INNOVATION

New technological developments contribute to better quality products, lower energy consumption and water wastage,
safer processes and fewer losses of precious ingredients and products. Innovation is written with a capital I at
Zwanenberg Food Group. That not only covers new products and ingredients, but also relates to new and sustainable
techniques and forms of preparation.

PROCESS AND TECHNOLOGY

There are various ways to extend that shelf life of a product, such as drying, salting, fermenting, freezing, sterilisation
and pasteurisation. Zwanenberg Food Group has been a specialist for many years in all these areas. Moreover,
Zwanenberg is constantly looking for new and more efficient and effective methods. These innovative technologies
are not only aimed at extending shelf life, but also at lowering energy usage. High Pressure Processing (HPP) and
Radio Frequency (RF) Heating are examples of such technologies.

HPP is a cold pasteurisation technique in which very high water pressure is used to combat hazardous bacteria.
Zwanenberg was the first producer in the Benelux to apply this technique at industrial level. The shelf life and food
safety of HPP products are significantly extended without compromising quality or flavour levels and while protecting
freshness properties.

RF heating is an alternative method of cooking that uses much less energy and is much more efficient than traditional
heating. The RF technique also has the benefit versus other techniques that it is a rapid process that can be precisely
managed. This shortens process times and assures constant quality.

PRODUCT AND INGREDIENTS

When developing our products we maintain a sharp focus on the target group, ensuring for instance that products
aimed at children contain the right fats and not too much salt. And within the Linera range, too, (saturated) fat levels
have been reduced by using other ingredients. Zwanenberg has significantly lowered salt concentrations across a
wide range of products.

Some Zwanenberg products are enriched with important nutrients, such as iron and calcium. Zwanenberg also
supplies products with higher protein levels, for the elderly or people requiring a special protein-rich diet. Proteins are
essential building blocks for the body. It is also possible to change the ratio of fatty acids, so that a product has lower
saturated fatty acid levels and higher unsaturated levels.

PACKAGING

Packaging protects products against external influences, ensures longer shelf lives, divides products into portions
and makes them easier to transport. Zwanenberg uses countless different packaging forms and techniques,
depending on the type of product and the markets the product is destined for. Zwanenberg has been using aluminium
instead of steel for several years in packaging for canned-meat exports. Aluminium is lighter and easier to open.

Zwanenberg Food Group supplies a wide range of quality products.

Meat preserves, such as luncheon meat and halal products, are exported to more than 100 countries worldwide,
including in the Middle East and Africa.
Zwanenberg has own production locations in the Netherlands, England and the United States.
In the US meat preserves and convenience meals are produced for the American market, as well as for export.
In England savoury snacks, delicatessen, puddings and meal components are produced for the UK market.
For the Dutch market Zwanenberg produces and distributes liver sausages, dry sausages and smoked sausages.
Well-known brands are Kips and Huls. Zwanenberg also produces for the Unilever brands Unox and Bertolli.
Abstract
Radio-frequency (RF) dielectric heating/drying has been used in various industrial
applications for many years, especially in wood, textile, and some food industry
processes. Since dielectric heating transfers energy directly to the product (volumetric
heating), applications of RF present obvious advantages over other conventional
techniques (reduction in processing time and space, improvement in product quality,
etc.). The principal challenge that requires attention for the adoption of RF applications
is the nonuniform heating caused by variations in size, geometry and properties of the
materials.
The success of an RF heating/drying setup lies in its design and in the impedance
matching between the power generator and the applicator. The quality of the
applicator's design is very important for its efficiency. Attention must be given to the
choice of materials (quality of the electric contacts, resistance to corrosion, etc.), and to
the setup as a whole (durability, dielectric behavior of insulators, proper grounding,
etc.).
The development of new applications for RF and the design of applicators require
sophisticated tools (network analyzer) and a considerable amount of expertise for fine
tuning. The investment costs are high, from five to ten times higher (per kW) than for
conventional means of heating. However, when used alone or in combination with
conventional methods, RF energy can considerably reduce processing time, improve
energy use and provide a quality product with a processing that meets new
environmental constraints, and new production means.

RF in Food Processing
Applications for Radio Frequency and Microwave Heating in the Food industry

The unique processing benefits achievable with RF technology have been used in food
applications for many years. RF Global Solutions are working with leading food
companies to develop novel food processes and products. Examples of such equipment
include:

Defrosting

The process advantages include:-

 greater yield as a result of reduced drip loss

 shorter process time (one hour compared with 48 hours or more)
 higher quality
 lower bacteriological contamination

Softening

There are number of food ingredients and products which can benefit from softening
either as a part of the main process or for recovery of trim or other in-process waste.
The ingredients include a range of fats such as shortening for pastry making, cocoa
butter and its substitutes.

Baking and post baking

Using RF “post baking’’ product throughput can be increased by up to 30%. RF assisted

baking processes which can operate within ovens operating up to 300oC. The
advantages of this combination baking, include:-

 Reduced baking time.

 More compact machines.
 A wider choice of product characteristics arising the separate control of the surface and core
heating rates.
 Choice of full baking or part baking for finishing at point of use.
 Novel product shapes and textures.
 Cooking and blanching.
Radio frequency and microwave heating techniques are useful for a range of continuous
cooking operations. Their volumetric heating results in improved product quality. The
range of materials which can be cooked include meats and reformed meats, pies and
pizzas, vegetables and potato products.

Pasteurisation

RF and microwave techniques offers significant opportunities in extending the period

between production runs of particular dishes without compromising the shelf life as seen
by the customer.

RF Global Solutions also supply conventional steam heated pasteurizers.

Both microwave (MW) and radio frequency (RF) heating (also referred to as dielectric
heating) refer to the application of electromagnetic waves to generate heat at regulated
frequencies. The frequencies regulated by the U.S. Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) for industrial, medical, and scientific purposes are 13.56, 27.12, and
40.68 MHz for RF, and, 915, 2450, 5800, and 24125 MHz for MW applications. Aside
from the frequency range and penetration depth, RF and MW heating differ in the nature
of the generators and applicators used. Although RF heating is more appropriate for
materials of regular shape, large dimensions, and high loss factor, MW heating is better
adapted for compact materials with complex shapes and low loss factor.1 Particularly,
RF heating provides uniform heating because of its ability to penetrate into the product
with uniform field patterns, rather than the complex nonuniform wave patterns found in
the MW oven.