The Industry with the Most Stringent Requirements
The food & beverage industry combines constraints found in few other sectors: living products with variable thermal behaviour, humid and saline environments, aggressive high-frequency cleaning cycles, and zero tolerance for glass anywhere in the food chain. Sopara infrared targets only the product surface at speeds unachievable by convection — without cooking the core — in an oven half the length of a conventional system.
Thermal Challenges in
Food Processing
Surface
Treatment
Braising, gratiné-finishing, browning: transforming the surface only, without cooking the core, and without excessive mass loss. Infrared treats the surface at speeds unreachable by convection.
Hygiene
& Safety
100% stainless steel construction to withstand humid and saline environments. All foreign bodies must be detectable: glass is excluded. Zero-retention-zone design for thorough, rapid cleaning.
Throughput
& Availability
Frequent and aggressive cleaning cycles, multiple times per shift in 24/7 production. The oven must cool down fast, be dismantled fast, and restart fast. Every minute saved on cleaning is a minute of recovered production.
Packaging
Compatibility
PET trays, laminated cardboard, transparent films, cellulose capsules, decorated lids: packaging formats are constantly diversifying. The oven must adapt without damaging the packaging or compromising the thermal treatment.
Sopara’s Thermal Response
Thermal Solutions
Designed for Food Processing
Applications in Food Processing
From meat braising to compostable capsules, Sopara infrared ovens are used wherever a food product’s surface must be transformed with precision, speed, and compliance with the strictest standards.
Case Studies
Case Study 1
Meat & Charcuterie Braising
The Industrial Challenge
Electric resistance ovens too long, slow processing times, significant mass losses. Unbraised pieces adhered to each other, preventing gram-precise automatic portioning.
The Solution Implemented
High-density HPagro MIR emitters. Two-piece separable oven, fully removable conveyor. Laboratory calibration for each product reference.
The Impact
÷2
Processing time vs. electric resistance ovens
÷2
Oven length at equivalent capacity
÷2
Mass losses on braised products
2t/h
Maximum capacity on braising lines
Case Study 2
Gratiné-Finishing in Plastic Trays
The Industrial Challenge
Aluminium trays imposed by the limitations of hot-air ovens at 220°C. Objective: switch to PET or laminated cardboard to reduce packaging costs.
The Solution Implemented
Short-wave IR with wavelength selection: the light-coloured tray reflects while the product absorbs. Or a masking/stencil system following the tray geometry to protect the edges.
The Impact
÷2
Oven length at equivalent output
Alu → PET
Switch to less costly packaging made possible
Microwave-ready
Product gratinéed and ready to use from packaging
Case Study 3
Thermal Decontamination / Shelf Life Extension
The Industrial Challenge
Alcohol injection into packaging to extend shelf life: a practice that alters the taste and flavour profile of the finished product.
The Solution Implemented
Short-wave IR through a sealed transparent film. Surface raised to 70–90°C under protective atmosphere, pathogen destruction in 2 to 5 minutes.
The Impact
×3 to ×5
Shelf life multiplied depending on product
0 alcohol
Alcohol eliminated, taste and flavour preserved
Zero
Post-treatment recontamination under sealed packaging
Case Study 4
Decorated Lids
The Industrial Challenge
With short-wave IR, temperature differentials of 100°C between black and white zones on printed lids: uniform treatment impossible.
The Solution Implemented
Double-sided MIR, enhanced power on the reverse side. Target temperatures 170–190°C. Scalable pilot oven, line speed 12–13 m/min.
The Impact
100°C → 10°C
Thermal differential reduced between coloured zones
Predictive maintenance
ThermalCloud™ deployed on 12 industrial sites
Scalable oven
Extendable without reworking the installation
Credentials & Industrial Deployment
Field Experience
Several decades of intervention in food thermal processing: braising, gratiné-finishing, browning, cheese rind formation, under-packaging decontamination. Braising accounts for the largest number of Sopara installations in the sector, with lines producing up to 2 tonnes per hour.
Laboratory & Support
Every product reacts differently to heat. Sopara qualifies each time/power/throughput combination through trials before any installation. Initial training and ongoing support included. ISO 9001 certified.
HPagro MIR Range
Sopara has developed a medium-wave infrared emitter range specifically for the food industry: resistant to fat splatter, intensive cleaning, and humid/saline environments. Zero glass, steel staples detectable by metal detectors. In food processing, not just any emitter will do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Short-wave IR uses glass tubes — a material that is extremely difficult to detect if broken in the food chain. Medium-wave IR uses a ribbon stapled onto insulating plates: the staples are steel, detectable by metal detectors. This is not a technical choice — it is a regulatory requirement.
Several design principles combined: 100% stainless steel construction, zero retention zones, conveyor fully removable from the oven for high-pressure washing outside, removable stainless steel mesh between emitters and product. And above all: low thermal inertia — the oven is cold in 5 to 10 minutes, versus 30 minutes for a hot-air oven.
Yes. Two approaches: with short-wave IR and light-coloured trays that reflect the wavelength while the product absorbs it, or with a masking system following the tray geometry, protecting the edges and allowing energy through only onto the product.
It is a surface pasteurisation performed by short-wave IR through a sealed transparent plastic film. The product’s surface temperature rises to 70–90°C, destroying pathogens without unwrapping the product and with no risk of recontamination. Result: shelf life multiplied by 3 to 5× depending on the product. Mandatory condition: transparent packaging only.
Because food products are living materials. A more or less fatty cheese, frozen or raw meat, pizza toppings: each product reference reacts differently to heat. There is no universal parameter: each time/power/throughput combination must be qualified through trials before any industrial installation.
ThermalCloud™ is Sopara’s centralised multi-site monitoring solution: line speeds, temperatures, in-process measurements, and production stability are visualised from a single point across all lines. Its first industrial deployment is underway with a food capsule manufacturer across 12 sites, ensuring continuity and consistency of production at scale.
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