Consumer demand for ever fresher produce has made it necessary to modify industrial transformation methods used in the food industry. Since 2004 Claranor has established itself as an international leader in clean disinfection technologies gathering the necessary skills to bring pulsed light technology to an industrial level: microbiology, optics, electronics, and engineering.
Consumer demand for ever fresher produce has made it necessary to modify industrial transformation methods used in the food industry. Since 2004 Claranor has established itself as an international leader in clean disinfection technologies gathering the necessary skills to bring pulsed light technology to an industrial level: microbiology, optics, electronics, and engineering.
“We established partnerships with renowned experts in these fields, who accompany and advise us in specific pulsed light applications developments. Among these, INRA in microbiology, and CNRS in optics and electronics are privileged partners. Both are reference research centres in France,” said Ms Busnel.
“The basic principle of Pulsed Light sterilization,” continued Ms Busnel, “is to destroy microorganisms with short intense light flashes generated by Xenon lamps. The energy needed for product decontamination is accumulated in a capacitor and a high-voltage signal initiates the so called ‘arc formation’. The ‘arc’ is highly ionized gas with strong currents. The gas utilised is Xenon, because of its capacity to convert electrical energy into light energy. During the process the arc starts a flash of intense luminosity reaching a peak power of one megawatt. The housing of the lamp is made of quartz, so almost no optical energy is wasted.”
The sterilizing effect of UV allows the DNA in the cells of microorganisms to absorb the rays creating a rupture in the double strands of DNA and provoking the formation of abnormal single-strand bonds. This process prevents DNA replication and the microorganism’s protein production and cell metabolism is blocked and eventually dies. The power of the flash delivered in a very short time increases this lethal effect.
This has two effects within the cell. The first is photochemical: the DNA of the microorganism gets modified. The second one photothermal: the temperature within the cell rises up to cell explosion but without affecting the temperature on the surface.
Claranor’s machinery consists of two parts: the electronic bay that powered by the main current generates the electrical pulses and the integrated cooling system regulates the temperature of the water in the lamp circuit, and the optical cavity, where the light is generated powered by the electronic bay.
“We work for food manufacturers, beverage and dairy products industrials. We also collaborate with equipment suppliers, able to integrate the Claranor technology into a complete production line (retrofit or new equipment),” explained Ms Busnel. “Research and development constitutes a large part of our activity. Using the Claranor sterilization method we are able to give you a Unique Selling Point that your clients (and the clients of your client) will recognize.”
Source: Claranor
