The November 2015 issue of Food Engineering puts the spotlight on the food industry's Sustainability Stars. Also, see how smart sanitary design and planning save time, money and reputation.
Five facilities are recognized for projects or programs that improve environmentally friendly efforts in food and beverage product manufacturing operations.
On April 15 of this year, PMMI’s OpX Leadership Network presented the 2014 Sustainability Excellence in Manufacturing Awards (SEMA) during Food Engineering’s Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference in Clearwater Beach, FL.
Do what makes sense when installing automation in your facility, considering your budget and business goals. Understanding your application can help you fine-tune your equipment purchase.
While the trend for large manufacturers is to automate a new plant in its entirety, small and medium-sized food and beverage processors rarely have the funds to automate their plants, turning them into lights-out facilities. Even some tier-one processors may find areas in certain operations where it may not make sense to over-automate.
By now, say the name Blue Bell, and the first thought in most people’s minds isn’t ice cream. The company just went through one of the biggest recalls in recent times due to potential contamination from Listeria monocytogenes.
Conveyors and the belts that run on them, whether they are polymer, metal, hybrid or fiber, connect raw material reception, processing, packaging, palletizing, accumulation, final delivery and a myriad of other things.
An air-handling system is useless without proper in-plant sanitation. A good handling system is also an essential element of an effective allergen management program.
Processors tend to think much more about traffic patterns than airflow patterns, but they should never underestimate the importance of air management when it comes to producing safe, wholesome foods.
Traditionally, brands have viewed packaging as one of the most important opportunities for communicating to their customers. Now, new technology is giving brands the opportunity not to just communicate, but to interact with their customers through “smart” packages enabled by mobile technology.
Using generators instead of boilers provides steam when it is needed, lowering energy costs and minimizing TDS blowdown periods.
November 28, 2015
In 1986, frozen soup underdog Kettle Cuisine opened a small factory in a converted garage in Revere, MA. Fast-forward nearly 30 years, and Kettle Cuisine is now a frontrunner when it comes to fresh, ready-made soups for restaurants, foodservice operators and consumers.
The storage conditions of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles could affect further recycled PET bottles, according to a recent Plastic Technologies, Inc. research study.
In the US, 3.5 million middle-skill jobs go begging—jobs that don’t require a four-year college degree, but often do require hands-on OJT and/or a two-year associate’s degree, said Scott Scriven at the recent PROCESS EXPO in Chicago.
Harpak-ULMA vacuum skin packaging for
larger cuts of meat accommodates products
that protrude above a tray flange; the package
can be formed using high- or low-profile
premade trays.
NORD aluminum alloy gear motors include housings that resist blistering per ASTM D714, corrosion per ASTM D610-08 and scratches per ASTM D1654-08; they also resist salt spray.
The Coperion WYK 2-way diverter valve is
used in pneumatic conveying systems to
divert the transfer of hygienic and difficult-tohandle
powders, such as whey power, lactose,
dried milk and infant formula.
Built to package confectionery, pastries and cookies, the Rovema BVC 180 bagging system
has an integrated weigher and pick-and-place module; the components are operated from
an HMI panel.
Suitable for automatic and non-automatic applications, Penko Type 1020-FMD instruments measure force via 1,600 conversions/sec. and 24-bit internal resolution.
FM-approved, the Assured Automation FireChek thermal shutoff with a resettable memory shape alloy automatically shuts down a pneumatic control system when a nearby fire occurs or the ambient temperature reaches 135°F, 150°F or 165°F; it immediately closes the air supply line to prevent air from feeding the fire and simultaneously vents the spring return actuator to allow the return to fail-safe.
Wilden Saniflo HS air-operated double-diaphragm pumps comply with EHEDG, 3-A, CE, ATEX, USP Class VI, 1935/2004/EC and FDA CFR 21.177 requirements for use in a variety of hygienic food processing applications.
The Linear Technology LTC3121 3MHz current mode, synchronous boost DC/DC converter with integrated output disconnect has internal 1.5A switches that deliver output voltages up to 15V from an input voltage range of 1.8V at startup (0.5V when running) to 5.5V; it offers up to 400mA of continuous output current at 12V from a 5V input.
Engineered to guard against contamination in pumped products, the Eagle Pipeline X-ray system inspects liquids, solids, slurries and whole muscle meat prior to further processing and packaging; it reconfigures the product flow to distribute product evenly during inspection.
Designed according to CE, FDA and HACCP regulations, the FAM Centris 315 compact vegetable and fruit centrifugal slicer and shredder’s drive, product and electronic zones are completely separated from each other.
