Super Steam Infusion Autumn: 9 innovation events, 6 awards
PPMA Innovation Award Steam Infusion
It’s been a busy September for the OAL team! Off the back of winning an award for Steam Infusion at the European Food Venture Forum in Denmark, we were at Leatherhead Food Innovation Day presenting Steam Infusion followed by the FDF Awards. With lots more events on the horizon, here are the highlights!
Steam Infusion won the most innovative food processing or packaging machine award at the PPMA Group Industry Awards 2014, held at the National Motorcycle Museum, Tuesday 30 September. In a very competitive category, Steam Infusion was recognised as the most innovative technology by the esteemed judging panel because of the health benefits the technology can bring to the food industry.
Steam Infusion EFVF2014AwardWinners
The European Food Venture Forum saw OAL pitching Steam Infusion's ability to create exciting new food products and ingredients to investors and manufacturers. The judging panel included senior executives from Anterra Capital, Arla Foods, BASF Venture Capital GMBH and Dupont Nutrition & Health all of whom assessed the technology on its business potential, technological merit, competitive position, and investment interest and team experience. Strong engagement from the judging panel and an award to go with it was a fantastic endorsement of the technology’s unique processing environment.
Leatherhead’s annual Food Innovation day seeks to showcase exciting technology developments within the food industry. Steam Infusion was well received by executives from 2 Sisters Food Group and Mondelez International particularly around the technologies ability to process heat sensitive food materials.
The very same evening saw the Food & Drinks Federation Awards, where Steam Infusion came runner up in the Innovation category.
Look out for us in the news as we have been shortlisted for more awards:
Ben Bowman
One of our talented engineers, Ben Bowman, is shortlisted for the young talent of the year category at the Food Manufacture Awards.
OAL has been shortlisted for company of the year and technological development at the Food Processing Awards 2014, please vote for us on their website.
Jake Norman, Sales & Marketing Manager, has been shortlisted for the 2 Degrees network Top 25 Under 25 year-olds in sustainability.
With a busy autumn ahead, you can meet the team at the following events:
OAL are sponsoring and will be attending Appetite For Engineering 2014, 21st October. We have a number of complimentary tickets available, please contact us if you are interested in attending, Tuesday 30th September to Thursday 2nd October.
Jake Norman (Sales & Marketing Manager) is speaking at Pack Expo in Chicago on the General Electric stand about Steam Infusion, sharing how we use GE connected insights for R&D into creating new and unique food products and ingredients.
OAL will be presenting at the prestigious Innovate UK Event 2014 “The Global Spotlight on UK Innovation”, 5th & 6th November, Old Billingsgate, London, find out more here.
The team will be at Gulfood Manufacturing, Dubai from 9th to 11th November presenting Steam Infusion, register here.
Winning at the European Food Venture Forum means the team progress to the final of the European Venture Contest in Dusseldorf, Germany, taking place 8-9th December 2014. Find out more here.
Steam Infusion shortlisted for FDF Innovation award
Steam Infusion from Olympus Automation (OAL) has been shortlisted for the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Innovation Award based on its ability to deliver significant and innovative change to the food industry.
Steam Infusion is a revolutionary heating and mixing process that uniquely infuses steam into liquid food products in a vacuum. Early adopters of Steam Infusion include Greencore and Larco Foods who have generated significant business benefits from the technology. explains,
“Steam Infusion has allowed us to nearly double our previous throughput rates in sauce production. On top of this our meat sauce quality and consistency has improved dramatically.”
Further research and development is being undertaken in a £1 million UK government funded Nutrition for Life project at the Steam Infusion Test Centre in the National Centre for Food Manufacturing, Holbeach.
The unique Steam Infusion environment has been found to increase the flavour profile of food products in commercial trials indicating salt and other ingredients can be reduced without having a negative impact on flavour. The Nutrition for Life project seeks to provide the scientific understanding of the level and nature of the changes brought about by the steam infusion process and the nutritional advantage to be gained.
OAL will be presenting initial findings from the Nutrition for Life project at the PPMA show 2014 running from 30th September to 2nd October 2014. As well as the OAL team, academics from the University of Lincoln will be on the stand to answer questions on Steam Infusion and the project.