NuWave Foods, an Edmonton, Alberta, bakery group, has joined forces with EnWave, the developers of Radiant Energy Vacuum (REV), proprietary technology that enables production of baked goods without using added preservatives, eliminating cold-storage and elongating product life.

These products would have “fresh” textures and flavours and are seen as a potential disrupter to traditional grocery items in the baked goods arena which traditionally doesn’t have a high rate of innovation.

The shelf life can be up to a year, which for traditional baked goods is “unheard of”. Initially, NuWave will implement the technology for donuts and fritters, and with more products in the pipeline should it prove viable.

“This R&D agreement marks the entrance of EnWave into the shelf-stable baked goods space. Our proprietary REV technology allows for the gentle, homogeneous removal of water from baked items,” Dan Henriques, Enwave’s CFO, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“The applications are very broad, and we hope to work closely with NuWave to help them develop and launch a line of chewy, delicious baked goods that are shelf-stable for distribution throughout North America.”

This sector is seen as perfect for disruption. Historically there has been low innovation in bakery products and this is a major opportunity to turn what consumers assume are only “fresh” products into shelf-stable, such as donuts, brownies and cakes, Henriques explains.

NuWave will rent a 10kW REV machine for “intensive product development” at its facility in Edmonton and is being granted an exclusive option to license REV technology in Canada and the US for shelf-stable donut and fritter products.

If commercially viable products are developed, NuWave will potentially purchase REV machinery to commence commercial production at its Edmonton facility.

“NuWave has an internal mandate to launch these products and is seeking to leverage REV technology to beat the competition. Product development will test many baked good products, alter formulation and moisture contents, and processing parameters to create the best end product,” Henriques further adds.

If NuWave’s NPD is successful and suitable for commercialisation, they will move into signing a royalty-bearing commercial license agreement.

“Our R&D team will support NuWave in developing these products. There is a major opportunity to bring fresh-baked items into a shelf-stable format,” he concludes.

Last year, EnWave signed a similar agreement with Milkubator, an innovation incubator at dairy company Royal Friesland Campina. In the dairy industry, the technology can be used to dry yoghurt and cheese to create snacks, dairy-based ingredients, powders and derivatives.

REV technology is also currently being used on a commercial basis to dry fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood and cannabis/industrial hemp.

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