Vacu’Puff®
Exclusive technology. Maximum buoyancy. Industrially controllable.
Vacu’Puff® by Elchais is not a classic dried vegetable, but rather a patented technology platform. As the exclusive distribution partner of Elchais SAS in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, ARONA is bringing this innovative solution to the DACH market.
Patented vacuum technology for maximum performance
The patented Vacu’Puff® process produces a particularly light, porous structure with exceptional rehydration performance. Products achieve a buoyancy of up to 99 % and are ideal for applications where visibility and texture are crucial.
Unlike freeze-dried products, Vacu’Puff® offers comparable preparation time with a more economical structure. The technology thus represents a powerful alternative to freeze-drying – with clear cost and process logic.
All products are manufactured exclusively in France and are subject to structured quality management.
Technological advantages
- Up to 99 % buoyancy
- Fast and even rehydration
- Visible grittiness in soups and ready meals
- Alternative to freeze-drying
- Cost-effective solution with comparable performance
The special pore structure ensures controlled water absorption while maintaining dimensional stability. This means that colour, structure, and sensory presence remain clearly defined even after rehydration.
Technical comparison
Vacu’Puff® Applications
Technical classification
While freeze-drying is designed for maximum structural and flavour preservation, Vacu’Puff® positions itself as an economically efficient technology with exceptional buoyancy and a strong visual presence in the final product.
Particularly for instant soups, sachet products and applications with a viewing window, Vacu’Puff® offers clear advantages in terms of visibility, texture perception and cost-benefit ratio.
Vacu’Puff® Product Portfolio
Vegetable and Cereal Products
- Sweet potato flakes
- Potato flakes
- Potato strips
- Carrot and potato mix
- Carrot cubes
- Carrot flakes
- Carrot strips
- Yellow onions diced
- White onions kibbled
- Toasted onions
- Shallot flakes
- Beetroot flakes
- Flaked red pepper
- Tomato flakes
- Parsnip flakes
Further products on request.
Bespoke formulations for industrial applications
Vacu’Puff® is particularly suitable for:
- Instant soups
- Soup bag with viewing window
- Snack and topping solutions
- Ready meals
- Individual soup mixes
In close collaboration with your development team, bespoke mixes are created – for instance, Minestrone variations, French-inspired onion soups, or application-specific vegetable mixes.
Vacu’Puff® products can be flexibly combined with air-dried or freeze-dried components and integrated into existing industrial recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What product forms are available?
Vacu’Puff® vegetables are available in different shapes and cut sizes, tailored for industrial applications:
- Flecks
- Stripes
- Cube
- Kibbled and coarsely cut qualities
The products are manufactured with a defined particle structure and homogenous particle size distribution to ensure reproducible rehydration and uniform incorporation into formulations.
How does Vacu’Puff® differ from freeze-dried vegetables?
Vacu’Puff® is based on a patented vacuum-puff process that produces a particularly light and porous structure. As a result, the products achieve a buoyancy of up to 99 %.
Compared to freeze-drying, Vacu’Puff® offers:
- comparable rehydration times
- high visual presence in the end product
- stable structure after rehydration
- more economical production structure
This makes the technology particularly attractive for applications with visible vegetable inclusions.
How stable are Vacu'Puff® products in use?
The products are manufactured with controlled residual moisture, a defined particle structure, and stable porosity.
These properties enable:
- Fast and even rehydration
- Stable form after hydration
- good dosability in mixing systems
- reproducible results in industrial processes
The products are therefore particularly suitable for instant soups, dry mixes and ready meals.
Are Vacu’Puff® products also suitable for snack applications?
Yes. Thanks to their light, airy texture, Vacu’Puff® vegetables are also ideal for use as snacks or toppings.
Typical benefits:
- crispy texture when dry
- a stable structure during coating or seasoning
- visible pieces of vegetable as a snack component
- ideal for innovative snack ideas or toppings
This makes it possible to produce both traditional instant products and modern snack formats.
Why do Vacu’Puff® vegetables float in soups?
The patented vacuum-puff process creates a particularly light, porous cellular structure. This structure ensures a low density and enables buoyancy of up to 99 %.
Whilst many dried vegetable products sink to the bottom after rehydration, Vacu’Puff® particles remain visible on the surface or in the upper part of the liquid.
For industrial applications, this means:
- high visual presence in the end product
- even distribution in soups and instant meals
- an attractive presentation of the product in a bag or on a plate
- clearly discernible vegetable pieces
This feature makes Vacu’Puff® particularly suitable for instant soups, snack toppings and products in clear-window packaging.
Is Vacu’Puff® also a cost-effective alternative to freeze-drying?
Yes. Vacu’Puff® offers an economically attractive alternative to freeze-dried vegetables in many applications.
The vacuum-puff process produces a porous structure with comparable rehydration performance, but with lower energy consumption and less complex manufacturing processes.
For industrial applications, this means:
- a more cost-effective raw material composition compared with freeze-drying
- comparable rehydration times in instant systems
- high visibility of the vegetable pieces in the final product
- Consistent performance in soup, snack and topping applications
This makes Vacu’Puff® particularly suitable for applications where product appearance, rehydration behaviour, and cost structure are all relevant.
For which applications is Vacu’Puff® Vegetables particularly suitable?
Vacu’Puff® Vegetables is particularly suitable for applications where visible vegetable pieces, rapid rehydration and a stable texture are required.
Typical areas of application include:
- Instant soups and soup sachets
- Ready meals and convenience products
- Snack and topping solutions
- Dry mixes and seasoning systems
- innovative snack concepts featuring vegetable ingredients
Thanks to their light, porous structure, the products rehydrate quickly whilst retaining their shape. At the same time, their high buoyancy ensures that the pieces of vegetable remain visible within the product.
Enquire about high-quality plant-based raw materials now
We will advise you individually on variants, qualities, and technical requirements.