Source: SINNOVATEK, INC. submitted to NRP
ADVANCED PORTABLE PROCESSING PLATFORM
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1016002
Grant No.
2018-33610-28509
Cumulative Award Amt.
$97,917.00
Proposal No.
2018-00764
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Aug 1, 2018
Project End Date
Jul 31, 2019
Grant Year
2018
Program Code
[8.5]- Food Science & Nutrition
Recipient Organization
SINNOVATEK, INC.
2609 DISCOVERY DR - STE 115
RALEIGH,NC 27616
Performing Department
Research and Development
Non Technical Summary
The food industry is changing as traditional business models increasingly shift toward socially good enterprises with a need for transparency, ingenuity, and agility. This shift demands innovative products that satisfy multi-faceted goals that employ improved nutritional content, sustainable agricultural practices, supply chain flexibility, and accountability for food waste. This demand creates an opportunity for novel processing systems. A portable, small-scale, advanced thermal food processing system is an ideal solution, providing a versatile technology that can address the changing market needs relating to scale, flexibility, yield, cost, and rate of innovation. Advanced thermal processing using an electrical heating source, such as microwave or induction, is a necessary component of small-scale systems because it can yield a high product quality when compared to traditional thermal processing and can make use of portable and/or renewable electric energy sources. In order to produce safe and shelf stable food products, a thermal treatment is used to kill pathogens and spoilage microorganisms, as defined by reaching a specific minimum temperature for a specific minimum time (hold time and temperature). Traditional thermal processing technologies require a prolonged come up time (i.e. to reach critical processing conditions), or the time to get to the hold temperature, resulting in degradation of nutrients, flavor, color, and texture. Alternatively, advanced thermal technologies have the ability to minimize the come up time and therefore retain product quality, while still achieving the hold times and temperatures as needed for food safety and stability. SinnovaTek has unparalleled access and experience with two advanced thermal processing technologies, namely, continuous flow microwave (through years of commercialization and development) and continuous flow induction (through its partnership with Induction Food Systems). Currently, data to demonstrate which processing technology is best suited for a small-scale portable processing system does not exist. SinnovaTek has a fully functional small-scale microwave thermal processing development platform and has completed a demonstration unit for an induction system. This project will include modification of the induction system to become interchangeable with the microwave system in the development platform for the purpose of gathering this data. Comparative studies will elucidate the differences in the modular technologies with the remainder of the development platform remaining identical. The thermal process systems will be tested and compared across four diverse foods (applesauce, blueberry puree, sweet potato puree, and milk), selected for their challenging viscosities and thermally sensitive nutrients or colors. Both heating systems will be tested with each food for stability, energy efficiency, thermally sensitive nutrient retention, color degradation, sensory degradation, yield loss, and pipe fouling. A small-scale development platform will go through an initial upfit to add a modular thermal process system, integrating both induction and microwave for the purpose of comparitive testing. The goal of the platform and of Phase I will be to conduct experiments and to collect data toward making an informed decision of which technology is a better fit for a portable small-scale processing system. The metrics used to make this comparison will include product quality, economic considerations, and system robustness according to the following attributes:The rapid come up time will result in a high product quality:High nutrient retentionLimited product fouling (short time at high temperatures results in less protein denaturation)Retention of natural color, flavor, and textureThe system uses electricity instead of boilers relying on natural gas, resulting in:Ability to use renewable energyResilience in isolated areas when powered with renewable energyThe system should be economically viable including the following operational efficiencies:A compact footprintReduced or eliminated need for a boilerImproved energy efficiencyYield improvementsFewer cleaning cycles and longer production uptime from reduced pipe foulingThe future of small-scale, portable, food processing systems allows new small business to grow and innovate with less risk. The portable units could be rented and moved with the seasonality of agriculture to increase food security. Processed foods have a longer shelf life, thus reducing food waste and supply chain inefficiencies. Small farming collectives or commercial kitchens could manufacture for test market production on systems that would easily scale to traditional co-packing or full-scale manufacturing arrangements. In addition, the foods are safely produced, nutritious, and retain many of their natural qualities, which are able to be retained through less thermal processing.
