Stalam RF Thawing, Pasteurising and Drying Systems

Stalam is an Italian manufacturer of radio frequency (RF) equipment for drying and thermal processing, established in 1978 and based in Nove (Vicenza). It serves food, textile, pharmaceutical and technical industries, and states that more than 2,600 of its machines operate in over 70 countries, with over 95% of output exported.

In RF processing, heat is generated inside the product rather than transferred from the surface, so material heats quickly and uniformly regardless of thickness or thermal conductivity. For food plants Stalam offers COLDWAVE+ systems that temper and defrost large frozen blocks of meat, fish and vegetables in minutes instead of days in cold rooms, post-baking dryers for biscuits, crackers and cereals, pasteurisers for packaged and liquid products, and SANICROP+ equipment for disinfestation and sanitisation of grains, seeds and pulses. A test and demo facility lets customers trial their products before purchase.

• COLDWAVE+ tempering and defrosting: RF systems for frozen meat, fish, vegetables and prepared meals.
• Bakery post-baking dryers: remove residual moisture from biscuits, crackers and breakfast cereals.
• Pasteurisation of packaged food: RF heating of solid products inside their packs.
• Liquid processing: pasteurisation, heating and pre-cooking of viscous liquids.
• SANICROP+ disinfestation: sanitisation of dry commodities such as grains, seeds and pulses.
• Test and demo facility: in-house lab trials to size equipment for each product.

• Seafood plants thawing imported frozen tuna or squid blocks in minutes before filleting and re-processing for export.
• Biscuit and cracker factories adding RF post-baking drying to reduce checking and moisture variation.
• Rice, pepper and coffee exporters disinfesting bulk commodities without chemical fumigation.

• Much faster thawing: large frozen blocks can be tempered or defrosted in minutes, versus up to 48 hours in cold rooms.
• Better product quality: uniform volumetric heating avoids surface degradation and reduces drip loss.
• Chemical-free pest control: RF disinfestation treats grains and pulses without fumigants.
• Lower risk before investment: test and demo facilities validate results on the customer's own product.

Food processors are looking for faster, more uniform and energy-efficient thermal steps to raise throughput and cut waste. In Vietnam, seafood and meat plants that thaw imported frozen raw material, and exporters of rice, coffee, pepper and pulses that need residue-free disinfestation, are relevant users of RF processing.

Established in 1978 and located in Nove (VI), Italy. RF technology has been used for bakery drying since the late 1980s; a Chinese joint-venture subsidiary was set up in 2005. More than 2,600 machines are installed in over 70 countries. Its global network page lists Vietnam in the sales network, with servicing centres in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.