The Rite-Hite Defender Cell restricts access and provides point-of-operation protection around potentially dangerous automated and automatic processes.
Designed to fill 1/2- to 6- or up to 55-gal. sterile bags, the Alfa Laval Astepo aseptic filler is used with liquid to highly viscous food and beverage products.
IMA Dairy & Food Erca EF Series form/fill/seal machines are offered with Open Mold thermoforming technology that allows food manufacturers to create proprietary shapes for cups and bottles prior to filling and sealing them.
The Omega OSXL-TG165 series thermal imager features a tripod mount/lanyard connection, dual pointer lasers that frame the area of interest, a pull trigger that activates the lasers and freezes images, and a mini USB port for downloading images and charging the internal battery.
The Brookfield TA-CEF cheese extensibility fixture is used with the CT3 texture analyzer to measure the stringiness of molten cheese; the cheese is heated to a specified temperature, and the probe is immersed in the sample container.
Made of FDA-approved materials, the Interroll asynchronous drum motor complies with USDA guidelines for the sanitary design and fabrication of processing equipment for handling meat, poultry and dairy products.
Offering a low rotor moment of inertia and quadruple overload capacity, Beckhoff AM801x and AM811x servomotors have an F1 flange size with a 40mm edge length; 3 overall lengths cover a torque range from 0.22 to 0.55nm for the implementation of compact drive solutions.
Formulated for dairy processing and cheese production facilities, Flowcrete Flowfresh HACCP-certified, sanitary hard surface flooring material is nonporous, non-tainting (after curing) and phthalate free.
Accepting products measuring up to 6 1/2 in. in any dimension, the Urschel Sprint 2 dicer features a stainless steel sanitary design, with the food zone completely isolated from the mechanical zone.
MULTI-FILL MPF multi-purpose fillers are available with a liquid displacement pump that allows them to handle products with higher levels of brines or vinaigrettes such as chunky salsas, pickled vegetables and deli salads.
The PDC Model R-100 Evolution shrink labeler applies full-sleeve shrink labels and tamper-evident sleeves at speeds of 30 to 100 containers/min.; it twin packs similar containers for club stores and value packs.
Videojet 1560 and 1660 continuous inkjet printers feature a modular service core that contains all the critical wear parts including the pump, valves and filters, as well as on-board intelligence.
Able to detect ferrous, nonferrous and stainless metal contaminants in food processing gravity free-fall applications, Eriez Xtreme vertical drop metal detectors feature quick-release connections, remote electronics, anti-static food-grade pipe, an automatic reject valve and a stainless steel ceiling support plate.
The SPEC MIX S.r.l. mixer features a retractable rotor; removable, self-supported shafts that provide a 3-D mixing process; and a clean air sweep system.
The Fusion Tech tempered 60-in. meat and poultry block breaker breaks tempered and semi-frozen blocks into smaller pieces to allow treating and future processing.
Designed to fit into existing production lines, NuTEC C-frame portioning depositors deposit cookie dough and fillings for stuffed sandwiches, quesadillas, calzones, sandwich wraps, cordon bleu, burritos, egg rolls, hamburgers, pies, chicken Kiev and stuffed seafood shells; the feed system uses a rotating spiral that moves product to the rotary vane pump.
Generating flows up to 0.02 gpm (0.075 lpm) at pressures up to 100 psi (7 bar), food-grade PulsaJet automatic spray nozzles apply ingredients, flavorings, release agents and other coatings.
Weighing 0.5 to 50g portions at a rate up to 120/min., the Ishida Micro multi-head weigher includes a product dispersion table that automatically feeds tea, herbs, spices, tablets, dried vegetables and other lightweight products.
The WITT-Gasetechnik KM100-MEM+ gas mixer provides the option of remote control via processor technology and electronic motor-operated mixing valves; it can be driven via PC, PLC or a machine control system.
Meeting a range of cGMP and FDA guidelines, Comber Pressofiltro PF series Nutsche filter/dryers are built with CIP systems; the product contact wetted surfaces have no dead areas or bolted connections.
Used for driving modular or extruded belts, the Van Der Graaf all-stainless steel drum motor has a vented option that allows the motor to work with zero pressure inside the drum and eliminates the internal pressure that can develop there.
The Florigo 25 t/h French fryer incorporates 6 zones equally divided over the length of the fryer; each zone has a controlled oil inlet and outlet for oil flow throughout the fryer kettle.