The EU Food & Drink Industry The EU food and drink industry is the largest manufacturing sector in the EU, with 965 billion turnover (about 15% of total manufacturing turnover) in 2008, about 310.000 companies and 4.4 million direct employees. In this sector, the SMEs account for the 99% of the companies involved. However, studies commissioned by the EC indicate that competitiveness of European food industry remains weak compared to US and Canada. Hydrodynamic Cavitation Hydrodynamic cavitation consists in the generation of huge amounts of energy in the form of shock waves, due to the turbulence produced in a fluid by pressure fluctuations.
The turbulence creates pressure drops in local conditions, down to values lower than the partial pressure of the fluid, causing vaporization of the fluid in microbubbles of the order of hundreds nanometres up to a millimetre.
In very short time these microbubbles implode due to the higher pressure surrounding them, and condensing reach high temperatures and release huge amount of energy in the form of shock waves (cavitation).
This energy can be destructive in uncontrolled cavitation produced in turbo expanders, causing the destruction of impellers, but can be used for disinfection and heating in devices with specific design in which cavitation occurs in a controlled and non destructive way.
The FCHR project is promoted by the company Wixta Industries who has patented an innovative configuration of Centrifugal Hydrocavitation Reactor (CHR). Alternative Pasteurization and Homogenization Techniques The Project Results The FCHR Project Strategic Objectives The tangible outcomes of the FCHR project, available to the SMEs for future exploitation, are: FCHR Project Fluid Foods Pasteurizer and Homogenizer based on Centrifugal Hydrocavitation Reactor The most relevant challenges the sector is facing in the next future are:
Improve competitiveness of the processors, which is increasingly decisive for the pricing.
Uptake innovations linked to the health and well-being of consumers Process Steps in which INNOVATION
could answer these questions: alternative treatments to pasteurization, which are becoming more and more important due to:
a) consumer demand for new methods of food processing that have limited impact on the nutritional content and quality of food;
b) need to improve the energy efficiency of the processes. Some alternative methods for
pasteurizing at lower temperatures are being studied,
all aimed to reduce the temperature of the thermal treatment,
in order to reduce the effects on the flavour, colour, texture
and nutrients, but also to improve the energy efficiency of the system: Alternative “non-thermal” solutions for realizing pasteurization and
homogenization are being studied, such as pulsed electric field (PEF) and
sonication through ultrasounds or combination of these solutions.
These approaches are indeed more efficient in energy terms
with respect to common thermal treatment, but have a main drawback linked
to the difficult scalability. Pulsed Electric
Field (PEF) Method Ultrasonic Method
(sonication) High- Pressure Processing Alternative methods for pasteurization UV treatment Manothermosonication The main objectives of the project are:
to specialise the CHR concept to the needs of the food sector, producing a reactor which can act both as pasteurizer and homogenizer in a single process step, with an outstanding advantage for the food manufacturers
To substitute thermal pasteurization with a process working at lower temperature, while delivering a safe product that preserves the sensory characteristics and freshness,
To reduce processing cost, thanks to improvement in energy efficiency in the manufacturing steps The FCHR project, submitted in the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission under the ‘Research for the Benefit of SMEs’ call on 6th December 2011 has received funding from the Research Executive Agency and officially started on 1st September 2012. FCHR Cavitation Treatment of Raw Milk and Fruit Juices The Consortium The Small and Medium Enterprises Wixta Industries Srl (Italy) Fenco SPA (Italy) Electricars Ltd (Malta) Epleblomsten AS (Norway) Glenilen Farm Ltd (Ireland) The RTD Performers Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata (Italy) University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork (Ireland) Labor Srl (Italy) 1) Numerical simulation model of the hydrodynamic behavior
inside the reactor and of the parametric design of the reactor
2) CAD design of the FCHR reactor and definition of the plant
layout for pasteurizer / homogenizer
3) Control system for the control of cavitation inside the FCHR
4) Results of tests carried out on the prototype
with different food matrixes Alternative more efficient processes for homogenizing, emulsifying, dispersing the fluid, providing improved product stability, shelf life, digestion, and taste. Project Details Funding Scheme: FP7 - 2012 - 1
Acronym: FCHR
Full Title: Fluid Foods Pasteurizer and Homogenizer based on Centrifugal Hydrocavitation Reactor
Funding: 895.000€
Duration: 24 Months REA - Research Executive Agency - http://ec.europa.eu/rea/index_en.htm
Learn more about the FCHR project at: http://www.fchrtechnology.com
In very short time these microbubbles implode due to the higher pressure surrounding them, and condensing reach high temperatures and release huge amount of energy in the form of shock waves (cavitation).
