Putting Processing Equipment in the Spotlight

The information included in this section has been supplied by providers of food processing equipment and has been edited for content, clarity, and space.

EXPERTS AT BLENTECH, including food scientists, process engineers, and service engineers, are prepared to virtually troubleshoot process and product problems as well as commission equipment virtually. The company also offers virtual diagnostics when emergency repairs or modifications are needed. For trials and testing, the Blentech team works with a client’s recipes and formulations to test processes on specialized equipment and livestream videos of product trials from the Blentech innovation center to the client’s desktop while providing real-time metrics. Blentech, blentech.com

ADVANCES IN EXTRUDED meat analogue fibration allow Clextral to make plant-based meats with real meat textures, proven in a new validation study comparing extruded meat analogues from soy and pea proteins to cooked ham, chicken breast, pork, and beef. In addition, Clextral offers technology that provides a “kill step” to ensure the safety of high-moisture meat analogues. Leveraging its EPT (extrusion porosification technology), Clextral is introducing original solutions for manufacturing porous powders with enhanced functionalities. The company’s “clip on” modules extend the flexibility of twin-screw extruders to make a range of products, including cereals, snacks, pet food, treats, and fish feed. To help food companies optimize their processes, extruder maintenance, and new product development, the company offers a program called Clextral Learn. Clextral, clextral.com

RAPID PRODUCT CHANGEOVERS, repeatable processing, and easy cleaning and maintenance are among the attributes of Scott Turbon hydraulic RAM mixers. The mixers facilitate continuous batch production, as the mixer head can be easily lifted, allowing the mixed batch to be quickly shifted to the next phase of the production process and a new batch moved under the mixer head. The Scott Turbon mixer head provides high shear with effective pumping action, thus ensuring that ingredients are rapidly dispersed and emulsified. Hayward Gordon, haywardgordon.com

TO HELP MANUFACTURERS produce high-quality concentrates, Koch Separation Solutions is introducing its TIDAL Forward Osmosis (FO) solutions. Driven by osmosis, a natural process occurring when solutions of differing concentrations are separated by a semipermeable membrane, TIDAL Forward Osmosis does not use external forces such as high temperature (the driving force in thermal treatment, such as evaporators) or high pressure (the driving force behind reverse osmosis). Thanks to these gentle processing conditions, TIDAL Forward Osmosis produces higher-quality concentrates with more lifelike taste, color, and aroma, the company reports. This contrasts with products concentrated by thermal processes, which may experience browning, off-flavors, loss of aroma, and degradation of vitamins and enzymes, according to Koch. Koch Separation Solutions, kochseparation.com

TWO STEPS ARE essential in processing cereal products: disinsectization to guarantee sterility and shelf life, followed by processing to deliver a high-quality product. FoodSafety-IRD from Kreyenborg can operate continuously in a space-saving and cost-efficient way to accomplish both steps. FoodSafety-IRD uses infrared light and a constant mixing process to ensure the absence of cereal pests. It is capable of performing a log-5 germ reduction prior to the next step in the process, destroying Salmonella. Its capabilities also include drying of wet feedstock. Input moisture of up to 20% can be decreased to less than 1% within a few minutes. It is also capable of increasing moisture content when that is required. Because the process is chemical-free, FoodSafety-IRD is considered particularly suitable for processing organic products. It has the added benefit of offering easy access for cleaning. Kreyenborg, kreyenborg.com

DIGITAL R&D SOLUTIONS are available from MicoThermics. For those who want to see MicroThermics’ small-scale UHT/HTST/aseptic processor in action, the company will schedule a free streaming video demonstration, including a system overview and simultaneous viewing of its touchscreen controls with e-Connect. MicroThermics is also offering mail-in miniature plant trials. Customers simply ship their ingredients and let the MicroThermics team know how to batch them. Products will be processed per the instructions and shipped back overnight. MicroThermics, microthermics.com

SIFTING, SCALPING, AND deagglomerating bulk solids at high rates, free of vibration or product degradation, are possible with the MUNSIFTER Centrifugal Sifter from Munson Machinery. Material fed by an auger into a stationary horizontal screen cylinder is propelled by rotating helical paddles against the screen, with particles passing through screen apertures into a discharge chute, and oversize materials spiraling through the cylinder and into a discharge port. The sifter’s simple design features external bearings at both shaft ends, which can be lubricated through external fittings. Screens are available in a wide range of apertures to satisfy a diversity of applications across the process and packaging industries. The shaft is driven by a 3 HP (2.24 kW) motor and rotates at approximately 500 RPM, depending on the application. Constructed of #304 or #316 stainless steel, it is available finished to sanitary or industrial standards. Munson Machinery, munsonmachinery.com

RECENTLY IMPLEMENTED WET milling on a twin-screw extrusion line has allowed PacMoore to improve its capabilities to mimic ground meat and service the growing alternative meat market, responding to increased demand for different textured vegetable protein formats. Wet milling also allows for new coating and breading options for extruded products. Outputs can be sized down to receive a coating, which is useful in pan-fried product applications. In addition, PacMoore has installed a liquid blending operation, which opens new opportunities to bulk blend liquids and syrups. PacMoore, pacmoore.com

PROPRIETARY FORWARD OSMOSIS solutions from Porifera remove water from products while retaining valuable components. Porifera’s concentration system empowers processors to deliver the full quality of their products in a cost-effective and sustainable way by shipping a fraction of the original product volume. This gentle, membrane-based process has been proven in many complex liquids, such as wine, coffee, milk, juices, vanilla, and other botanicals. With beer, the company has demonstrated a 6x beer concentrate. For products such as coffee, Porifera’s unique concentration method also results in increased shelf stability. Concentrations up to 65 Brix or 40 ABV can be achieved without the application of heat, pressure, or shear. This process provides a true alcoholic beverage concentrate or removes alcohol to create a better-tasting dealcoholized beverage. The equipment for this proprietary process is manufactured and supplied by Porifera. The company works directly with customers to optimize processing applications and support the development of new products. Porifera, porifera.com

A NEW BENCHTOP hybrid filter is available from Tangent Membranes. Combining the power of the traditional RO Mini, which has a single-spiral membrane element, the HTRO Mini comes with a tubular-style membrane housing as well, for high-solids filtration. Concentration, diafiltration, purification, and many more separation processes are simplified. With its small footprint, the filter can be set up just about anywhere. Running on 110 volts, it can process at low pressure up to 1,000 psi. Tangent Membranes, tangentmembranes.com