IXON Food Technology

IXON Food Technology Limited is a Hong Kong–based food technology company that has developed a patent-pending process it calls advanced sous-vide aseptic packaging (ASAP). The method sterilises food at comparatively gentle temperatures of 60–80 °C (140–176 °F) rather than the above-121 °C (250 °F) heat used in canning, retort and microwave-assisted thermal sterilisation, with the stated aim of retaining taste, texture and nutritional quality while allowing products to be shipped and stored at ambient temperature for up to two years without refrigeration or preservatives.

The process sterilises each component of a package separately: packaging materials are treated with vaporised hydrogen peroxide (a technique long used in aseptic milk packaging), liquids such as olive oil are sterilised with pressurised heat, and solid items such as steaks or pork chops have only their exterior exposed to 160 °C for 60 seconds while the interior remains at sous-vide temperatures. The company positions ASAP for long-term preservation of fresh produce and for manufacture of shelf-stable ready-to-eat (MRE) meals, citing a $110 billion MRE market. According to the company, ASAP uses 30% less energy than canning and 80% less than freezing.

The company's team spans food science, engineering and packaging. Its product news covers ambient-stable fresh produce (fruit corn, apple, tianma), a soft-cured shelf-stable natural black truffle, a functional-foods system branded PhantomCure, and an IXON Pets line of ambient fresh pet meals.