Advanced Cooking and Cooling Technology (ACCT)

By combining 2 processes an innovative system will disrupt traditional process practices leading to a step change in supply chain efficiency within the fast growing markets for ready meals, soups and other sauce based food products. Through rapid cooking (steam infusion) and rapid cooling (liquid nitrogen) major issues effecting food quality, nutritional values, productivity and waste are dramatically reduced. Olympus Automation Ltd., with its leading partners, University of Lincoln, BOC Ltd and Iceland Manufacturing Ltd., plan to realise the following objectives through this project: i) To gain a full scientific understanding of the effects of rapid cooling using liquid nitrogen on sauces and soups, and the vegetable, fruit and meat particulates they contain; ii) Integrate rapid cooking and cooling technologies to create a high rate, flexible and efficient sauce production system; iii) Use the knowledge from scientific research into ingredient behaviour to maximise nutritional and health values and product shelf life; iv) Minimise waste by developing a fully flexible process that reduces production, cleaning and changeover times to meet retailers’ increasingly variable supply requirements.