Applications

Sterilization

Food Safety

Sterilization of spices, herbs, tea and many more

Food safety is playing an increasingly important role. Whether manufacturer, processor or retailer, nobody can afford to bring unsafe or contaminated food onto the market. KREYENBORG's patented infrared process enables the gentle sterilization of food.

We have all heard of products that have been recalled due to salmonella contamination and other pathogens such as E. coli, yeast or mold. Such a situation can not only damage a company's reputation, but also the health of consumers. Therefore, the process to reduce germs is of utmost importance. As a provider of food safety solutions for food processing, we do our part to ensure that our customers can be certain that only safe food is brought to market. How do we do this? With our infrared system FoodSafety Infrared Rotary Drum (FoodSafety-IRD).

Infrared Technology

Advantages of sterilization using infrared light

Advantages for your products
  • Validated log-5 reduction of bacterial counts for many different products
  • Destruction of pathogenic germs (e.g. salmonella). Already validated for many products by accredited laboratories.
  • Reduction of GKZ/TPC, yeast, mold, E. coli, coliforms, germs, etc
  • Optional: solution for spore reduction (e.g. for heavily contaminated black pepper)
  • Reliable killing has been proven in more than 10,000 individual analyses carried out by accredited laboratories
  • Sensory attributes are largely retained: color, taste, essential oils, smell as well as valuable substances and vitamins
  • All-natural process - no gases, chemicals or additives used
  • Suitable for organic food
  • Continuous mixing. No dead spots. Each particle receives the same treatment in duration and temperature.
Advantages of our system
  • Natural sterilization by means of infrared light - alternative to ethylene oxide (EtO), propylene oxide (PPO) and gamma irradiation
  • Gentle process: minimal mechanical stress on the product
  • Suitable for:
    • sensitive products (e.g. sliced almonds, bay leaves, camomile)
    • products with a high oil content (e.g. cumin)
    • products that tend to lose volatile oils (e.g. basil, oregano, lavender)
    • products with a high spore load (e.g. black pepper)
    • herbs, spices, tea, seeds, cereals, leaves, etc
  • Continuous processing
  • Homogeneous treatment of the product
  • Processing within minutes - short dwell time
  • No pre-heating of the system required
  • Automatic mode with storage of the respective process parameters
  • Data logger
  • Stainless-steel construction
  • CIP (Cleaning in Place)
  • Energy efficiency thanks to the direct operating principle of infrared light

In contrast to steam processes, in which the product is treated with high steam temperatures, our sterilization process uses infrared light, which is part of sunlight and therefore 100 % natural. Many other sterilization processes, such as EtO (ethylene oxide), PPO (propylene oxide) or gamma irradiation, are already banned in parts of the world.

Our continuously operating FoodSafety -IRD regulates the intensity of the infrared light and therefore the process and product temperature automatically and depending on the product temperature. A different temperature can be set in each of the up to four temperature zones, depending on the product. The system's control ensures automatic self-regulation of the temperature by automatically increasing or decreasing the light intensity depending on the current product temperature. The product is heated directly from the inside out within a few minutes, while the rotating drum ensures constant mixing of the product - so every particle sees the light. The use of fine water mist during the sterilization process enables a 5-log reduction in bacterial counts. Rapid heating means that the product is only exposed to heat for as long as necessary.

BCFoods is delighted with the success of our investment with Kreyenborg’s infrared technology. Given the market’s ongoing shift toward Ready-To-Eat (RTE) products, coupled with the challenges posed by ETO and irradiation sterilization methods, the natural FS-IRD process is an exceptional alternative for our industrial ingredient applications.
Mike Bray, President BCFoods North America

Your products

Spices & herbs
Nuts
Seeds
Dried fruits
Tea
Cereals
Deh. vegetables & mushroom
Leaves
Your product
CC_Demo07
Our solution

FoodSafety-IRD