Energiefonds Overijssel invests in a sustainable alternative to pasteurization

March 30, 2023

Energiefonds Overijssel makes a €1.5 million follow-on investment in PEF Technologies, together with Oost NL and Icos Capital. This company is developing an innovative technology that can preserve liquids at lower temperatures – and therefore up to 50% less energy – without loss of taste, color and nutritional value. 

Looking for a better method

Pasteurization makes it possible to prevent liquids such as dairy and fruit juice from spoiling as quickly. To achieve this, the liquids must be briefly heated to a high temperature, which kills the harmful bacteria. A disadvantage of this is that heating changes the taste and the product loses nutritional value. This heating takes a lot of valuable energy. The current preservation method is therefore not optimal, which is why many food producers are looking for an alternative.

NanoPEF

PEF Technologies has found an alternative for this in the form of 'nano-PEF' (nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields). With this solution, one month old milk is just as tasty and healthy as on the day the cow was milked.

Yulia Mitko, Director of Operations at PEF Technologies explains: “We have developed a machine that can send an electrical pulse of very high intensity for an extremely short duration – nanoseconds – through products. We use this to kill the bacteria in milk, for example. The processing temperature does not exceed 65 degrees.”

First results and future

In the summer of 2022, Energiefonds Overijssel, Icos Capital and Oost NL invested in PEF Technologies for the first time. This has now been followed up with this investment round. With the investment, PEF Technologies will further develop and market this energy-efficient and non-thermal technology. In addition, this will create approximately 15 full-time jobs in the province.

Radboud Dood, Investment Manager at Energiefonds Overijssel says: “With this investment, we emphasize our confidence in nanoPEF preservation as a game-changing sustainable technology for the food industry. The PEF Technologies team is fully committed to executing the plan to make nanoPEF the next pasteurization standard, resulting in food with better taste, better quality and in a better environment.”