Heat helps with herbs

Red Deer Herbs is claiming to have developed a form of treatment for its products, which not only tackles bacteria, but also improves product appearance.

Paul Dunne, from Red Deer was at Food & Drink Expo this week to promote his products. He said: “We have a method of heat treatment that reduces bacteria in the product and allows herbs to retain their colour, by preventing enzyme activity that would normally turn the herb black.” He said the treatment works especially well on herbs being used as a garnish on added-value products, allowing them to retain their colour while on shelf.

His company is also looking to promote the use of sea asparagus, working with Agrexco, to the foodservice sector. “We've just started on that, but there’s interest from a number of businesses.”