Animal Health Component
30%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
30%
Developmental
70%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
50153102020100%
Goals / Objectives
The proposed portable processing system is designed to provide a small-scale, affordable processing technology to manufacturers and growers that allows them to process products near or at the source to maximize revenues and crop yields while minimizing losses in the form of food waste. Portable processing benefits the seasonality of agriculture. Similarly, this technology will benefit small food companies, entrepreneurs, and incubators/accelerators/commercial processing kitchens/industrial co-packers where a small scale, reduced cost platform could help reduce the barriers to entry into the processed products market. The goal of Phase I is to determine the best available electric heating technology by comparing microwave technology against induction technology for a portable processing system. The two technologies will be compared based on their process capability, performance, and economic viability. Phase I will focus on the upfit of a small scale development platform to contain a removable thermal process system. The interchangeable thermal process system can either be microwave or induction technology. Each platform will be used to execute a series of processing tests, which will allow for the quantification and/or qualification of critical process factors, energy efficiency, fouling, yield loss, color, organoleptic comments (flavor and texture), and nutrient retention, across four types of food products, namely milk, sweet potato puree, applesauce, and blueberry puree. These categories were selected as they represent food products with different commonly known technical hurdles. Milk has a flavor profile which is easily affected by thermal processing and contains proteins which denature at elevated temperatures. By selecting temperature-sensitive food materials, the experiment will select for a gentle thermal process. Sweet potato puree will challenge the system with a high viscosity which causes higher system pressures and a starchy product that can stick to heating surfaces, causing fouling and putting stress on pumps. Blueberry puree has a thermal sensitivity with respect to color integrity and nutrient degradation. Applesauce is a general baseline product which, in the past, has been studied under a variety of microwave and induction designs during development. Both, blueberry puree and applesauce, contain macromolecules and particles such as fibers and pulp which can act as physical restrictions impacting process performance. Studying a combination of product stress and system stress will result in a better understanding of a flexible design to conduct the comparative testing.Objectives:To modify an existing small scale microwave processing line by creating an interchangeable induction heating component.To compare nutritional content from microwave and induction technologies using analytical results from testing antioxidants (vitamin C, phenolics, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and carotenoids) across two applicable food matrices (blueberry and sweet potato purees).To compare quality parameters from microwave and induction technologies using Hunter color testing and general flavor and texture observations of four food matrices, blueberry puree, applesauce, milk and sweet potato puree.To use knowledge from processing characteristics and equipment to create a chart of benefits and hurdles of each technology, when compared against each other. The designs are evaluated for scalability, footprint, and portability.To physically break down and inspect the process line after processing foods which are sensitive to fouling by burning, creating films or blocking process piping.To measure energy efficiency by calculating the mass flow rate, specific heat and temperature rise, and dividing by the theoretical values. To quantify the yield loss of each technology across the four products by weighing loss during the period of purging the system of water and filling the line with the food product. To use knowledge from processing characteristics and equipment to create a preliminary marketing package detailing general specification and cost ranges. The package will be used for furthering business development. The cost is detailed in a capital expenditure (CapEx) and operational expenditure (OpEx) report for the general design.
Project Methods
The goal of the project is to select the best possible advanced thermal processing technology for the small-scale portable processing system by comparing the results of a broad range of processing tests for attributes including system robustness, product quality, and economic competitiveness. To do this, SinnovaTek will employ its current small-scale development platform, which contains a functional, tested, and commercialized continuous flow microwave system. This system will be retrofitted with an interchangeable, modular induction unit, such that either microwave or induction processing technologies could be used with minimal other changes to the line. This will produce a robust data set, wherein system variables that are not tied to the thermal technologies themselves are eliminated. System UpfitThe acceptability of the induction upfit will be evaluated using typical industrial methods for a factory acceptance test (FAT) to ensure that the design is sufficient to construct a proper test between the thermal processing technologies. The following parameters will be considered a passing result in order to move into the comparison testing.Water held at the following metrics:flow rate of 0.75 lpm +/- 0.3 lpmtemperature rise from 20C to 145Cmaintain the temperature delta within a window of +/- 5Cmaintain pressures below 300 psi All for a time frame of >30 minutesComparison TestingThe second effort will form a comprehensive data set in order to compare the microwave system to the induction system and to feed into the feasibility analysis. Four food products (applesauce, blueberry puree, sweet potato and milk) have been selected as the standards by which the systems will be compared. The food products represent a diverse range of nutritional, sensory, processing and system flexibility challenges. Each food product will be run through the platform in each of the microwave and induction configurations in duplicate and will undergo the following analyses.Product Quality:Nutritional performance will be quantified by testing