New Neo-Pure Food Safety System Pasteurizes Nuts, Seeds, Grains

Toronto-based Agri-Neo introduces its new and improved organic, non-thermal Neo-Pure food safety system that pasteurizes nuts, seeds, and grains. Neo-Pure increases throughput, efficiency, and cost-savings for food processors and provides a validated five-log kill step for a wide range of low-moisture foods while maintaining the raw nutrition and sensory qualities of nuts, seeds and grains, the company said.

“Neo-Pure maintains the nutrition that flourishes naturally in food to support the health and well-being of the people who eat it,” said President Rob Wong. The Neo-Pure pasteurization process eliminates pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. Since it does not use steam, chemical gas, or irradiation, it preserves the natural taste, smell, texture ,and nutrition of the food.

The Neo-Pure food safety system pasteurizes food at a minimum of three metric tonnes per hour in a continuous process flow to improve efficiency and generate cost savings. The system works by misting Neo-Pure, an organic liquid solution composed entirely of ingredients found in nature, onto the food. This technique uniformly destroys pathogens on the foods’ surface and in cracks and crevices that can harbor pathogens, then completely biodegrades, resulting in food that is pasteurized but not cooked, leaving the food safe and raw, the company said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Health Canada have approved Neo-Pure as a processing aid, so labeling is not required. It is certified organic to the standards of the U.S. National Organic Program and Canada Organic Regime and meets Kosher and Halal guidelines, the company said. 

The system is fully enclosed to prevent cross-contamination of food as food travels through the pasteurization process, and seamlessly integrates into any operating environment with a flexible layout and a footprint of only 1,500 square feet. 

One operator can run the Neo-Pure food safety system using the 16-inch touchscreen controller. After the operator selects a food profile from the pre-programmed run specification, the system runs autonomously. The system tracks data in real-time by graphing critical control parameters for quality assurance and control. The controller sends messages and alarms to the operator or stops the process if any of the parameters do not meet specifications.

The in-house food safety science team at Agri-Neo conducts a proprietary 14-point validation process to ensure the nutrition, sensory, shelf life and germination ability are intact without any compromises. Approved third-party process authorities validate the effectiveness of the Neo-Pure pasteurization process for each food type.

“We build long-term relationships with our partners,” adds Wong. “Whereas other equipment manufacturers focus solely on selling equipment, our team works hand-in-hand with our partners to address the ever-changing landscape of food safety. We help our partners grow their business by providing ongoing resources to support new commercial opportunities and help them create higher quality food with the Neo-Pure pasteurization process and solution.” For more information, visit www.agri-neo.com.