JBT Marel, a leading global technology solutions provider to the food and beverage industry, today launched its patented Efficient Agitation (EA) Retort, the perfect optimization of static processing and agitation providing flexible preservation solutions across a wider range of packaging formats. 

The EA Retort was built for packagers that specialize in preservation applications involving pouches, tubs, cups, glass, and other unique, delicate and challenging containers, as well as retortable foods that benefit from the shortened cook times provided by linear agitation. Unlike the trademarked traditional steam water spray (SWS) static retort, the EA Retort’s patented trapezoidal motion profile provides greater mix energy in a shorter stroke length during the sterilization process while maintaining the benefits of SWS even heating. The result is a more sustainable, flexible packaging design that reduces brine usage and cycle time to produce fresher food.

“At JBT, we are transforming the food packaging industry by evolving our products to meet the needs of food and beverage packagers and the environment,” said Breno Dos Santos, Product Line Manager. “The EA Retort offers an unparalleled combination of benefits that decrease production time and shipping costs, significantly reduce production times and increase sustainability to ensure food products reach consumers faster and fresher with better quality and efficiency.”

Designed with producers of Ready-to-Eat (RTE) and Ready-to-Drink (RTD) products in mind, the Efficient Agitation Retort’s key features & benefits include:

• Linear Product Agitation: Ensures all products receive the same agitation profile, resulting in consistent quality and processing uniformity across every batch.
• Adjustable Agitation Profiles: Offers customizable agitation profiles to suit different product needs, with reduced G-forces for delicate items and recipe-driven profiles for varied processing stages.
• Reduced Cycle Time: The agitation process significantly reduces cycle time compared to static heat sterilization, increasing throughput and potentially reducing the number of machines required. This efficiency ensures food emerges from the preservation process fresher, enhancing product quality.
• SuperStatic Capability: Reduces come up and cooling times by up to 30% and 34%, respectively, and is tailored to producers’ specific product and packaging needs. Its advanced Steam Water Spray (SWS) System ensures uniform and efficient thermal processing to boost products’ quality.
• Vertical Door Option: The vertical door design reduces the overall footprint, providing significant production space savings and enabling more flexible facility layout

JBT Marel’s EA Retort can enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs while delivering fresher, high-quality products. Challenging food sterilization applications can be assessed through lab testing and technical consultations by the JBT Marel team to demonstrate the full capabilities of the EA Retort.

JBT Marel’s Diversified Food & Health division delivers advanced processing solutions that enable the production of a wide range of fresh, health-focused foods for manufacturers across the globe. These technologies are designed to meet growing customer demand for clean-label, nutritious and sustainable products from plant-based proteins to juice and beverages. With a focus on product integrity and operational efficiency, Diversified Food & Health supports producers to bring innovative, high-quality foods to market.