Induction Food Systems

Induction Food Systems (IFS) designs and manufactures solid-state industrial heating equipment that heats flowing fluids in-line using electromagnetic energy rather than steam. The system uses a coil-and-core design in which solid-state electronics convert electrical power into electromagnetic energy; an external coil focuses that energy onto an insert placed inside the process tube, generating heat that transfers outward into the flowing fluid. The approach is aimed at fluids that are difficult to heat conventionally, including high-viscosity and particulate foods.

The equipment is positioned as a replacement for boilers and central steam utilities in applications such as UHT processing, HTST, pasteurization, evaporation and general process temperature regulation. Target segments named by the company include low-acid beverages; sauces, soups and purees; high-sensitivity and high-protein liquids; and breweries. Beyond food, the company has reported applications with specialty chemical manufacturers that need to heat difficult products. The company states its systems have no on-site emissions and can reduce a plant's carbon footprint and criteria pollutants, in some cases bringing plants under emissions caps or exempting them from carbon reporting.

IFS states its equipment is manufactured in the United States, with offices near Chicago and in North Carolina's Research Triangle; other sources place the company in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina. Leadership consists of Francesco Aimone (CEO and co-founder, food entrepreneur with a healthcare background, Columbia University) and George Sadler, PhD (co-founder, described on the company site as CSO; food scientist and chemist, Purdue University), who developed the underlying technology.

Founding story

Co-founder George Sadler, an academic food scientist and chemist who had worked in partnership with the FDA to validate new processing technologies, believed industry would electrify and that thermal processing of fluid foods needed a better method. The company was founded on that premise in 2017, building on early exploratory work funded by NASA and the USDA into making food processing smaller and more efficient.

Business model

IFS sells industrial heating units to manufacturers, sizing and customizing systems for a customer's startup or expansion needs. Unit prices were reported to range from approximately $80,000 to $500,000 depending on customer requirements.

Revenue comes from sales of heating equipment units, with per-unit pricing reported between roughly $80,000 and $500,000 depending on specification.

Traction

Backed by Techstars, IFS received its first angel investments in 2018 and began testing with enterprise customers in 2019. By March 2022 it had commercialized the technology, deployed its first unit to a customer the prior month and had six clients spanning specialty chemicals and food and beverage; at that time it targeted growing revenue to $250,000 for the year and five units deployed in the field. A technology system launch was reported in November 2018 through its Purdue University affiliation.

Latest developments

As of early 2022 the company had deployed its first unit to a customer, served six clients across food, beverage and specialty chemicals, and was seeking investors while targeting five field-deployed units and $250,000 of revenue for the year.