for thermally sensitive antioxidants. Data will be evaluated in triplicate and will undergo statistical analysis using a Tukey test (p0.05) and reported as mean ± standard error of the mean. Blueberry puree will be tested for Vitamin C, phenolics, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins. Sweet potato puree will be tested for Vitamin C, phenolics and carotenoids. The methodologies used will be:Vitamin C - HPLCPhenolics - Folin CiocalteuAnthocyanins - HPLCProanthocyanidins - HPLCCarotenoids - HPLCSensory performance will be evaluated by the SinnovaTek in-house staff for flavor, texture, and aroma by quantifying a degree of magnitude change. Milk has an industry-specific tasting process set by the American Dairy Science Association which will be used for scoring the off flavors in milk.Color will be quantified using a Minolta colorimeter in triplicate, on the Hunter L* a* b* scale. The color difference between samples processed on the two different processing technologies will be calculated as a Delta E value to quantify any differences that would be visible to a human eye.Processing Performance:Energy consumption will be measured for each test by recording the output of the power supply.Energy efficiency will be calculated using the standard energy equation. The mass flow rate (as measured by the flow meter), specific heat of the food product, and temperature rise (as measured by RTDs) will be recorded for this calculation.The process line will be taken apart and inspected for fouling. Reduced fouling could result in actions such as longer production runs with reduced cleaning cycles. Yield loss will be evaluated by weight. Yield loss quantification aids in comparisons against traditional systems due to a 90% reduction in process piping.Economics:The capital expense (CapEx) will be estimated based on budgetary costs for the required components of each processing system. The core components of either Microwave or Induction will be compared, along with their required supporting systems, to determine the best fit.The operating expenses (OpEx) will be calculated to include kW of energy used, (to be standardized based on temperature rise and flow rate), assumptions for utility costs, yield estimations, and budgetary costs on system maintenance.Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for the system will be modeled to determine the total cost over the life expectancy of the equipment to ensure that we've properly captured and accounted for fixed vs recurring costs.By collecting each of these data points, a picture will emerge of the benefits and drawbacks of each processing technology. This will feed into a feasibility analysis that is designed to choose the processing technology with the best potential for commercial success for application in the portable processing system.

Progress 08/01/18 to 07/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:The key stakeholders for the project are the engineers, investors, patent holders and management of SinnovaTek, NC State University, Food Councils, Extension agents, Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) and potential customers, including two food banks and Muscadine Products Corp. Efforts were based around using the current research and findings to open dialogues regarding the potential uses and abilities of the SinnovaTek TIO portable processing facility. Through the Food Councils and the food banks, rural development, food access and geographic resiliency interests were represented. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training and professional development are planned for Phase II. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? SinnovaTek presented to the new North Carolina Food Innovation Center in Kannapolis to discuss collaboration opportunities and provide them with a demonstration Nomatic system. SinnovaTek had discussions with the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Food Science, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Department regarding demonstration opportunities and current developments. A speaking engagement at the Food Science Club meeting has been arranged. SinnovaTek has arranged a speaking opportunity at a Regional International Food Technologists Dogwood (IFT) Meeting. SinnovaTek is active in two food councils, the Capital Area Food Network (CAFN) and the North Carolina Local Food Council (NCLFC). The food councils include organizational partners within counties, NC Cooperative Extension, the Farm Bureau, city government, the public school system, food system design firms and more. Status updates were given at key food council monthly meetings and individual members were updated at the regional meeting. Multiple Extension agents agreed to assist with the editing and the dissemination of a one-page informational summary. Networking occurred with existing local clients SBTDC indicated interest in hurricane relief efforts and SinnovaTek discussed possibilities for executing collaborations in the future. SinnovaTek is registered for Food Technology Tradeshows What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The feasibility of the SinnovaTek TIO was supported with the data collected during the Phase I testing. Phase I showed superior product quality, high production up-time and low energy consumption associated with one of the technologies tested. These are critical aspects for a cost-effective food processing solution for rural communities. The success of the rural farmer and their ability to access new markets leads to the economic development of a region through the increased utilization of their agricultural assets to produce safe, value-added food products and unlock the ability to scale up existing operations. The TIO is a highly efficient food manufacturing facility on wheels, capable of safely processing food products while retaining a high level of product quality with a similar likeability to the preprocessed product. Strong evidence of product quality improvement can be found in UHT milk processing. Milk quickly changes in flavor and color when exposed to high temperatures and contains proteins which can denature, form skins, and burn-on to heat exchangers which requires production lines to shut down for cleaning. The microwave processor was able to heat to produce a shelf-stable, aseptic milk with an insignificant quality difference when ranked for attributes such as: 'lack of freshness', 'cooked flavor', color, aroma and appearance. This was accomplished without fouling in the heat