FOOD

Disinfestation and sanitisation

Insect pests, fungi, yeasts and pathogens infestations are a major problem in the storage, processing and marketing of agricultural commodities such as nuts, cereals, grains, pulses, seeds, etc. Typically, chemical fumigants are used for postharvest pest and bacteria control but regulatory issues, environmental concerns, potential health hazards, reduced acceptance by consumers and the increase of the organic products market have pressed the industry to implement non-chemical treatment alternatives, including thermal methods.

 

Conventional thermal techniques are simple and easy to control, however they are intrinsically slow and it is well known that prolonged heating can be detrimental to quality of food products. Direct heating methods by electromagnetic waves, instead, allow for rapid and uniform heating of many substrates. Recently, specific research has confirmed the viability of the radio frequency technology in this application field.

Benefits
Fast and effective treatment

The process is 3 to 10 times faster compared to conventional heat treatments: 3′-5′ are sufficient to increase from room temperature up to 55-65°C (for disinfestation) and 7′-10′ up to 80-100°C (for sanitisation). One or two minutes temperature holding time is sufficient to ensure 100% mortality of even the most heat resistant pest species in all their development stages or to achieve 2 to 3 log reduction of the t.b.c. within the commodity.

Organic and chemicals-free process

The physical, chemical, sensorial and nutritional properties are preserved at best during the mild heat treatment, while a healthy and safe commodity can be obtained without using fumigants, anoxic atmosphere or other chemical treatments.

Energy efficient and environmentally friendly technology

Approx 25 kWh are required to disinfest about 1 ton of product (about the double for a thorough sanitisation process), which translates into a cost of 2-4 Eur/ton, competitive with the conventional technologies.

FOOD

Disinfestation and Sanitisation equipment “SANICROP+”

Patented RF equipment for the disinfestation and sanitisation of agricultural commodities

Read more

FOOD

RF sanitisation of spices, medicinal and aromatic herbs “SANILEAF+”

RF equipment for the sanitisation of spices, medicinal and aromatic herbs

Read more
Photo gallery
slider image Drying and disinfestation of rice germ
slider image Radiofrequency equipment for the pasteurization of almonds
slider image RF sanitization of hemp seeds
slider image Radiofrequency equipment for the pasteurization of buckwheat
slider image Radiofrequency equipment for drying and sanitizing cereals/beans/dried legumes
slider image Radiofrequency equipment for the pasteurization of dried mushrooms
slider image Radiofrequency equipment for the pasteurization of almonds
slider image Radiofrequency drying of dates
slider image Pre-storage radiofrequency disinfestation of corn
slider image Radiofrequency pest control of rice
Subscribe to our newsletter Subscribe