Energy & Power, Heating, Cooling & Drying

Advanced cooking process extends shelf life -Ready meals back on the up!

Phil Black - PII Editor 01/04/2014

104 2 minutes read

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Despite a knock to consumer confidence in August 2013, evidence gathered recently by the BBC one year on has shown the ready meal market to have recovered across the board. Improvements in sales have been seen in certain sectors, such as the chiller aisle.

Providing the technology to guarantee quality and safety, the use of Lagarde retorts for REPFEDS (REfrigerated Processed Foods of Extended Durability) has long been pioneered by Holmach Ltd in the UK to great success. Currently, there are over 50 of these autoclaves in daily operation producing extended shelf life ready meals around the country.

Upholding this assessment of growth in the industry, Chris Holland, Managing Director of Holmach Ltd. believes that these trends will continue from strength to strength:

“By the close of 2013 there had been a steady recovery in this market, and an increase in the use of retorts for pasteurising meat products in the UK. Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) doesn’t have the same advantages of short/sharp thermal processing, which can extend life in excess of 30 days without affecting product quality. Instead, treating combination meals with MAP is more inefficient, as there is no single gas that will retard microbial growth when meat, sauce and vegetables are mixed together. A shorter shelf life for the final product treated by MAP could prevent British manufacturers from exporting ethnic foods in particular, despite a growing demand from European retailers.”

Using a steam process for rapid cooking, Lagarde retorts combine a high velocity fan, with accuracy rated to 0.1 degrees C ensures the quick transfer of heat across the batch. There is no agitation of the packs whilst in the retort, which offers better yields than with Sous-Vide systems, as well as lower utility costs and no dead time whilst the machine is in operation. Each batch can be cooled rapidly after the process to under 5°c if required, with very consistent results. These autoclaves can be fitted to work on various packaging types, including the environmentally friendly paperboard ready meal tray, and with varying batch sizes from a single 4kg bag to 1 ton. Full traceability is ensured via the patented PC control system that electronically files data for security, as it logs each instance of individual access to the machine for the batch report.

Holmesterne Foods installed a Lagarde static retort for the processing of beef ribs in a barbecue sauce through Holmach Ltd. Their product, along with many others, now has an extended shelf life in distribution, thanks to being fully cooked during processing. Steven Holden, the company’s Commercial Director, commented that:

“We went to Holmach & Lagarde because of their huge experience and following a recommendation from a third party. The unit is beautifully constructed, is easy for our operators and technical people to use and has exceeded our expectations with regards to its flexibility.”

Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2014, Holmach Ltd. is looking forward to presenting the advantages of the innovative technology at the forthcoming Thermal Processing conference at Campden BRI on the 12th and 13th of June.