Protecting health, safeguarding reputations

Food safety incidents can have a devastating financial and reputational impact, and globalized trade means that local incidents can become international emergencies in no time. Microorganisms can enter and contaminate food products via raw materials during or after processing. The control of harmful bacteria  requires reliable kill steps to ensure safe food products, a critical aspect in food processing.

Bühler has used its expertise in engineering, process technology and microbiology to design traditional heat processes into reliable kill steps, including extruders, roasters and steam conditioners. Each kill step also requires  validation and monitoring. We therefore provide a validation service for most of our heat processes to prove their effectiveness. This not only proves the inactivation capabilities but also allows for continuous, accurate and in-depth process monitoring to avoid incidents and maintain optimum quality. Bühler has also developed Laatu,  a breakthrough non-thermal microbial reduction solution for the dry food industry. It uses low energy electron beam technology to significantly reduce microorganisms such as salmonella, E.coli and spores in milliseconds. It cuts energy consumption by up to 80% compared to steam, has a minimal or zero effect on product quality and can be implemented anywhere along the processing line. Laatu is already available for the spice market, and implementation for other dry food markets is being developed.