Transformational Steam Infusion Processing for Resilient and Sustainable Food Manufacturing Businesses.

Christopher Brooks,Mark Swainson,Ruzaina Ishak,Isabel Campelos,Wayne Martindale,Ian Beauchamp

doi:10.3390/foods10081763

Abstract

Here we show how food and beverage manufacturers report more incisive sustainability and product fulfilment outcomes for their business enterprises when innovative processing technologies are used. The reported steam infusion technology heats food materials within a Vaction Pump device so that steam is directed into the food material within a much reduced volume, reducing the use of steam and processing time. This study reports how such technological interventions will enable supply chain stakeholders to demonstrate responsible consumption by connecting assessments for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions with consumer-focused outcomes such as product quality. The technology reported in this research not only improves operational agility by improving processing speed, but also improves the responsiveness of factory production to changes in demand. Heating procedures are systemic processes in the food industry that can be used to pasteurize, achieve commercially viable shelf-life, and provide cleaning in place. The reported research defines how these technologies can reduce the carbon footprint of products, improve quality attributes, and lower operating costs across supply chains. They provide an important step in developing distributed manufacturing in the food system because the technologies reported here are modular and can be installed into existing operations. The specific technology can reduce energy consumption by 17.3% compared to basic direct steam heating, with a reduction of 277.8 processing hours and 8.7 tonnes GHG emissions per kettle production line each year. Food and beverage manufacturers are increasingly required to report across the sustainability, nutrition, and product quality outcomes of their business enterprises more incisively so that supply chain stakeholders can demonstrate responsible production and consumption. The steam infusion technologies assessed in this research enable alignment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG12, Responsible Production and Consumption, using in situ data logging in factory trials for novel heating procedures used to process foods.

Highlights

IntroductionThe dominant direct energy consuming processes in food manufacturing factories are often heating operations, and innovative Steam Infusion cooking is tested here to highlight transformational changes across food manufacturing practices
The research reported in this article establishes how food engineering applications can be integrated with sustainability reporting and consumer quality outcomes
The Steam Infusion technology and equipment developed by OAL is patented and trademarked as the VactionTM Pump (see, Steam Infusion, see https://steaminfusion.oalgroup.com/, personal communication from OAL)

Summary

Introduction

The dominant direct energy consuming processes in food manufacturing factories are often heating operations, and innovative Steam Infusion cooking is tested here to highlight transformational changes across food manufacturing practices. The Steam Infusion technologies in this study have been developed and tested with OAL (OAL, Peterborough, UK) in the UK so that the improvements in manufacturing resilience in the food system made by using this technology can be reported. An ideal benefit of advanced processing technologies is the potential to integrate them into existing operations and develop a framework for reporting the sustainability attributes associated with every product. This is of specific use in adopting

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Conclusion