SureBeam opens Brazilian plant

SureBeam has announced the opening of its new Brazilian food processing centre in Rio de Janeiro. The company, which produces electron beam technology used in eradicating dangerous bacteria from food, will use the plant to develop disinfestation treatments for the fruit and vegetable market.

"This is the first SureBeam processing centre outside the United States,"​ stated Mark Stephenson, the firm's public relations vice president.

"It represents a significant opportunity for Brazil to safely export exotic tropical fruit into the US market and provide American consumers with an even greater variety of choices. We look forward to the clearance of the final regulatory hurdles so these exports can begin."​

Brazil is the world's largest producer of fruits and is the third largest grower of agricultural commodities overall - in excess of 84 billion pounds annually, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation.

SureBeam​ technology uses ordinary electricity as its energy source to irradiate and help eliminate harmful bacteria such as e.coli, listeria, campylobacter and salmonella. The electron beam and x-ray technology destroys harmful foodborne bacteria much like thermal pasteurisation does to milk

Electricity can also be used as a disinfestation treatment to enhance the quality of food and extend its shelf life.

This technology can also eliminate the need for toxic chemical fumigants used in pest control that may be harmful to the earth's ozone layer.

The company operates processing centres in Sioux City, Iowa; Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California. Its technology is also used for bio-security in Hawaii on exotic tropical fruits processed in Hilo, Hawaii.