Confectioneries are often high-cost, high-value commodities with a very limited shelf life that’s typically shortened by changing environmental conditions. Usually, if not sold relatively quickly, products’marketability decreases due to poor visual appeal and losses are incurred. Manufacturers of confectionery-type products are, therefore, on the lookout for technology that can extend their products’ shelf life while also improving and maintaining their visual appeal.
An all-in-one answer to these issues is Radical Waters’ electrochemically activated (ECA) solution, Actsol, a fast, effective, wholly safe, water-based, natural, food-grade disinfectant that offers numerous important confectionery applications – sanitising, and as an additive in doughs, pastries and fillings. Actsol can be applied throughout their manufacture for shelf life extension, to increase product quality, and also to ensure product safety. (Actsol has SABS 1827, 1828 and 1853 certification for water treatment and disinfection and detergent products for use in the food industry).
During manufacturing, applying Actsol to equipment and working surfaces for sanitation will reduce the levels of spoilage contamination in the final product, which, in turn, serves to minimise human pathogens that can easily be introduced through human contact with raw ingredients. When included as an ingredient in baked goods, Actsol has also been shown to improve dough and pastry quality by abetting the rate of dough formation, and effectively creating a more consistent end product with better shelf life. Actsol can also safely be added to filling mixes, which tend to be the first to spoil due to their diverse nutrient content that is readily exploited by food -spoilage organisms. Often these fillings are only partially cooked and may be a source of human pathogens and thus also pose a food safety risk. The addition of Actsol during mixing and blending will disinfect the filling and reduce the levels of all spoilage and pathogenic organisms.
Furthermore, Actsol has been found to help dissolve certain products, which possibly reduces mixing time and shear in shear-sensitive mixes. This effect is could also be beneficial in syrup formation, decreasing the time needed to dissolve sugars and lowering the temperature required. Actsol aids in the quality of the product by improving bake quality and batch consistency. This enhanced quality is also evident in an increased shelf life where spoilage is retarded and visual appearance is maintained. A secondary benefit to the use of Actsol is a reduction in processing time.