The Titan Corporation -- manufacturer of the nation's first electronic pasteurization for food -- has been awarded a U.S. patent for a transporting and self-shielding system that miniaturizes its SureBeam technology, allowing it to be more conveniently incorporated onto food producers' processing lines.

Similar to a microwave oven, the SureBeam system uses electricity as its energy source to pasteurize food after it has been processed and packaged, thereby eliminating food-borne pathogens like E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella without affecting its texture or taste. The new patent "specifically addresses the future needs of the precooked food market by making available an in-house, cost-effective, highly efficient means to eliminate harmful bacteria like listeria from processed foods, such as hot dogs and luncheon meats," said company chairman and president Gene W. Ray.

In May, Titan subsidiary SureBeam Corporation and Minnesota-based Huisken Meats launched the nation's first supermarket hamburger product to be electronically pasteurized with Titan's SureBeam technology. From an initial 84 supermarkets, product distribution rapidly expanded to more than 250 stores and nationally in just a few weeks.

In addition to Huisken Meats, Surebeam has entered into multiyear agreements with several major food producers to use its technology, including Tyson Foods, Cargill, Emmpak, IBP and Hawaii Pride. In addition, Titan has an agreement with Kraft Foods, Inc. to work closely on researching the use of Surebeam technology for electronic pasteurization on pre-cooked processed foods.