Steam Infusion is a cooking process that heats, mixes and cooks liquid-based food products like soups, sauces and drinks.
Jake Norman, sales and marketing manager, OAL, said: “It was very exciting because there was quite a good standard of entries. As we have never entered anything like this before it felt good to confirm that we’re going in the right direction as a company.”
Steam Infusion is a heat and mix process that uses a metal unit that can be installed into a vessel or pipe, and is now used by food manufacturers Greencore, Larco Foods, AAK Foods.
The food is cooked when steam enters a chamber and creates a vacuum. The food product in the chamber is vaporised, infused with steam and re-condenses in milliseconds, causing instantaneous heating and mixing.
Last month we reported that OAL used its Steam Infusion technology to help feed refugees in Northern Iraq.
Steam infusion: Faster cooking times claimed
The company claims that Steam Infusion is up to four times faster than traditional cooking processes; Larco Foods said steam infusion reduced their production times for soup by 50%.
The European Food Venture Forum is a conference where invited companies pitch their technology to investors and manufacturers.
The conference, in its fourth year, was held in Aarhus, Denmark on September 3-4.
OAL told FoodProductionDaily.com the invitees receive public speaking training and then present their technology to a selection committee.
Award-winners can enter European Venture Summit
This is assessed on the basis of its business potential, technological merit, competitive position, investment interest and team experience.
The aim of the event is for food technology companies to raise their profile and gain marketplace exposure.
This year’s committee included representatives from Anterra Capital, BASF Venture Capital GmbH, DuPont Nutrition & Health, Seventure Partners and Sisters Capital.
The award winners qualify to enter the European Venture Contest held at the European Venture Summit, which is billed as ‘Europe’s largest venture capital match‐making event’.
This takes place on December 8-9 2014 in Düsseldorf, Germany.