Amazon.com (AMZN) - Get Report is exploring the use of cutting edge food technology first developed for the U.S. military to ship prepared meals without refrigeration as it continues its market disrupting move into the grocery business, Reuters reported.

Amazon is discussing with 915 Labs selling ready-to-eat dishes as soon as next year to build on its Amazon Fresh grocery delivery service. The technology, called microwave assisted thermal sterilization or MATS, would allow Amazon to stockpile and ship meals without worrying about refrigerating the products.

MATS technology involves placing sealed packages of food in pressurized water and heating them with microwaves for several minutes to kill any bacteria. It's better than traditional processing methods because the food retains its natural flavor and texture but can still sit on a shelf for a year.

If the MATS technology works and Amazon implements it on a large scale, the $700 billion grocery industry could be further disrupted by the retail giant. Amazon made a market-moving play in June when it announced plans to acquire Whole Foods Market (WFM) .

Amazon stock traded down 0.48% premarket Friday to $952.28 per share.

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