Food Processing

The heat that browns your loaf and the light that cleans your line

Infrared is why your bread has a crust and your biscuits have colour. UV-C is increasingly why the belt that carried them there is clean. Both are already standard equipment in UK and EU food manufacturing — they're just rarely the part of the process anyone talks about.

Throughput and hygiene are pulling in opposite directions

You're under pressure to run lines faster and leaner while hygiene requirements get stricter, not looser. Chemical sanitisers between batches mean downtime, residue risk, and another line item for your QA team to validate under HACCP and EU Regulation 852/2004. Every minute spent on a chemical clean-down cycle is a minute your line isn't producing.

How we solve it

Infrared delivers fast, targeted surface heat exactly where you need it — baking, browning, toasting and drying, with far faster response than a conventional oven and none of the lag of heating a whole chamber of air. UV-C disinfection tackles the hygiene side without chemicals at all: it sterilises conveyor belts, packaging film, work surfaces, water systems and air handling units by disrupting microbial DNA directly, meeting HACCP critical control point requirements without leaving any residue behind for your QA team to test for.

Browning of Ready Meals

Given the flexible and energy-efficient nature of infrared heating technology, the applications for its uses are almost endless. Custom-built infrared ovens for food processing can be used in particular for the browning of ready meals. This technology is perfect for manufacturers looking to achieve the desired effect of browning the surface of the food without cooking it. This is crucial for companies involved in ready meal production technology, as it enhances the final appearance, making it more appealing to the end user.

Electric infrared heating is ideal within the oven or conveyor system, as it instantly heats up and can be controlled easily, ensuring no excess energy is wasted in the production process. We have collaborated with multiple manufacturers for the production of lasagnes, cottage pies, and many other items.

Products:

• IR Twin Tubes – SW
• IR Twin Tubes – MW
• Modular Strap Array

Chocolate Manufacturing

Infrared heat technology is commonly used in the manufacturing of chocolate and is essential during the processing stage. Regulating the temperature is extremely important, especially when creating filled chocolate products. The quickest, most energy-efficient, and controllable way of doing this is by using electric infrared heating technology.

As infrared heating only heats the substrate rather than the air itself, it allows for pure heat penetration, which is more hygienic and preferable to hot air blowers. A heating process is required specifically when you need to join and fuse two chocolate parts together, such as a chocolate egg. This is typically poured into a mould and then joined at a later stage, but during this process, it is imperative that the mould is pre-heated to reduce the risk of weakening the chocolate.

Products used:

• IR SW Twin Tube lamps
• IR FRMW Twin Tube lamps

Food Grilling

Infrared heating technology is a versatile heat source and is ideal for various applications in the food processing industry, including food grilling. The instant heat output coupled with controllability makes it the most energy-efficient and effective way to grill certain foods in an industrial capacity. We can collaborate with you using our R&D laboratory to test and successfully determine the best custom grilling systems for food to meet your needs.

Disinfection

Ensuring a clean and safe environment while producing food is crucial. The use of ultraviolet and infrared technology can greatly assist in this. UV-C lamps and systems can help eliminate any bacteria in the air as well as from the surface of the food itself, using our UV-C tunnels to destroy any harmful bacteria and microorganisms present on the food.

Baking

The baking of various foods, including biscuits and bread, can be carried out much more efficiently using electric infrared heating technology. IR radiation penetrates the food more effectively than alternative sources, coupled with the fact that no excess energy is wasted heating the air. This means you can save money on your energy and running costs while increasing your production yield as it is a much quicker process.