What is MATS™?

MATS™ is a new, patented, and FDA-approved technology developed by Washington State University (WSU) that addresses many of the problems to which current food processing methods are prone and accustomed. MATS™ is an innovation that utilizes new microwave food processing practices to create fresher, higher-quality foods with improved organaleptic characteristics.

The Technology

Juming Tang and his team were challenged to develop a food preservation technology that would extend shelf life and improve food quality and nutrition. The team’s Microwave Assisted Sterilization Process technology immerses the packaged food in pressurized hot water while simultaneously heating it with microwaves at a frequency of 915 MHz—a frequency that penetrates food more thoroughly than the 2450 MHz used in home microwave ovens. This combination eliminates food pathogens and spoilage microorganisms in just five to eight minutes and produces safe foods with much higher quality than conventionally processed, ready-to-eat products.