Innovating with Pulsed Light, the CTCPA and Claranor join forces to support agri-food companies

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A partnership for responsible innovation
Pulsed Light is a very promising decontamination technology for food processing. Thus, the CTCPA and Claranor have joined forces to help food companies identify and develop new sustainable processing applications using Pulsed Light. Indeed, this technology without water or chemicals and with a low energy consumption has been proven for the treatment of packaging and allows to reconcile ecology and economy. The CTCPA and Claranor offer food companies the benefit of their respective expertise and the impartiality of the CTCPA technical center for the realization of R&D studies, including equipment rental if necessary.

With Claranor, the benefit of the expertise of a leading company in the industrialization of Pulsed Light
Claranor has developed and industrialized pulsed light to ensure microbiological decontamination of packaging, particularly in the food industry. Indeed, the application of intense flashes of light from Xenon lamps instantly destroys surface microorganisms, thus preventing the deterioration of products by mold and bacteria. The solution is very effective: high levels of decontamination are achieved on mold and bacteria, up to 5 log reduction on smooth surfaces, and 1 to 3 log on food, depending on surface configuration. The effectiveness is based on a double effect: a photothermal effect and a photochemical effect. The powerful flash (1 Megawatt, 10,000 times more powerful than a UVC lamp) and the wide light spectrum allow the destruction of most micro-organisms.

With the CTCPA, the advantages of working with an expert and independent technical center, specialized in the conservation of quality and food safety
The preservation of the quality of the products (taste, smell, colors, nutrients...) and the sanitary safety of the food over time are the foundations of the CTCPA activities. As an Industrial Technical Center, the CTCPA tests, in a neutral and objective way, innovative technologies in order to propose them to the food industry. Thanks to the high skills of its teams and to its equipment at the highest level of innovation, the CTCPA assists companies in the creation and optimization of their production processes.

For this purpose, The CTCPA conducts studies and comparisons by identifying the optimal criteria for use within several types of applications, while taking into account all the dimensions of products, processes and packaging.

A partnership that offers the opportunity for food companies to develop innovative applications to improve product quality and sustainability
For the treatment of food products, three organizations have given a favorable opinion on the use of Pulsed Light: the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, USA) for the treatment of all foods up to 12J/cm², the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), respectively in 1996 and 2001, and the AFSSA in 2009 as a process of microbiological decontamination of the surface of bakery products

Indeed, the Pulsed Light is a physical athermal process of surface decontamination, it is promising in new applications as for example:

• The decontamination of food surfaces to prolong their preservation, the first projects are being implemented in bread making (replacing alcohol as a preservative).


• Decontamination through packaging, processing of flowpacked products ...


• In addition, Pulsed Light treatment is energy efficient. It can be an opportunity to reduce or eliminate heat treatments, for the benefit of product quality and substantial energy savings.

The CTCPA, in partnership with Claranor, offers companies the possibility of carrying out qualitative studies, decontamination tests, microbiological and sensory analyses to validate the benefits of pulsed lightThis allows us to identify the optimal criteria for use. In addition, comparative tests with other decontamination technologies can be carried out within the center to guarantee the neutrality of the results.

The proximity in Avignon of Claranor's premises with its pulsed light experts, and of the CTCPA's branch, with its product-process-packaging experts, its food processing technology hall and its testing facilities, make it possible to facilitate and optimize the testing campaigns.

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About Claranor
Claranor is today a company of 40 people, leader in the industrialization of Pulsed Light with 5 areas of expertise: microbiology (an internal laboratory), mechanical engineering, automation, optics and electronics, allowing the design of solutions perfectly adapted to their customers' expectations.
Its network of agents and distributors ensures a worldwide presence. With 18 years of experience and innovation, 9 patents and 4 publications, Claranor is a recognized player in the beverage, dairy and other food industries.
In 2022, more than 600 Claranor packaging decontamination machines (sterilization of caps, jars, lids, films, metal cans) are in operation in 52 countries.

About the CTCPA
The CTCPA is a technical center for research and services that has been assisting food companies for 70 years in their product and process development, food quality and safety preservation, environmental and industrial performance, and packaging. The CTCPA provides services for all food processing companies (from start-ups to large groups) in the form of audits-consulting-studies, laboratory analyses (microbiology/molecular biology, nutritional quality, packaging), trials and pre-series in technological halls, process evaluations and intra and inter-company training.
The CTCPA has historically carried out collective research and technical-regulatory support missions for the canned, dehydrated and frozen vegetable industry.

Press contact :

Anaïs GUILLOT - Marketing and Communication Manager
+33 7 57 48 70 92 – aguillot@ctcpa.org