Food Safety Magazine, June/July 2012

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Focus on TECHNOLOGY By John J. Specchio, Ph.D., John P. Schrade and Mandy Unanski Utilization of Steam Heat Generated via Microwave Energy A look at steam heat for food processing The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of steam-heat processing of food within a covered Cambro pan containing water with energy generated via microwaves. Specifically, the study was designed to determine adequate heat transfer and time/temperature cooking parameters for seafood products. Background Most restaurants and retail food stores rely upon traditional steamers to cook seafood products to the required temperature of 145 °F as specified within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code. 1 The problems associated with conventional steamers include the high costs of the units, energy expenses and complicated plumbing hookups. The difficulty of cleaning and sanitizing the interior area of conventional steamers is of particular concern. A solution to these issues is the use of microwave-generated energy to steam-cook seafood products within covered Cambro pans containing water. 2–4 First, the microwave units are portable and don’t require expensive and complicated steam and wastewater plumbing hookups. Second, the Cambro pans are available in different sizes to economically accommodate the volume of food items being prepared. Third, the stainless steel microwave units as well as the Cambro pans are easily cleaned and sanitized. Fourth, cooking time is reduced significantly in that a traditional 1.5-pound lobster can be steamed to a minimal internal temperature of 145 °F in a total of 4 minutes (2 minutes cooking and 2 minutes holding). Fifth, there is a large savings in energy costs using microwaves to generate steam as opposed to using conventional steamers. Section 3-401.12 of the 2009 edition of the FDA Food Code 1 requires that raw animal foods, including seafood, heated via microwave energy must attain an internal temperature of at least 165 °F. However, traditional steam heating of seafood products need only attain an internal temperature of 145 °F. This study was designed to determine whether cooking seafood in covered Cambro pans with added water and using microwaves as the energy source to produce steam was equivalent to cooking seafood in traditional-style steamers. If this premise is proven true, then it could suggest that the Food Code be amended to allow for the steam heating of seafood products to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F using microwave energy as the source. Objectives The four major objectives of this research were the following: (a) compare the cooking of seafood using traditional microwave energy for heat transfer versus using microwave-generated steam within covered Cambro pans; (b) determine time/temperature cooking parameters for heat transfer using microwave-generated steam within a covered Cambro pan; (c) determine temperature variations within various seafood products processed using microwave-generated steam within a covered Cambro pan and (d) ultimately, determine the equivalency of heat transfer within seafood utilizing steam generated via microwave energy within a covered Cambro pan compared with traditional seafood steamers. Materials A Panasonic 3200-watt 4-magnetron “Sonic Steamer” microwave was used as the energy source for creat- 42 F o o d S a f e t y M a g a z i n e
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Page 4 and 5: June/July 2012 Vol. 18, No. 3 FEATU
Page 6 and 7: Editor’s Letter It’s All About
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Page 10 and 11: News Bites 2012 Food Safety Summit
Page 12 and 13: GUEST EDITORIAL By Eric Mittenthal,
Page 14: Testing By Kara Baldus, M.B.A., and
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Page 69 and 70: what’s hiding Contaminants emerge
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Food Safety Magazine, June/July 2012

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