The Northern Irish business this week launched a campaign on crowdfunding site Seedrs in a bid to raise £350,000 ($500,000) in equity funding for its patented process that it claimed would open up opportunities to create “entirely new” ranges of functional foods.
Coldbake enables foods to be produced at close to human body temperature using a vaccuum process. Carritech said this allows the use of active ingredients - such as vitamins, sports nutrients, bioactives and medicines – that would be destroyed by normal baking temperatures.
The business added that the products appear and taste as if they have been baked.
Applications for the process, said Carritech, could include nutritional supplements for children, vitamin enriched biscuit products for seniors, cancer supportive care foods, or emergency nutrition products. It could also enable production of medicine-enriched pet and livestock foods.
Enhanced protein levels
Feasibility trials and prototypes have been conducted in areas including enhanced protein levels, natural sweetening using maple syrup, breakfast cereals, sports nutrition snacks, and nutrient blend biscuits to help malnourished populations.
Carritech currently has patents granted by in the UK and Europe, South Africa, New Zealand and Mexico – and has patents pending in the US, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, India and Australia.
Discussions with baked good manufacturers
The business plans to license the technology and capabilities and is in discussion with bakery, breakfast cereals, sports nutrition and medical products manufacturers.
Speaking to this site in January, Carritech managing director Richard Horton said there were obvious applications for the process.
“It is especially suitable as a low-calorie, nutrient rich-snack for children,” he added.
How does the Coldbake process work?
The Coldbake process is based on vacuum oven technology, with a typical production process of:
- weighing and blending powdered ingredients
- adding and mixing in of liquid ingredients and water
- shaping the resulting moist powders or dough into granules or larger pieces
- allowing pieces to ‘condition’
- expanding and drying the pieces in a vacuum oven.
Additional steps may be introduced to achieve various formats, such as molding to produce bars.