description
- Everfresh is one of the UK's oldest sprouted grain bakeries. In collaboration with The Food Incubator and Celtic Bakers, Everfresh intends to create a variety of healthy sprouted-grain snack bars that can be consumed more easily by individuals with digestive issues (e.g. IBS, Crohn's disease) that typically struggle to find healthy, diet-friendly snacks. The consortium also intends to create a sprouted-grain inclusion/blend that can be used in a variety of baked goods by other bakers. Sprouted-grains have a strong flavour profile negating the need for added salt/sugar, enabling the creation of highly nutritious products. Everfresh's knowledge of sprouted-grains, coupled with The Food Incubator's capabilities of and facilities for thermal processing (retorting), alongside Celtic Bakers' expertise on baking inclusions and food production has the potential to introduce a range of completely disruptive, socially-beneficial snack products and baked goods. Retorting is the heating of low-acid foods prone to microbial spoilage in hermetically sealed containers to extend their shelf-life. All of Everfresh's baked goods have no preservatives, no dairy, no eggs, no added sweeteners or refined sugars, Everfresh's products are ideal for those who are wheat intolerant, vegetarian, vegan or just looking for a really simple and pure way of eating. Organic food production is very important to Everfresh and so is sourcing the best quality ingredients and then keeping the processing requirements to a minimum (i.e. low carbon-footprint). Everfresh is committed to protecting the environment for future generations and as a result will not consider making products that are not part of a sustainable or organic food chain. This project also has potential sustainability and low-emission outputs. During conventional heating in an oven, an exceptional amount of heat is lost up the flue or when a door is opened at the end of a cycle. In retorting, interestingly, the steam that has been used to heat the product serves as a secondary process in helping to cool the product. When the steam is "collapsed" at the end of the cycle it is then turned into condensate, in effect water, that is then used to circulate through the heat exchanger where it cools and then is used to cycle over the product to bring its temperature down. This represents a significant saving in water.