Present day society is going through notable changes in its eating habits as a consequence of the impact of new life styles that have changed family organisation.

At the same time, the development of new technologies in the area of food production has meant that consumers now have what are known as service products, which are those specifically designed to help in their preparation and consumption.

The consumption of prepared food in Europe and the USA has doubled in the last ten years. Fast food has become the common form of consumption. The time available for cooking is minimal, with an average of 20 minutes instead of the 2 hours taken up two generations ago. “Easy to prepare” and “ready to serve” the two key ingredients for the majority.

On the other hand, take away food services are used more and more.

As a result, a rang of food is included in what is considered to be prepared food when in fact it isn’t, such as sauces, soups, yogurts, fourth range food, etc.

However, one also has to take into account that the consumer expects much more from these types of food, that they’re good for your health, personalized, portable and high quality products.

This is where the industry can play a part. It has to bring all these features together and also manage to get the industrial flavour close to that produced in the home, so as to satisfy the increasingly demanding consumer.

HRS Spiratube has taken into consideration these necessities and designed inovative machinery to produce these types of products on a production line and with minimum treatment, thus maintaining their natural properties and bringing industrial food close to that of the traditional kitchen.

One of the food industries that’s outstanding for its growth is that of sauces. According to the Asociación Espa?ola de Fabricantes de Salsas y Condimentos Preparados (Spanish Association of Sauce and Prepared Seasoning Producers), during the period from 2001-2004 the bottled sauce sector in Europe has grown both in terms of value and volume, increasing its sales by more than 20%.

In the year 2005 total sales in the sauce sector in Spain was 423,349 tons, equivalent to 625.8 million euros.

The majority of sales, nearly 77% of the total, take place through the normal food channel. Although the major area of growth is in the Ho and Catering sector and the market for these products is still growing. The greatest volume of sales in the Ho and Catering sector is in the sizes of 2 to 4 kilos and those of more than 4 kilos.

Arteoliva, as a pioneering company in these types of processes, has a plant supplied by HRS Spiratube for the making of sauces in aseptic conditions with high and low acidity, where its main contribution are the UNICUS? rough surface hear exchangers which, with the alternating movement of its rough elements ensures that the product, normally of high viscosity, does’t leave deposits on the wall of the exchanger and increase the coefficient of heat transmission.

These exchangers are also outstanding for the versatility and practicality, as they can process various products without having to stop the system.

In addition the HRS aseptic filler allows the filling of a container in pre-formed and pre-sterilized bags, avoiding any contamination. These forms just mentioned are also used in the Ho and Catering sector.

HRS places at your dispositon the technology for the treatment and bottling or canning of these types of food, which are becoming better known and more popular among consumers, adding the quality and taste of traditional home cooked food to industrial quality.