IXL Netherlands wins the Food Valley Award 2011 with Nutri-Pulse® e-Cooker

Preparing food in a very short space of time and at low temperature with minimum effects on taste and nutrients. The Nutri-Pulse® e-Cooker is a revolutionary method of preparing our foods. In the Food Valley Expo finals, the Award Committee announced IXL Netherlands the winner of the Food Valley Award 2011 for this innovation. "You yourself may be convinced that you have developed a great technology, but if external experts say so, it is fantastic! It is so valuable for us to know that we've done it", says Govert van Oord, Managing Director IXL Netherlands.

People have been cooking since time immemorial. The cooking process renders many vegetables and meat edible, digestible and makes nutrients more readily available to the human body. The disadvantage of lengthy heating of food at high temperatures is the loss of essential nutrients. IXL Netherlands has developed the Nutri-Pulse® e-Cooker. Using short electric pulses (Pulsed Electric Field technology), food can be prepared in a few minutes at low temperatures with minimal effects on taste and nutrients. This way of preparing food entails other benefits too. "Think about saving energy, limiting food waste by cooking on demand, homogenous heating and safe usage as you cannot burn your hands on the pan", emphasises Van Oord.

Food Valley stimulates innovation in the Dutch agrifood sector. Food Valley awards an annual prize to the most distinctive project or initiative in the food or food related business. The winner of this Food Valley Award stands out in terms of innovation, cooperation and Corporate Social Responsibility. "IXL Netherlands deserves this award because it is a sustainable breakthrough in technology and food preparation. The Nutri-Pulse® e-Cooker prepares food more quickly while ensuring that the texture and taste are maintained. There is no comparable technology and that makes it all the more unique", says Jan Maat, chairman of the Award Committee.

IXL Netherlands was in the finals with ClearDetections®, a method of clearly detecting plant diseases and with Ojah and its nominated Beeter®, a remarkable alternative for meat.

Food Valley Expo
The winner of the Food Valley Award 2011 was announced during the Food Valley Expo, the annual event for and by representatives of the agrifood sector. With a record number of over 500 visitors from New Zealand, Brazil, China, Europe, Japan, Thailand and the United States, the Food Valley Expo was a great success. Among the highlights were the 126 matchmaking discussions; the live pitches by new entrepreneurs; the profiling of Dutch companies with European food clusters; the Food Valley Award ceremony; the inspirational speakers; and the many exhibitors who displayed their latest innovations to the public. "Food Valley Expo is a result of the close collaboration of Food Valley with many companies, knowledge centres and intermediary organizations in the agrifood sector, where innovation is high on the agenda. It gives a good and inspiring impression of the innovative strength of the Netherlands. And this is something we can be proud of", says Roger van Hoesel, Managing Director of Food Valley.

Further information
For further information about the winner and nominees, or to view the films about their innovations, go to: Food Valley Award.

Winnaar 2011