Emerging technologies: baking it safe.(INNOVATIVE TOOLS OF THE TRADE)

Datapaq, a company dedicated to improving the efficiency of heat processing, offers a Food Tracker temperature profiling system to help lower energy costs while maintaining product safety by optimizing continuous or batch cook, bake, chill, freeze or fry processes.

The system works by placing the protected data logger with attached thermocouples inside the freezer or oven along with the food product to be analyzed.

The flexible thermocouples have watertight connections to ensure reliable and accurate measurements of the product and are connected to the data logger with cables of customized length. Users can mix and match from seven different models of thermocouples depending on the type of products being tested or measurements needed.

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These hardware components travel along with the product through the process, measuring and recording process temperatures, either environmental or product, simultaneously for eight locations. This collected data is then analyzed with the Insight software to provide companies with detailed, meaningful information about their food processes. The process analysis feature stores and displays information about minimum and maximum temperatures reached and other critical control points in the process to help know when the product has achieved safe temperature, avoid over-cooking and increase process efficiency.

Businesses across the globe are also recognizing the need for their companies to use accurate, reliable food tracking and tracing systems.

"With the recent salmonella outbreak and E. coli recall, food safety is of paramount importance, and not just on a national scale," ...