By Mandy Gross
FAPC Manager of Communications Services

(Stillwater, Okla. – Feb. 21, 2012) Innovative. State-of-the-art. Versatile. Technologically advanced.

These words describe a new piece of equipment generously given to Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center.

David Howard, chief executive officer of Unitherm Food Systems, provided a spiral oven valued at approximately $200,700 as a gift-in-kind to support food research of the FAPC’s food processing pilot plant.

“The FAPC does an excellent job of supporting the growth of food processing in Oklahoma but has older equipment to work with,” Howard said. “I want to help drive the center to have modern equipment to assist companies and add value to Oklahoma.”

Howard’s gift of the state-of-the-art machine will help the FAPC develop food products and help educate students for careers in the Oklahoma food industry.

The FAPC is fortunate to have such a generous supporter, like Howard, said Chuck Willoughby, FAPC business and marketing relations manager.

“David understands the importance of the center’s mission and adding value to Oklahoma,” Willoughby said. “We are truly thankful to Unitherm for its support and providing technologically advanced equipment to enhance the technical assistance FAPC provides to Oklahoma’s food industry,”

Unitherm offers a wide range of spiral ovens in the marketplace. The micro spiral oven, housed at the FAPC, includes a 12-inch wide by 60-feet long coil wrapped belt with the capacity to cook 500 pounds of product per hour.

The energy efficient oven has the unique characteristic of possessing steaming, roasting and broiling capabilities, and is equipped with a Clean in Place system that enables the machine to clean itself by applying soap, washing, rinsing and sanitizing.

“We launched this machine a little over 12 months ago, and it is already selling domestically and internationally,” Howard said. “This confirms it is state-of-the-art.”

The FAPC has several projects planned utilizing the newly installed spiral oven. Some include baking cookies, breads, pizzas and pies.

The FAPC plans to test and verify that the spiral oven can be used for cooking bakery products, said Renée Nelson, FAPC milling and baking specialist.

“We are going to show and demonstrate that the spiral oven will bake various items and develop a program describing cooking time, temperature, etc. to produce a quality product,” Nelson said. “Our research will benefit bakeries located in Oklahoma, and hopefully, provide another option for baking products in an energy efficient and compressed-space manner.”

Unitherm Food Systems, located in Bristow, Okla., is a market leader in innovative equipment technologies for pasteurization, cooking and chilling of raw, partially cooked and fully cooked food products and agricultural food commodities.

The company is known throughout the food processing industry for its innovative approach to the design and creation of machines and systems to maximize yields and reduce processing times, while enhancing safety and profitability.

Howard founded Unitherm in the United Kingdom in 1985, but relocated the business to the United States in 1995.

Since the company’s inception more than 25 years ago, Unitherm has introduced the smoking process for 80 percent of all smoked turkey sold, launched numerous ready-to-eat meal processes, and built ovens to cook everything from pasta to chicken and jerky to peppers.

Howard encourages companies not linked with the FAPC that need help to contact the center to discover how they can help to grow their businesses.

“The FAPC is a unique opportunity for both existing and new food companies to get expertise across all aspects of operating business,” Howard said. “I would like to encourage all companies that are involved in the food industry to get to know the scope and capability of the center.”

The spiral oven is not the only piece of equipment Unitherm has donated throughout the years. Howard has given digital control and steam injection system modifications for an existing hot water pasteurizer, a radiant heat oven called the InfraRed Grill, two electrolyzed water generators and a boot wash system.

These donations assist in the efforts of the FAPC Foundation Focus Program. Established in 2003, the program helps to carry out the FAPC mission of adding value to Oklahoma through individual and industry partner donations to the Product Innovation Fund.

“With these funds, the FAPC is able to focus on delivering even greater economic impact to Oklahoma as it continues to serve the state’s value-added agricultural industry,” Willoughby said. “To date, the Product Innovation Fund has received more than $950,000 in contributions from the Oklahoma value-added industry and from private individuals.”

For more information about the FAPC or the Foundation Focus Program, visit www.fapc.biz or contact the center by calling 405-744-6071 or e-mailing fapc@okstate.edu.

- ### -

Oklahoma State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local Governments Cooperating. The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, or status as a veteran, and is an equal opportunity employer.

• Go back to news release main page