This energy can be destructive in uncontrolled cavitation produced in turbo expanders, causing the destruction of impellers, but can be used for disinfection and heating in devices with specific design in which cavitation occurs in a controlled and non destructive way.
The FCHR project is promoted by the company Wixta Industries who has patented an innovative configuration of Centrifugal Hydrocavitation Reactor (CHR). Alternative Pasteurization and Homogenization Techniques The Project Results The FCHR Project Strategic Objectives The tangible outcomes of the FCHR project, available to the SMEs for future exploitation, are: FCHR Project Fluid Foods Pasteurizer and Homogenizer based on Centrifugal Hydrocavitation Reactor The most relevant challenges the sector is facing in the next future are:
Improve competitiveness of the processors, which is increasingly decisive for the pricing.
Uptake innovations linked to the health and well-being of consumers Process Steps in which INNOVATION
could answer these questions: alternative treatments to pasteurization, which are becoming more and more important due to:
a) consumer demand for new methods of food processing that have limited impact on the nutritional content and quality of food;
b) need to improve the energy efficiency of the processes. Some alternative methods for
pasteurizing at lower temperatures are being studied,
all aimed to reduce the temperature of the thermal treatment,
in order to reduce the effects on the flavour, colour, texture
and nutrients, but also to improve the energy efficiency of the system: Alternative “non-thermal” solutions for realizing pasteurization and
homogenization are being studied, such as pulsed electric field (PEF) and
sonication through ultrasounds or combination of these solutions.
These approaches are indeed more efficient in energy terms
with respect to common thermal treatment, but have a main drawback linked
to the difficult scalability. Pulsed Electric
Field (PEF) Method Ultrasonic Method
(sonication) High- Pressure Processing Alternative methods for pasteurization UV treatment Manothermosonication The main objectives of the project are:
to specialise the CHR concept to the needs of the food sector, producing a reactor which can act both as pasteurizer and homogenizer in a single process step, with an outstanding advantage for the food manufacturers
To substitute thermal pasteurization with a process working at lower temperature, while delivering a safe product that preserves the sensory characteristics and freshness,
To reduce processing cost, thanks to improvement in energy efficiency in the manufacturing steps The FCHR project, submitted in the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission under the ‘Research for the Benefit of SMEs’ call on 6th December 2011 has received funding from the Research Executive Agency and officially started on 1st September 2012. FCHR Cavitation Treatment of Raw Milk and Fruit Juices The Consortium The Small and Medium Enterprises Wixta Industries Srl (Italy) Fenco SPA (Italy) Electricars Ltd (Malta) Epleblomsten AS (Norway) Glenilen Farm Ltd (Ireland) The RTD Performers Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata (Italy) University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Cork (Ireland) Labor Srl (Italy) 1) Numerical simulation model of the hydrodynamic behavior
inside the reactor and of the parametric design of the reactor
2) CAD design of the FCHR reactor and definition of the plant
layout for pasteurizer / homogenizer
3) Control system for the control of cavitation inside the FCHR
4) Results of tests carried out on the prototype
with different food matrixes Alternative more efficient processes for homogenizing, emulsifying, dispersing the fluid, providing improved product stability, shelf life, digestion, and taste. Project Details Funding Scheme: FP7 - 2012 - 1
Acronym: FCHR
Full Title: Fluid Foods Pasteurizer and Homogenizer based on Centrifugal Hydrocavitation Reactor
Funding: 895.000€
Duration: 24 Months REA - Research Executive Agency - http://ec.europa.eu/rea/index_en.htm
Learn more about the FCHR project at: http://www.fchrtechnology.com