The opening of Taiwan’s KEE Fresh & Safe Foodtech Co., Ltd. (KFS), gives food processors in the Asia-Pacific region convenient access to a proven technology that enhances product shelf-life and safety while responding to consumer demands for fresh and healthful foods.
KFS, which was established in 2011 as a specialty company under the KEE Group umbrella, will offer high pressure processing (HPP) services on a contract basis from a custom-designed, newly constructed facility in the Pingtung Export Processing Zone.
HPP is a post-packaging preservation technique that inactivates food-borne pathogens and spoilage organisms without the use of chemicals or preservatives. KFS installed its first high-production 350-Liter HPP system from Avure Technologies (Franklin, Tenn., USA), in May, 2012. The 10,000-square-meter (107,600-square-foot) Pingtung plant has room to add three more HPP systems as volume expands.
“Our goal is to elevate the quality, wholesomeness, and safety of products by helping our customers preserve foods naturally without heat or chemical additives,” states Sonny Liao, KFS Chairman.
The extended shelf-life that results from HPP will allow processors to enter export markets and ship their products longer distances with the assurance that they remain fresh and safe. It also creates the opportunity to develop new products with the freshness and flavors that appeal to today’s consumers.
As a total solutions provider, KFS is well equipped to offer its customers assistance throughout the HPP experience, from product development to market launch. In addition to its HPP plant and R&D testing center, services include labeling, inspection, repackaging, inventory management, and a 1,000-ton capacity cold storage area.
In keeping with its mission to make use of the technology as seamless and as cost-effective as possible, KFS will hold a day-long workshop, site tour, and food tasting on Tuesday, July 31st. Dr. Chung-Liang Chu, rer. nat., Senior Research Fellow at the Product and Process Research Center of the Food Industry Research and Development Institute, will be the keynote speaker. Avure Senior Food Scientist Dr. Errol Raghubeer will lead a roundtable discussion on HPP, and other industry experts will make presentations on the technology, market trends, and customer successes.
A non-thermal process, HPP uses ultra high water pressure (up to 6,000) bar) to disable pathogens and harmful bacteria such as Listeria, E.coli, and Salmonella in packaged refrigerated products. Current applications range from ready-to-eat meats, seafood, and shellfish to soups, deli salads, and juices and smoothies.
According to Jackson Wu, KFS Sales Vice President, early KFS customers include seafood, RTE meat, and juice processors. “HPP can help customers broaden markets, increase consumer confidence, and strengthen the reputation of their brands,” Wu comments.
Food processors are invited to learn more and register for the workshop by contacting Janet Liao by email at [email protected] or by telephone at +886-2-7703-0600 ext. 2106.
About Avure Technologies Inc.
With its equipment now processing the vast majority of all HPP-treated consumer food products worldwide, Avure is truly the global leader in HPP technology. The company offers a full range of services to keep food pathogen free and fresh longer—from recipe development to installation of the fastest, most reliable high pressure presses in the world. HPP significantly extends product shelf-life while preserving and enhancing natural flavors, colors, taste, and texture. Avure headquarters are in Franklin, Tennessee, near Nashville, with equipment design, manufacturing, and support operations in Vasteras, Sweden; Columbus, Ohio; and regional sales and support operations globally. A new manufacturing facility will open in the Nashville area in late 2012. For more information, visit www.avure.com
