Imtech DryGenic is a divison of Ventilex B.V.:

Ventilex Fluid Bed Dryer
 
Ventilex manufactures the highest quality Fluid Bed Dryers, Fluid Bed Coolers, Flash Dryers, Jet-Bag Air Filtration, and Bokfard™ Steam Sterilization Equipment available. Our equipment is custom designed to meet your highest production standards. Ventilex serves the Food, Dairy, Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Aggregate markets worldwide.

Over 12 companies in the spice industry have selected the sterilizing system that was based on
the Stork Patent for the continuous sterilization of powders with high-pressure steam. The First unit was installed close to Ventilex at the Euroma factory which sells their decontaminated products under the name “Prima Pura”.
Another unit is installed in Germany at the “Krauter-Mix” company who operates the process
under the name “Care-Mix”.

The continuous steam sterilizing process results in simultaneous reduction of the microbiological load and the ample inactivation of enzymes in spices, herbs and seeds.
These raw materials are heavily contaminated with yeasts, moulds, enterobacteraceae and sporeformers from the soil because of the simple treatments and the drying at low temperatures in the countries of origin.
The sometimes ideal conditions for growth in foodstuffs can easily lead to spoilage. The presence of pathogens, e.g. salmonella can never be excluded despite frequent checking and was the main reason for sterilization and irradiation in the past. The commonly used ethylene oxide has been banned in the European Community as well as several countries outside of Europe because the risk for cancer development in the human body while irradiation still meets adverse consumer-acceptance.

Also, food-technological aspects such as the inactivation of enzymes e.g. amylase and lipase
could not be solved by irradiation or E.O. treatment; Enzymes cause a breakdown of fat and
starch components in sauces, salads and ready-made meals.
Only the application of saturated high pressure steam with the continuous inflow sterilization
process provides the ideal combination of inactivation of enzymes and the elimination of undesired micro-organism while causing the minimum harm to the organoleptic characteristics of spices and herbs.
The positive effect of “inflow” sterilization on the quality of liquids such as milk, baby food and fruit juices is well known and are easily to realize with pump-able liquids. The sterilization of powders in an “inflow” Short-Time /High-Temperature sterilizing process could only be realized with a continuous sterilizer having self-cleaning rotary pressure valves for product feed and discharge as well as the unique shakerbed product conveyor in the sterilizer: The Shaker bed guarantees a minimum deviation of treatment-time of the entire product flow of less than 4 % and makes automatic cleaning in place of the sterilizer easy.
Since the treatment time of the product is controlled within very narrow limits, it is not necessary to apply longer treatment times than the minimum time for a safe product at the selected sterilizing temperature.

Treatment temperatures may vary between 107 and 123 degree C. corresponding with absolute steam pressures of 1,3-2,2 BAR while treatment times may vary between 25 and 50 seconds depending on type of contamination, particle size and final application of the treated product.
The decontamination system is controlled from a central control panel offering accurate reading and recording of the chosen process parameters. This also makes it possible to treat the same product with exactly the same process parameters the next time.

Microbiological quality of products treated with the Ventilex continuous system:

+ total count              : less than 10.000 and often less than 1.000

+ enterobacteriaceae  : less than 10/gram

+ salmonella              : absent

+ yeasts and moulds : less than 100/gram

+ bacteria spores      : Bacilles Cereus less than 100/gram
                                 Clostridium Perfringers less than 100/gram
                                 Stafylococcus Aureus less than 100/gram

Plant configuration
The complete system comprises the following components:
* continuous sterilizer
* cleaning in place unit for the sterilizer combined with a wed-scrubber
* aseptic fluid bed dryer/cooler
* filter unit for sterile air supply to the fluid bed dryer/cooler
* dust separator to clean the exhaust air from the dryer/cooler
* central control panel 

More about STEAM as a sterilizing medium:

Steam is a most ideal gas as it is non toxic, it is cheap and there is unlimited supply.
Steam offers the following advantages:
• Fastest possible way of product heating to an exact preset temperature.
• Steam condenses on the product and provides the water activity required for effective sterilization while the steam that condensed on the product surface will protect the product against burning.
The steam condensed on the product enables flash cooling of the product when it leaves the sterilizer via a self-cleaning rotary discharge valve and meets a large flow of sterile air in the fluid bed dryer/cooler, to evaporate spontaneously.
Hence the system concept complies with the condition that the product is subjected to the minimum heat load for adequate decontamination with a minimum adverse effect on flavor, color and loss of volatile oil.

The picture below show a Ventilex system for the decontamination of paprika in Hungary.