Smoking hot hygiene for artisan cured meats firm

Artisan smokehouse Capreolus Fine Foods installed a new maturing room for its cured, air-dried and smoked meats with the aim of avoiding product contamination issues relating to the drying and maturation of its products.

Its maturing room is kept at 10°C and 80% relative humidity, which is perfect for slow, even drying, but a good environment for the growth of micro-organisms.

The air-drying process can be as long as several months. This exposure to airborne pathogens means micro-organisms may contaminate the meat leading to spoilage and significant losses.

That's why the firm installed UV Technology's UV-C air disinfection system to disinfect the air using a natural component of sunlight with anti-bacterial properties.

One of the partners at Capreolus Fine Foods, David Richards says: "The benefits were visible within the first few weeks when it became clear that we were not seeing the mould growth we were used to.

"We achieved a return on our investment within three months."

The firm reports disinfection rates as high as 99.9%.

Contact: UV Technology