August 14, 2001 — San Diego, CA — SureBeam Corp, a manufacturer of first electronic food pasteurization systems — announced today that it has been awarded a U.S. patent for a major technological advancement that allows a single electron beam machine to simultaneously process food products of various sizes and densities.

Larry A. Oberkfell, SureBeam’s president and chief executive, says the patent is a ?major technological thrust? that expands SureBeam?s capability.

?We are now able to employ high-efficiency, cost- effective electron beam processing on differing products moving simultaneously side-by-side without any sacrifice in quality,? he says. ?This advancement has direct in-line application to ready-to-eat processors who want to process multiple products simultaneously, for example, an assortment of luncheon meats of differing weights or thickness.”

Similar to a microwave oven, the SureBeam system uses ordinary electricity as its energy source to pasteurize food after it has been processed and packaged. According to the company, SureBeam technology can the threat of harmful food-borne bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7, Listeria, Campylobacter and Salmonella without compromising texture, taste or nutritional value. Mark A. DeSorbo