Safety in Numbers

When food products lack a final kill step during processing, manufacturers must redouble efforts to prevent cumulative microbial counts or enzymatic activity that could negatively impact products over time, thereby limiting shelf life. In order to prevent such situations, Haliburton International Foods offers fully pasteurized, aseptically filled vegetable bases and purées. Using a continuous process of steam sterilization and rapid cooling, the company is able to preserve the colors and fresh flavors of the vegetables while reliably killing spoilage organisms, enzymes and pathogens.

These are primarily for cold-process manufacturers, says Romanna Clark, director of research and development. This category includes products like salad dressings, dairy products and refrigerated dipsanything that doesnt have a further cooking or processing step that would kill microbes, enzymes or pathogens.

The companys bases and purées are available in over 45 different vegetable varieties. The line also includes most of the items in roasted, sautéed or grilled versions, as well as several vegetable blends.

Of course, these ingredients can find application in nearly every single part of the food industry, notes Clark. However, the reason why they are uniquely important to cold-process manufacturers is were rendering products that may typically have high plate counts, be susceptible to microbial growth and/or have enzymatic activity associated with them to essentially have zero microbial or enzymatic consequence. In essence, the processing approach Haliburton uses for these ingredients renders them commercially sterile.

A good example would be a manufacturer that typically uses multiple dehydrated ingredients in a product. Once they add so many dehydrated products to their formula, they find that the plate counts continue to climb, says Clark, and now theyre having challenges with controlling spoilage in their product. The end result is a safer product and a longer shelf life.

These vegetable bases and purées are available in sizes ranging from 40 to 3,000 lbs., can be stored and shipped without refrigeration, and have a two-year shelf life. Most are all-natural, preservative-free and certified-kosher. Customized products are available.

Haliburton International Foods Inc.

2539 East Philadelphia Street

Ontario, CA 91761

Phone: 909/428-8520

Fax: 909/428-8521

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: haliburton.net