Elea Wins Silver International FoodTec Award 2027 for PiCon Sense
7. October 2026 - Elea has been awarded the Silver International FoodTec Award 2027 for PiCon Sense, its digital solution for real-time monitoring and optimisation of Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) processes. The prestigious award recognises outstanding innovation in food technology and highlights Elea's contribution to smarter, data-driven food processing.
Smarter PEF Processing with PiCon Sense
Natural raw materials are constantly changing. Variety, season, dry matter content and storage conditions can all influence how a product responds to PEF treatment. Traditionally, treatment effectiveness has been verified through manual testing and routine quality checks.
PiCon Sense introduces a new approach by continuously analysing acoustic and vibration signals generated during cutting. This provides real-time insights into treatment effectiveness and product response, helping processors optimise PEF parameters based on actual process data.
By combining precision sensors with intelligent data analysis, PiCon Sense supports consistent treatment performance while reducing the need for manual testing and calibration. Continuous monitoring also provides greater process transparency, helping processors identify changes in raw material behaviour and potential process deviations at an early stage.
Originally developed and submitted for the award as the PiCon Tool project, the technology is now commercially available as PiCon Sense and forms part of Elea’s PiCon platform.
Recognised with the International FoodTec Award
For this development, Elea has received the Silver International FoodTec Award 2027, recognising PiCon Sense as an innovation in food technology.
"PiCon Sense represents an important step towards smarter food processing. By combining real-time monitoring with AI-supported analysis, it enables food processors to better understand, optimise and continuously improve PEF performance under real production conditions.” says Stefan Toepfl, Managing Director of Elea Technology GmbH.
The official award ceremony will take place on 23. February 2027 during Anuga FoodTec in Cologne, Germany.
Discover PiCon Sense at Anuga FoodTec 2027
From 23.–26. February 2027, Elea will showcase PiCon Sense and its latest developments in PEF technology at Anuga FoodTec.
Visitors can also learn about the broad range of possibilities offered by PEF technology, from established applications in French fries and potato chips to fruit processing, wine, olive oil and juice production.
Meet Elea at Anuga FoodTec 2027 in Hall 10.1, Booth B-068-C-069, and discover the award-winning PiCon Sense solution firsthand.