exchanger. Similar results were found for the blueberries and sweet potato which are both locally grown North Carolina crops that can have an immediate benefit from this application of technology. Improved energy consumption of the TIO is supported by data on the overall efficiency of conversion from electricity to heat of 72% for the microwave processor surpassing induction at 56% and conventional heating efficiencies ranging from 30-50% for boiler-based steam heating systems. In an 8 hour work day, the TIO will be capable of 1 ton (2,000 lbs) of production with a utility cost of $20/day for on-grid production or $40/day for off-grid production. Potential fuel sources for the off-grid application can include diesel or propane. Decentralized processing can have a significant impact on growers by increasing the yield of their crops and reducing food waste. It provides small food companies with on-demand processing without upfront capital investment. It provides universities with a facility to introduce food science and engineering students to functional, advanced production equipment and environment. It can help brand owners test their product concepts without significant capital risk. The most impactful aspect of the portable processing platform is that it increases access and availability to commercial food processing. 1. To add an induction component to a microwave processing line A 10 kW induction heat exchanger was provided by Induction Food Systems. The energy conversion was observed through changes in the applicator coil by altering the shape, surface area, material, applicator piping diameter, number of turns, and the distance between turns and width of the coil. An optimized induction heat exchanger was installed into the process line. 2. Physically inspect the process line for fouling caused by burning After trials on fruit purees, milk and sweet potato, the process piping was disassembled and inspected for product burn-on. Microwave had outperformed induction. 3. Compare nutritional content between the two technologies Exposure to heat is able to weaken cell structures making nutrients potentially more bio-available while also degrading thermally sensitive nutrients. In conventional processing systems, typically the post process content is significantly lower than the pre-process content. Sweet potatoes were analyzed pre and post microwave processing for thermolabile nutrient content. Vitamin C increased from 1.06 to 1.43 mg/100g. Carotenoids increased from 0.23 to 0.37 mg/100g. Phenolic acids increased from 4.2 to 4.37 mg/100g and total phenolics increased from 136 to 141 mg/100g. Induction was not tested due to heavy fouling preventing stable process conditions. Blueberry showed the pre process sample has the lowest nutrient content, followed by induction, with microwave having the highest nutrient value. Total phenolics were 273, 297, 300 mg/100g respectively. Anthocyanins were 48.1, 72.8 and 88.5 mg/100g respectively. Proanthocyanidins were 26.3, 36.8 and 46.6 mg/100g respectively. 4. Compare Hunter color and sensory characteristics Likeability testing and ranking are used to quantify food perception. The induction processor exhibited significant fouling and was not suitable for testing. The microwave samples were similar to unprocessed samples, indicating tasters enjoyed consuming the samples to a similar extent. Ranking scores showed microwave samples were slightly preferred over pre-processed. For Hunter total color testing, results of each color shift are calculated to a dE value that represents total change. The sensitivity of the naked eye has difficulty registering differences below a dE of 2.0. UHT milk is known for significant discoloration from thermal processing, however, the microwave was able to achieve a 0.7 dE. Blueberry and sweet potato resulted in 0.7 and 3.7 dE respectively. 5. Select the best design for scalability, footprint, and portability Microwave and induction systems have a similar footprint and propensity for portability. Induction has greater challenges for scalability than microwave, because the heating element is sensitive to the geometry of the components of the system. The microwave has two scale ranges depending on the microwave frequency. The higher frequency of 2450 MHz is suitable for 3/8", ½", and ¾" tubing and is applicable for a flow rate range of 0.2 through 0.75 gpm. 915 MHz is suitable for 1", 1.5" and 2" diameter tubing which allows production flow rates of 1 gpm through 40 gpm. 6. Measure energy efficiency during the conversion to heat Manual and automated data recording captured voltage, current per phase, overall power consumption, real, reactive and apparent power values, RMS voltage per phase and RMS current per phase, overall power factor, flow rate, heater output, temperature inlet and outlet. The data was used to calculate the efficiencies for power conversion to energy to product temperature change. Induction was 91% efficient at converting electrical energy into heat, with an overall efficiency was 56%. Microwave heating was 80% efficient at the electrical conversion to microwave energy, however, 93% of the microwave energy was converted into temperature rise in the product, resulting in an overall efficiency of 72%. 7. Compare the yield loss of each technology Aseptic processing systems are commonly presterilized by circulating hot water then the system transitions to the food product. Yield loss occurs because product mixes with water and must be discarded. Samples were tested for total soluble solids to determine when the product-water interface was complete. Microwave and induction had a yield loss at 5-6 lbs of product at a 1 lpm flow rate. 8. Create a preliminary specification, capital expenditure and operational expenditure report Based on the power, energy and temperature data collected, the microwave requires a maximum of 0.04 kW/lb of product processed. Additional utilities such as pumps and chilling bring the system to 0.17 kW/lb. At an average electrical cost of $0.07 per kWh, the overall energy cost for the system is $0.012 kW/lb for on-grid production. Utilizing the off-grid, diesel or propane generator capabilities, doubles the cost to $0.024 kW/lb. Based on the learnings, the Phase II targets are established at reducing the utility costs through improved design to below $0.01/lb for on-grid production. For an average daily product target of 2,000 lbs, the utility cost is estimated at $20 per day for on-grid production.

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