How to market a technology? A German Pool Case Study on Applying Far Infrared Technology to Cooking Appliances.
Application of the FIR Technology - Electrical appliances - Kitchen appliances (e.g. toaster, oven, water heater, steam oven, stove, electric rice cooker, coffeepot, thermos, etc.) - Electrical heaters for warming human body (e.g. different types of heating systems, heating blanket for healthness, in-car heating cushion, foot warmer, etc.) - Appliances for electrical refrigerating and cooling products (e.g. heat absorbing systems, e.g. electrical refrigerator, air conditioner, red wine storage cabinet, etc.) - Health, personal body care and cosmetic (e.g. far infrared rays lamp to relief muscle ache, hair blower, facial steamer, cosmetic systems, etc.) - Other domestic heating electrical appliances (e.g. tumble dryer)
German Pool Product Portfolio:
Product categories that German Pool has utilized FIR technology:
FIR Technology + Electrical Heater
Eye massager Head massager FIR Technology + Lifestyle Product
FIR Waist Belt FIR Wrist Belt FIR Waist Belt FIR Technology + Lifestyle Product FIR Wrist Belt
Wavelength: 8um Emissivity: 95.2%
FIR Technology + Cooking Appliance
Cooking - Heat transfer occurs through: conduction, convection, and radiation. - Every method of cooking involves one or more of these heat transfer methods.
Conduction - Exchange of thermal energy through direct contact between a heating element and the food; - Different materials result in different heating times and temperatures; - Pan-frying or sautéing are common forms of conduction.
Convection - Heat is transferred by the movement of molecules in either gas or liquid. - Baking and roasting are common forms of convection cooking. The heating elements within the oven heat the air and that comes in contact with the food.
Radiation - Heat transfer methods that do not need a medium. - Infrared radiation transfers thermal energy in the form of electromagnetic waves.
It is considered that meat and fish cooked by charcoal or bread baked in a stone oven are more delicious than those cooked in a conventional gas oven
Heating using FIR heaters is a heating method that is similar to the charcoal or stone oven, and thus it may produce delicious foods.
The direct penetration ability of infrared radiation makes it possible to increase the energy flux without burning the surface and thus reduces the necessary heating time that conventional heating methods require. (Infrared processing C. Skjöldebrand, ABB and Lund University, Sweden)
Advantages of infrared radiation over conventional heating : - High heat transfer capacity - Heat penetration directly into the product - Faster heating rate - Shorter response time - Uniform drying temperature - High degree of process control - Cleaner working environment - Can be applied to various food processing operation namely drying, baking, roasting, blanching, pasteurization and sterilization.
When radiant electromagnetic energy impinges upon a food surface, it may induce changes in the electronic, vibrational, and rotational states of atoms and molecules. Changes in the electronic state: wavelengths 0.2 to 0.7um Changes in the vibrational state: wavelengths 2.5 to 100um Changes in the rotational state: wavelengths >100um (microwaves) (Thermal Food Processing: New Technologies and Quality Issues, Noboru Sakai and Weijie Mao)
Normal vibration of water Generally, food is composed of water and organic compounds such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fat, and the infrared absorption characteristic of those materials is important; The IR energy in proportion to the vibrational frequencies (wave length) is efficiently absorbed in a body. (Thermal Food Processing: New Technologies and Quality Issues, Noboru Sakai and Weijie Mao)
Principal absorption bands of the main food components compared with water (Sandu 1986) Amino acids, polypeptides, and protein: reveal 2 strong absorption bands localized at 3 to 4 and 6 to 9 um Lipids: reveal 3 strong absorption bands localized at 3 to 4, 6, and 9 to10 um - show strong absorption phenomena over the entire radiation spectrum Carbohydrates: - yield 2 strong absorption bands Centered at 3, and 7 to10 um Data on absorption of infrared radiation by the principle food constituents can be regarded as approximate values due to a lack of information.
The effect of IR radiation on optical and physical properties of food materials is crucial for the design of an infrared heating system and optimization of a thermal process of food components. In order to achieve energy optimum and efficient practical applicability of IR heating in the food processing industry, combination of IR heating with microwave and other common conductive and covective modes of heating holds great potential. (Infrared Heating in Food Processing: An Overview, Kathiravan Krishnamurthy, Harpreet JKaur Khurana, Soojin Jun, Joseph Irudayaraj, and Ali Demirci)
Comparative Performance Characteristics of FIR Oven and Conventional Oven FIR Oven Conventional Oven
Comparative Performance Characteristics of FIR Grill and NIR Grill A) Grilling cut fish B) Grilling thigh meat with bone The grilling time is reduced by approximately half. As the energy consumption of the griller per unit time is the same, the energy consumption is reduced by half. Furthermore, the grilled condition is satisfactory and the yield increases by approximately 10%, so the economic effect is great. (Source: Japan Far Infrared Rays Association, F49)
Applying Far Infrared Technology to Household Cooking Appliances.
What are the needs of our customers?
Our target customers want: - Multi-functional appliances take up less space; - Energy efficient appliances; - Speedy appliances that deliver great results; - User-friendly design; - Products that promote healthy lifestyle; - No mess during cooking; - Restaurant owners want robust but affordable cooking devices.
Consumer Product Design Certificate of Merit "Hong Kong Awards for Industries" (The Federation of Hong Kong Industries) (2007 年香港工業總會 消費品設計優異獎 )
Energy Efficient transfers heat to food by means of FIR wave, convection, and conduction all at one time. As a result, food can be cooked within a much shorter time. Healthy Cooking No oil is needed during preparation and cooking process. Heat waves can penetrate directly into meat. It effectively drives out fats and reduces grease within food. Sensational cooking result Can cook food fast and evenly from the inside out. Safe & Easy Operation
Halogen cooking pot transfers heat to food by means of convection, conduction and radiation all at one time. As a result, food can be cooked with a much shorter time.
2 FIR heating element 1 Conventional heating element 2 1
Comparison of two whole chickens being cooked in the two different halogen cooking pots (net weight chicken: 1.5kg) FIR heating 2 1 Conventional element heating element - Fully cooked in 23 minute - juicy - Fully cooked in 40 minutes - dry
B A B FIR Carbon heating element A FIR Carbon heating element + FIR coating on grill head bezel
B FIR Carbon heating element A FIR Carbon heating element + FIR coating on grill head bezel
B FIR Carbon heating element Oven Comparison - Trial 2 A FIR Carbon heating element + FIR coating on grill head bezel Temperature (degc) 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Initial 6 min 9 min (reading 1) 9 min (reading 2) 9 min (reading 3) Ambient Sample A Sample B
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en4iy-mmqtm
Tasting is believing!
Cable TV: 肥媽私房菜
TVB Pay Vision 生活台 : 星級廚房
magazine editorial
exhibition : HKBPE 工展會
Customers sharing their great halogen cook pot cooking experience via various social media sites such as Blog and Facebook
customers sharing their own great halogen cook pot cooking experience via blog
Social media: blog
Social media: Facebook
1) Selective heating: IR heating can be controlled or filtered to allow radiation within a special spectral range to pass through using suitable optical band pass filters. Such a controlled radiation can stimulate the maximum optical response of the target object when the emission band of IR = the peak absorbance band of the target object. 2) IR heating is a unique process; however, presently, the application and understanding of IR heating in food processing is still in its infancy. Detailed insight into the theoretical explanation of IR effects: interaction with food components, change in taste and flavor
Thank You.