Lund, Sweden-based ArcAroma – a company which sprung out of more than 20 years of research in PEF technology (or pulsed electric fields) – said its new CEPT solution may be the future of cold-brew green tea for beverage companies.
CEPT is essentially ArcAroma’s proprietary, pulsed electric field system, which can be used in creating cold-infused green tea. Typically, this is done with exceptionally long steeping times, around six to 24 hours. However, ArcAroma said it’s getting the same high-quality results from a mere 30-minute cold-brew treatment – plus, their system uses no additives or heat.
According to ArcAroma, the CEPT treatment reaches a minimal rise in temperature (a maximum of °6 C), so the resulting tea is still considered cold since the temperature is far below that of hot brewed tea. The company said it believes this method is better since it doesn’t scorch the tea leaves, destroy polyphenols and vitamins, or increase levels of bitter tannins.
Ivo Achu Nges, PhD (pictured below) and senior bioprocess engineer at ArcAroma, said, “Air dried green tea is the least processed and least oxidized of all teas. This means that the cellular structure and integrity are still intact. Plant vital nutrients such polyphenols and vitamin C are hence still in their native, bioactive forms. Application of the non-thermal pulsed electric treatment with CEPT produces openings in the cell membranes, which leads to an increased release of the phenols and vitamins lodged on the cell membranes and cytoplasm within a very short time.”
CEPT Solution to Debut Soon
ArcAroma sees a bright future for the science around this new technology, and it plans to roll-out the solution in the near future. The company is also working with a world-leading food packaging and processing company in China, which will act as a liaison to potential customers, especially with new business development in China. The unnamed but well-known company in China is also conducting additional testing of the CEPT platform.
Originally, ArcAroma’s CEPT solution (also called juiceCEPT) was developed to treat fruit and vegetable juices. “We saw a great demand from juice producers for this new technology, driven by consumers' demands for healthier products where vitamins, minerals, taste and freshness are preserved,” said Johan Möllerström, CEO of ArcAroma, who noted that the solution contributes to simpler logistics, minimized food waste and lower consumption of both water and energy.
ArcAroma’s CEPT is a patented technology system and it includes a high-voltage generator combined with a state-of-the-art treatment chamber. The system also uses technology from within the food-tech industry for increased extraction from raw materials, extended shelf-life and increased quality of the final product. The platform utilizes the short-term high-voltage pulses to crush cell membranes and eliminate unwanted microorganisms. The overall technology is designed to be user-friendly in practice, and it can easily fit within existing beverage production lines.
Currently, ArcAroma customers are in the olive oil, fruit/vegetable juice and dairy industries, and they see huge potential for the soluton being used in the tea beverage industry. The company is also exploring and performing pilot trials on wine production, beer and plant-based (soy and oats) milk.
ArcAroma noted that while there are competing technologies in Europe, their competitive advantage lies in their CEPT platform design, efficient power delivery and the cold-brew time-savings for the tea industry.
To learn more about ArcAroma and its CEPT technology for the tea and beverage/food industries, visit ArcAroma.com.