Today, Non-chemical pest control methods are being used more often in the agricultural industry to rid commodities of infestation. One such alternative is a thermal treatment, which has been successful in eliminating vast populations of infestation and preventing reoccurrences on organic produce batches after they’ve been infected by insects or bacteria that rely heavily upon heat signatures provided by these foods during the spoilage process.
Radiofrequency heating technology, which is a form of thermal treatment, has been proven to be an effective method for heating food products quickly and evenly. This makes it much more suitable than conventional thermal techniques, which require prolonged heating at low speeds in order to maintain quality control over your product’s taste or texture.
Radiofrequency disinfestation treatments are an effective way to eliminate insects, mold, and fungi from food products. These treatments can be added to existing production lines, are chemical-free, ionizing radiation-free, and organic, and substantially increase shelf life since this process can achieve a near 5 log kill step(product dependent). RF treatment is also an alternative to fumigation for commodities that cannot be treated using conventional fumigation methods.
Using the Strayfield Radio frequency disinfestation machine is an effective way to eliminate infestation deep within the product without changing the characteristics of your product.
How does Radio Frequency Disinfestation work?
RF heating works by rapidly vibrating and reorienting water molecules, which generates heat and kills any pests or bacteria that may be present. This technology has already been validated over decades of industrial use, but it is quickly gaining traction as standard practice.
Advantages of using Radio Frequency Disinfestation
Radio Frequency (RF) Disinfestation is a non-invasive, food-safe pest control method that uses high-frequency electromagnetic energy to kill insects and their eggs.
This treatment being a non-contact process is an effective way to disinfect stored products such as grains, beans, seeds, and dried fruits in packaging material such as boxes and bags.
RF Treatment is a quick and efficient method of disinfestation with minimal product damage since the exposure time to RF energy is minimal. Specifically, RF heating is a volumetric heating process that heats the entire volume of mass evenly and at the same time without relying on the conductive properties of the product. Hence, the required temperatures can be achieved in a matter of minutes. Shorter exposure time exponentially reduces product damage or disintegration.
RF treatment does not leave any toxic residues or require any special ventilation, making it a safe and sustainable pest control option.
Lastly, since the only requirement is electricity, Radio Frequency heating is well suited to comply with long-term ESG mandates which require phasing out of fossil fuel usage and chemical reliance.
Stay tuned for more updates on RF heating as it becomes more widely used!
References:
- RF treatment for postharvest disinfestation of stored products. (2016)
- Postharvest Disinfestation of Grains, Dried Fruits, and Spices with Radio Frequency Energy. (2017)
- Electrical resistance heating for disinfestation of stored-product insects. (2002)
- Investigation of dielectric properties of common stored product insects and mites for electromagnetic disinfestation. (2006)
- Detection, identification, and control of stored product insects and mites. (2016)
