: KRONEN GmbH Nahrungsmitteltechnik, Germany
Mrs Christina Maier
Phone: + 49 (0)7854 9646-160
Email christina.maier@kronen.eu
https://www.kronen.eu/en/