We are a global food manufacturer focused on delivering high-quality, nutritious products at scale, with a strong emphasis on ingredient performance and processing efficiency. Vegetables used in thermally processed foods often face quality degradation during preparation steps such as blanching or retorting. Although traditional water blanching provides some protection of color and texture during the subsequent retort process, it relies heavily on heat, large volumes of water, and long processing times, which can diminish nutritional value and overall product quality. These methods also conflict with modern operational efficiency and environmental goals due to their significant energy and water requirements.
Pre-treatment technologies capable of enhancing vegetable color brightness, maintaining firm but tender texture, and preserving key nutrients throughout subsequent thermal processes would enable higher-quality, more consistent products with improved consumer appeal. A solution that delivers these quality benefits while also reducing energy and water consumption would be particularly valuable, supporting more scalable and sustainable manufacturing operations.
What we're looking for
We seek alternative blanching or pre-treatment technologies that provide superior color retention, texture stability, and nutrient preservation compared with traditional water blanching. The ideal solution would demonstrate improved efficiency—specifically reduced water consumption, shorter processing time, and lower overall energy use—while maintaining or enhancing natural vegetable attributes, such as color vibrancy, firmness, and aroma.
Solutions of interest include:
Enzyme based or biochemical stabilization methods
Microwave, radio frequency, ohmic, or infrared heating
Non thermal or low thermal blanching technologies
Steam or air-based blanching alternatives
Vacuum or pressure assisted pre treatments
Our must-have requirements are:
Helps vegetable color and texture retention through the full retort cycle (up to 125 °C, 15-30 mins)
Improves or maintains nutrient retention and blanching effectiveness (enzyme inactivation) comparable to traditional water blanching
Demonstrates measurable reduction in energy and/or water use
Our nice-to-have's are:
Ability to incorporate minerals during pre-treatment for improved color/texture protection
Reduced carbon footprint or compatibility with renewable energy
What's out of scope:
Solution focuses only on aroma enhancements
Acceptable technology readiness levels (TRL):
Levels 5-9
What we can offer you
Eligible partnership models:
Co-developmentPilot or trial engagementSponsored researchSupply/purchase
Benefits:
Sponsored Research
Proof-of-concept collaborations may be eligible for funding, with final amounts determined by the mutually agreed scope of work up to $25,000.
Market Access
Beyond the proof-of-concept, successful solutions are intended for deployment across the company’s global manufacturing network.
Q&A with the company
The Q&A is now closed.
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Q.
My FDA Approval Organic Solution on raw table olives was tested with the California Department of Health Services for Botulism with the California Cannery and passed with a 7 log reduction of pathogens. May be try it.
Thank you for your interest in the project. Could you please provide further details on how your solution improves the color and texture of the vegetables?
Team Member, Reviewer, Private Company
May 8, 2026
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A.
This olive product was in my brine solution and processed without a thermal process, and at ambient temperature. Another type of Spanish olives were done and after a year also the good yeast had not changed in Plate count from CFU/g 260,000 to 260,000 and Moulds CFU/g <20, Escherichia coli 6-glucuronidase CFU/g <10, Clastridium perfringens CFU/g <10, Coagulase-positive staphylococci CFU/g <100, Listeria monocytogenes Not detected in 25 g. Olives were still green and firm.
Thank you for your interest. The vegetables will have to be subject to a thermal process so would need to be proven that vegetables could survive this.
Team Member, Reviewer, Private Company
May 21, 2026
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Q.
Hello Team, I have two questions:
1. For sponsored research, do you accept university overhead?
2. In the benefit section, if we ask for proof-of-concept collaboration, should we choose TRL 3 in the application system?
Hello, thank you for your interest. We are looking for solutions that have been validated in a relevant environment (at least TRL 5), with supporting evidence beyond a laboratory setting. The funding is primarily intended to enable collaboration and testing, to assess whether the solution can be effectively applied to our specific products and operating conditions. Please choose TRL based on the maturity of your solution. Thanks!
Team Member, Reviewer, Private Company
April 6, 2026
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A.
Thank you! Do you accept university overhead/indirect costs?
Hello, Yes. It is doable as long as the total project cost will be within the range.
Team Member, Reviewer, Private Company
April 8, 2026
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Q.
For sponsored research benefits, if we choose TRL 5 rather than proof-of-concept collaboration (which is TRL 3) in the application systems, how much funding should we expect, if awarded?
Hello, the actual funding will be determined based on the agreed scope of work. Thanks!
Team Member, Reviewer, Private Company
April 6, 2026
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Q.
Could you clarify the purpose of replacing blanching? Thermal canning is more effective, inactivating microbes & enzymes. I can offer pre-treatment for microbes only, not enzyme inactivation within the matrix. Thoughts?
Hello, Thank you for your interest. This project is primarily focused on blanching technologies to improve color and texture retention following retort processing. Microbial control is outside the scope of this project.
Thank you.
Team Member, Reviewer, Private Company
April 8, 2026
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Q.
We have toasted & cooked plant materials in high pressure vessels with/out supercritical CO2. Blanching requires fast transitions from extreme hot to cold & CO2 (think dry ice) would reduce water + heat. Interesting?
Thank you for your interest in the project. Using dry ice at scale would not be cost effective and such an extreme solution may not be required in terms of cooling.
Team Member, Reviewer, Private Company
June 8, 2026
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Q.
There is a misunderstanding of my last question. We are not proposing dry ice, rather sc CO2 which, while depressurizing, causes rapid cooling. Coffee/Tea/Hops are done this 10 - 100MT/day scale. Does this make sense?
Hello and thank you for following up. If you think this method would address the problem please submit a proposal for review. I don't know enough about supercritical CO2 to determine if this is a suitable idea.
Team Member, Reviewer, Private Company
June 8, 2026
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Q.
1. Can you specify the vegetables you are working with?
2. Is the retorting the next step?
3. is there any specific texture you are looking at?