Technology developed for the metals industry offers unprecedented uniformity in encapsulated ingredients and micro-inclusions for food processing.
That opportunity partly explains why an upstate New York firm that specializes in specialized industrial ovens is trying to transfer a precision process for microencapsulation to the food industry. In late 2003, Lancaster, NY-based Harper International Corp. licensed technology from a German firm to produce perfectly rounded spheres with extremely tight size distribution, even at a microscopic level. Harper develops and designs advanced thermal processing systems, such as sintering furnaces for nuclear fuels. Precise control of temperature and atmosphere in compact, low-maintenance systems is a company hallmark.