Napasol AG acquires licensee Napasol North America

Napasol to start 3 projects in walnut industry

01-Dec-2016 - Last updated on 01-Dec-2016 at 19:02 GMT

©iStock/marilyna

Switzerland-based Napasol AG has acquired its licensee Napasol North America (NNA) which commercializes pasteurization equipment to the nut, seeds, herbs and spices industry.

The North Dakota Company has been selling the Napasol pasteurization technology since 2013 and has implemented several projects in North Dakota, Oregon and California. It will continue overseeing the North American operations.

The technology has applications in the pasteurization and sterilization of low moisture foods such as nuts, seeds, herbs and spices.

Such commodities have come under the scrutiny because of risks associated with pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes.

It uses dry saturated steam at low temperatures and preserves the organoleptic and nutritional qualities of the raw natural commodities, said the firm.

Interest is further emphasized by changes linked to the Food Safety Modernization Act and preventative controls rule, it added.

Dieter Kundig, president of Napasol AG, said the acquisition will bring the technology under one umbrella, incorporating the North American operation into the worldwide company.

“Although several projects in the Midwest and neighbouring Canada are in the pipeline, in particular for the pasteurization of seeds, currently the largest market for the Napasol technology is in the nut industry," he said.

“NNA is starting up three very large projects in November and December in the walnut industry in California and relocating the NNA headquarters to Pasadena, California which will allow closer proximity to customers in this key nut industry market.

“The new Pasadena headquarters will be ideal to take advantage of the growing opportunities for the pasteurization of nuts in California and will provide a home base for developing sales throughout the North American market."

Napasol AG is a Swiss company active through affiliates Napasol North America in Pasadena California, Napasol Servizzi Tecnici in Spresiano, Italy and Napasol Asia in Hong Kong.

Testing facilities are available for trials and application development and visits to customer facilities can be arranged on a case by case basis.

Dr Ivarsson, CEO of NNA, said: “The Napasol technology has demonstrated to be the most effective on the market for pasteurizing low moisture foods and has been validated to FDA pasteurization standards over a wide range of nuts and seeds.”