Efforts to commercialize a new microwave-based technology for food preservation, developed by a team led by Washington State University scientist Juming Tang, are gaining momentum with a second approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its use in preserving what it calls “non-homogeneous” food—in this case, salmon fillets in sauce.
February 11, 2011
Efforts to commercialize a new microwave-based technology for food preservation, developed by a team led by Washington State University scientist Juming Tang, are gaining momentum with a second approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its use in preserving what it calls “non-homogeneous” food—in this case, salmon fillets in sauce.
The second approval came in December. It follows the October 2009 FDA approval for use of the technology for “homogeneous materials”—mashed potatoes, specifically.
“The first approval validates the scientific and engineering premises behind our work,” said Tang. “The second approval makes the technology viable for processing more complex food systems, which is a major milestone to commercialization.”
Tang and his team were charged with developing a food preservation technology that would extend shelf life and improve food quality and nutrition. The team’s Microwave Sterilization Process technology immerses the packaged food in pressurized hot water while simultaneously heating it with microwaves at a frequency of 915 MHz—a frequency that penetrates food more deeply than the 2450 MHz used in home microwave ovens. The combination eliminates food pathogens and spoilage microorganisms in just 5–8 min and produces safe foods with much higher quality than conventionally processed ready-to-eat products.
Press release