Perfect pasteurisation

The Classica Group has said that its Classica Microwave Technologies subsidiary (CMT) has successfully demonstrated in its newly built New Jersey, US, laboratory the effectiveness of its microwave pasteurisation technology for extending the shelf life of packaged fresh waffles and french toast.

The application of CMT's technology to pasteurise freshly made packaged breakfast foods will enable manufacturers to extend shelf life up to six times longer than their current shelf life without the use of any chemical preservatives. In the US alone, ready to heat and serve breakfast foods have become a substantial part of the over $3 billion (€2.76bn) breakfast foods category.

"Based upon our technology's success in numerous commercial installations in Europe in providing extended shelf life (ESL) for refrigerated and non refrigerated food products, through rapid microwave pasteurisation, we are now able to introduce United States manufacturers of breakfast food products to the technical advantages and financial benefits of our technology,"​ said Scott Halperin, Classica's chairman and chief executive officer.

"The consumer will be getting a safer food product and the manufacturer will benefit from reduced product returns, enhanced brand positioning in the marketplace and a wider distribution range as the result of the extended shelf life,"​ he added.

CMT's continuous microwave pasteuriser will be presented for the first time to US food industry executives at the coming Worldwide Food Expo in Chicago, Illinois.

"Here we will demonstrate the advantages and financial benefits of microwave pasteurisation,"​ stated Joseph Riemer, PhD, CMT's president. "This presentation will enable food manufacturing professionals and other business people from the US and around the world to view and evaluate our proprietary technology, after which they will be invited to schedule their own custom application testing at our laboratory in New Jersey,"​ he added.

In February, the Classica Group moved its corporate headquarters to the newly constructed 10,400 square foot facility in New Jersey where they have a 2,500 square foot state-of-the-art testing laboratory. The laboratory is supported by a full commercial kitchen that is used for the preparation of food products for testing in one of the Company's microwave heat processing systems.

The company says that its laboratory has microwave systems capable of demonstrating pasteurisation, sterilisation, sanitising and drying of food products. The process for the pasteurisation of Tofu can be successfully demonstrated in this environment.