The Preparation Division of Interfood Technology is extending its offering with the announcement of the signing of a new contract which will see the company supplying a range of equipment manufactured by SAIREM to Interfood Technology’s customers in the UK and Eire.
The France based manufacturer specialises in microwave and radio frequency solutions for the food industry and has been working with many of the leading names in worldwide food processing since 1978. This includes tempering and defrosting equipment which enable foodstuffs (including meat, seafood, fish, fruit, and vegetables) to be thawed quickly and efficiently, eliminating drip loss without affecting organoleptic properties.
Microwave tempering gives significant efficiency improvement over traditional chilled tempering room processes, with reduced work in progress, easier production planning, minimised labour input, and optimised factory space utilisation.
Given the extensive experience that SAIREM has in both microwave and radio frequency equipment, it does not focus on one technology above another, but builds optimum solutions to meet the needs of a specific applications. An example would be the adoption of radio frequency for more delicate products with its longer wavelength and slower heating than microwaves.
A potential issue when thawing foodstuffs is drip loss and thus yield loss and product degradation. The speed and uniformity offered by the microwave and radio frequency processes minimises this, completely eliminating weight loss (can be up to 10% on average) and thereby significantly improving raw material yield. Products do not need to be unpacked as the machines can accommodate cardboard, polythene film (helping to overcome poly-entrapment), and plastic boxes, thereby minimising labour input and maximising efficiency.
Richard Nethercot is Interfood Technology’s Group Divisional Manager. Commenting on the new partnership he said – “We are always looking at new opportunities to help improve existing food manufacturing processes and to meet the needs of our customers. The approach taken by SAIREM impressed us as it mirrors our own – it’s not based on a ‘one size fits all’ mentality but rather a case of listening and understanding the specific requirements of a given process and coming up with the most appropriate solution. We are all seeing continued focus on fresher, more natural foods without added preservatives. Microwave and radio frequency technologies sit well with this trend, the high thermal efficiencies and shorter processing times ensuring better preservation of organoleptic properties. Typically, payback can be of the order of several months, subject to existing drip losses which are sometimes overlooked. Most international organic certification bodies clearly cite microwaving as an authorised thermal process in the production of organic food.”
SAIREM has more than 5,000 references in operation in 70 countries and their factory in France offers extensive food product testing facilities and very much welcomes customers. Interfood Technology looks forward to extending the use of the company’s technologies with its existing and future customer base.
