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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - FC-Unlimited (Eco-efficient and Healthy Commercial Deep Fryer)

Teaser

Summary

Deep fat frying is one of the oldest and most popular food preparation techniques at both domestic and industrial venues.

This process is widely used in a great number of culinary cultures along worldwide. Only in USA it has an estimated market size of 83 billion. Moreover, the growth of the sector is being strengthened by the new concept of restaurant and new market segments as food retail appear.
However, current fryers show some problems such as:
â€¢ Inefficient energy systems
â€¢ Waste in the oil
â€¢ Not eco-friendly
â€¢ The lack of control of that process produces non-standardized products, which are often over cooked, fatty or burnt
â€¢ During frying, potentially toxic compounds can be formed because of deterioration
â€¢ They are the cause of one of the workplace accidents more habitual such as burns
â€¢ They require trained personnel to supervise the process
â€¢ They involve an expensive installation

Qualityfry presents the novelty of the FC-Unlimited commercial deep fryer for the HORECA sector lies in the following features:
1. Closed and isolated chamber (20 kg of potatoes / hour), which allows the frying process to be carried out in a controlled environment, improving safety.
2. Forced extraction system with high deodorization performance.
3. Electronic oil monitoring.
4. Electronic temperature control.
5. Modularity of the equipment.
6. Internet connection.
7. Low installation and maintenance costs.
8. Development of a fire extinguishing system that can be coupled to FC-Unlimited.
9. Process automation.

In conclusion, the FC-Unlimited project consists on the design, market test and ready to launch to the market of an innovative closed fryer and feasibility evaluation with the aim of obtaining a highly attractive medium-term investment opportunity and a scaling-up Project.

Work performed

This project aimed to ensure the successful commercialization and rapid market adoption of FC-Unlimited after the completion of the project. It is proposed as a 19-month project, although it was later considered appropriate to extend it 3 months, with the final duration being 22 months. The project has been organized around two blocks of activities:
â€¢ Manufacturing and certification.
â€¢ Demonstration phase and Development of successful marketing plan.

The first block of work was to develop and manufacture prototypes and pre-series successfully, their connectivity and the technical analysis by R&D team. This information was detailed in the first report; however, it is noteworthy that the results obtained in relation to odour elimination through the deodorization system and reduction of volatile compounds was very positive (99% of deodorization).

In the second block of work Qualityfry was focused on demonstration phase and in the development of the business strategy.

Demonstration was performed with distributors and customers with purpose of checking their level of acceptance. After testing period, distributors and customers fill up a questionnaire about their experience, whose data was analysed. In general, the machines were valued very positively both at the operating and product level. Furthermore, proposed improvements were subsequently evaluated by research and development department, and some of these included into the improved system. It is also remarkable that the equipment FC-Unlimited received awarded the Smart Label award. It is an initiative promoted by Host - Fiera Milano and POLI.design Consortium of the Milan Polytechnic. That information was of great interest for the development of the business strategy, development of future designs, creation of the optimal training of personnel and a good post sale assistant service.

The other big milestone of the second period was the company\'s business Plan development, both at project and company level. That investor ready business plan (IRBP) provides an overview of the company. The generated document summarizes the commercial, operational and financial objectives and contains detailed plans how these will be achieved. The operational and marketing strategy have been considered a key information to develop the plan.

In accordance with the analyses done, the main conclusion is that the company has a project with huge added value that together with its capabilities will allow the Company to compete internationally in current and future markets. It is also a viable project from the economic and financial viewpoint, that has a business plan with concrete actions to achieve its objectives, as well as capability to adapt to possible risks or opportunities that might arise during its development.

Final results

Qualityfry proposal for the FC-Unlimited, includes oil quality control and management, process automation, built-in vapor and smokes extraction and deodorization system, closed chamber, among others.

FC-Unlimited is focused on the HORECA sector, where its benefits will be particularly relevant. That equipment has been designed for restaurants with a high-level turnover of fried products, as its capacity of 20 kg potatoes per hour (each module) translates to approximately 180 servings per hour. Therefore, it is also suited for medium to large sized restaurants. One of the key advantages of the technology is that it can be used in kitchens without a fume extraction system.
On the top of this sector, the food retail sector is appearing as a new sector where the FC- Unlimited will also fit. As a matter of a fact, Qualityfry is already installing our current products FC- Gourmet in this market segment in Spain. Qualityfry considers that this type of clients will need several units of FC-Unlimited per location.

According to the tests performed up to date, we can confirm that the planned effects of FC-Unlimited related to climate change, on the environment and on Society, are met with the following consideration:
1. Closed and isolated chamber (20 kg of potatoes / hour), which allows the frying process to be carried out in a controlled environment, improving safety.
2. Forced extraction system with high deodorization performance.
3. Electronic oil monitoring that allows the oil quality level to be automatically detected by capacitance, thus detecting the degraded oil and removing it. What is beneficial in terms of quality of the final product since the oil will be part of the product. The emptying and filling of oil is done automatically.
4. Electronic temperature control.
5. Modular equipment that allows needs to the needs of each type of client.
6. Internet connection.
7. Low installation and maintenance costs. It only requires an electrical connection point.
8. Development of a fire extinguishing system that can be coupled to FC-Unlimited.
9. Process automation, which is a competitive advantage and the latest scientific publications review the importance of increasing the level of automation in food services and reducing the impact of inappropriate food handler decisions.