Electrostatic Coating May Offer Listeria Protection for Meat Products

Kitto Coating Technologies (Scottsdale, AZ) has announced that recent commercial-scale tests of its electrostatic coating process for meat products have shown promise for Listeria control. The Model EDT Pilot electrostatic coating system, which reduces purge, increases shelf life, enhances flavor, texture and color, and improves the appearance of the retail package, is now also able to minimize microbial activity in the packaged product.

During the basic process, meats, cured hams, poultry, and processed meats are coated with a specific gelatin. Ingredients such as the bateriacide that fights Listeria, which has already been commercially formulated into many deli meat products, can now be applied topically in an economical manner. Coating the surface of meats with this bactericide using electrostatic coating technology results in more effective protection from Listeria and simultaneously reduces the usage of the expensive bacteriacide by as much as 90%. The company believes that with its USDA-approved equipment, the electrostatic coating process will create new food formulating opportunities.

In the electrostatic coating process, a coating is fluidized by separating the powder into individual particles. The particles are then pneumatically conveyed to spray nozzles which each house an electrode that negatively charges the individual particles. The charged particles are then focused onto a target, namely the food product. The electrostatic coating process applies powders in uniform, micro thin layers to even the most irregular surfaces with no overspray, eliminating product waste and minimizing clean up. The bond created with electrostatic coating is stronger than any surface or friction attraction so that the coatings become a permanent part of the product.

The EDT Pilot system has been developed to closely replicate production results. The conveying system indexes and lifts the product to expose maximum surface area. The system includes two coating guns and two hoppers to allow rapid changeover between two coatings during development testing, as well as higher production speeds when coating with two coating guns that are connected to a single hopper. The system can interface directly with a customer's existing conveyor line with minimal adjustment. The coating guns are supplied with flexible mounting hardware that can be removed from the system and mounted to the customer's existing conveyor.

Kitto Coating's processes are suitable for food products where a fine, uniform, and positively applied coating is required, such as applying gelatin or bacteriacides to meats, flavorings to snacks, flour or sugar to gum, candy, and bakery products, salt to cheeses, and moisture barrier powders to a variety of food products.

For more information contact Kitto Coating Technologies, Inc., 8257 E. Del Cadena, Scottsdale, AZ 85258. Tel: 602 607 3210; Fax: 602 992 8152.