CTI Achieves High Pressure Processing Verification at the Individual Package Level

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Sept. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As high pressure processing (HPP) grows to provide consumers foods with natural flavors and free of preservatives, the most important job of HPP is to keep consumers safe from harmful bacteria such as salmonella and listeria.  Heretofore, the gap in that process has been the inability to inspect individual packages to identify where the HPP process might have failed.

Identifying an individual failed package has significant economic advantages versus eliminating an entire run of prepared foods following the vessel exposure to the HPP process.

Chromatic Technologies Inc. (CTI) has introduced its second generation of printable BlindSpotz™ HPP verification technology. At the individual unit level, the CTI enhancements can differentiate between packages processed at 70K psi, 80K psi and 87K psi.  The technology also identifies short cycles such as packages at 87K psi for less than one minute.

A typical protein or juice product is processed through HPP at 87K psi for three minutes.  Failure to hit that target pressure results in substantial risk of harmful contamination.

BlindSpotz™ HPP verification technology prints a clear message/image and then a blue color appears when the proper target is reached.   To make it easy to use in a production environment, a reference color is used for comparison.  If the HPP verification ink is lighter than the reference color, the package is easily identified as "failed" in the HPP process.  For more rigorous or automated systems, the precision of a 'vision system' is used to measure the color to ensure an objective analysis instead of human eyes.

"Customers pushed us hard for a smart, affordable technology that could validate the initiation of the kill step of the most dangerous bacteria during the HPP process. This makes it easy to identify - - at the individual package level - - if something failed," said Lyle Small, CTI's founder and chief executive officer. "An HPP failure is a safety hand grenade waiting to explode for brands and retailers if there isn't a simple way to identify dangerous product. The HPP machines are very smart at detecting problems, but they don't provide the inspection of individual packages."

There are three ways to use the HPP validation technology: (1) an HPP badge can be used in every tote (or basket) of packages to confirm success and retained for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) records, (2) stickers can be applied to individual packages and (3) printed on the package as part of existing printing process.

HydroFresh, an HPP toller from Delphos, Ohio, makes the technology available to its customers.

"HydroFresh has been an early tester of CTI's BlindSpotz™ HPP validation technology.  We will now offer our customers the option of validation tote badges as an added layer of quality and safety," states Hydro Fresh President Don Klausing.

"The difference between good quality and great service is providing HPP validation of quality and safety at the individual package or tote level.  Hydro Fresh seeks to be the best HPP toller in the business by providing total transparency to our customers," Klausing added.

The BlindSpotz™ technology is deployed across the protein, juice, sauce product lines overseas in Chile, France, Spain, Mexico as well as within the United States.

The Basics of HPP

Used within the food and beverage industries, HPP machines are specially designed to inactivate pathogenic bacteria and thereby extend shelf-life.  Conventional "pasteurization" uses high temperatures, which degrade the taste and nutritional value of foods and beverages. HPP is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

HPP eliminates bacteria through high pressure and can be used for both organic as well as natural foods. 

Additionally, HPP can be conducted at refrigerated temperatures. As such, HPP does not alter heat-sensitive foods such as meats, fruits and vegetables. While the benefits of HPP have a lengthy history, modern advances have shown that, in addition to the health benefits, the HPP process allows a product to be shipped/stored refrigerated rather than frozen, providing considerable economic and time savings.  The CTI technology for HPP is also applicable to pharmaceutical products.

About Chromatic Technologies Inc.

CTI is the world's largest producer of thermochromic ink and manufactures other environmentally reactive technology, such as photochromic, pressure activated, irreversible, reveal and glow-in-the dark.  CTI is an innovation company that supports the world's biggest brands and package printers. www.ctiinks.com

Visual: Click HERE

SOURCE Chromatic Technologies Inc.

Related Links

https://www.ctiinks.com