Ferré & Consulting Blog (English Version)

The same ultrasound technology that helps doctors and expectant parents to view a developing baby might soon literally mean a better gluten-free bun in the oven.

That’s because engineers researching how ultrasound could be used to improve industrial baking have received a UK government grant of £500,000 (about $725,000 U.S. dollars) to commercialize their technology.

The grant from the Technology Strategy Board will support the 25-month project,which will be led by food ingredient manufacturer Macphie of Glenbervie and involve Piezo Composite Transducers, Mono Bakery Equipment and Fosters Bakery.

The engineers, based at Heriot-Watt University, say their technique reduces processing time and improves energy usage, reduces wastage and improves the texture of gluten-free products.

They declined to give details about the exact nature of their technology, and how it worked. However, they did say that ultrasonic waves helped baking dough to regulate its energy and mass balance, which prevents air pockets from forming and helped protect the structure of the dough against collapse.

Research leader Dr Carmen Torres-Sánchez said that the technology would allow bakers to create products that met current demand for specific ingredients, but which would be much more aesthetically or texturally attractive.

For example, she said, ‘[t]here is a lot of pressure on bakers to reduce salt content and that can affect production, causing an imbalance in osmotic pressure so that the dough becomes very sticky…without gluten, products can collapse and look bad. We can use this technology to tailor the texture of products.’

The lab has researched and developed the technique through several feasibility studies. It is based on methods usually used to control the porosity of industrial materials such as foaming polymer.

‘The big question now is how to scale up the technology,’ said Torres-Sánchez. ‘We’ve been doing semi-continuous batches; now we need to use it continuously, producing up to 1,000 loaves in 30 minutes.’

The team also needs to further examine whether the technique can save energy proportionally as it is scaled up. Torres-Sánchez hopes the project will give rise to ovens and other bakery equipment with built-in ultrasonic technology that can easily be controlled as products are baked.

Source: theengineer.co.uk

Technology gluten-free, ultrasound baking technology

Unifiller Systems, a food and bakery equipment manufacturer announces its new Pro 2000 Low Level Depositor with Agitator for soup and other chunky flowable food production.

The new Pro 2000 Low Level Depositor with Agitator by Unifiller Systems is a commercial food grade depositor designed to help small to large companies portion a more consistent and uniform product such as soup, chili or stew.

Unifiller Systems, a food and bakery equipment manufacturer announces its new Pro 2000 Low Level Depositor with Agitator for soup and other chunky flowable food production. This new depositor will help local supermarket deli’s and large food producers accurately portion a more evenly distributed product…never too much liquid or too many chunks.

The Pro 2000 Low Level Depositor with Agitator includes such standard features as: large capacity 36 gallon hopper, tool free setup, easy to operate speed controls, full wash down design and a choice of depositing nozzles. Additionally, this depositor works well as a standalone machine or can easily be added into a conveyor system large volume production.

Stewart MacPherson, the VP of Sales & Marketing at Unifiller says, “When a consistent product is produced, customers focus is on the taste. However, when the product is inconsistent (too chunky or has too much liquid) customers will take notice. Product quality is vital to brand reputation and that is why Unifiller is excited to unveil the Low Level Depositor with Agitator. Ultimately, the machine offers clients the ability to control their ingredient costs, avoid wastage and impact the bottom line with minimal setup effort.”

Unifiller is a global provider of depositors and cake automation equipment. Unifiller can help streamline your production operations by providing solutions for achieving higher output, greater weight accuracy and better product integrity with an extensive range of single piston depositors, transfer pumps, multiple head units and fully and semi-automated production systems.

For more information about the new Pro2000 Low Level Depositor with Agitator go to http://www.unifiller.com.

Companies, Technology depositor, Unifiller Systems

Mettler-Toledo Garvens has launched the new XC CC CombiChecker, a checkweighing and metal detection combination system for food and beverage manufacturers to speed throughput and reduce footprint on the production line while ensuring high accuracy. Additional benefits of combining the functionalities of checkweighing and metal detection in one space-saving unit include reduced operation time, fewer operating errors and overall line productivity enhancement.

The XC CC CombiChecker reliably verifies that products have the required weight levels and are free of metal contamination to ensure constant product quality. Two rejection pushers separate and sort any under- or overweight and metal-contaminated products. The system features advanced load cell technology to ensure precise weighing. It is certified a Class 3 weighing instrument according to the International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML). The metal detector system included in the CombiChecker, has advanced digital signal processing and single-frequency technology to enable the accurate detection of all metals including ferrous, non-ferrous and non-magnetic stainless steel.

The combination system not only saves space but also reduces downtime and increased efficiency through streamlined maintenance. Training requirements are minimal as operators only need to be trained on one system, while the well-structured interface, translated into 28 languages facilitates fast navigation. Additionally, the easily understandable icons reduce operating errors, further increasing production line efficiency.

The system is complete for installation on arrival and features a conveyor body and belt that can be quickly and easily dismantled and reassembled for rapid cleaning. Also, Mettler-Toledo’s software allows the manufacturer to save 100 product settings, allowing the operator to quickly and easily change the production process and reduce downtime.

The CombiChecker is highly flexible as it offers a modular design featuring scalable options for manufacturers to handle a wide range of product sizes, shapes and weights. The system can be equipped with varying conveyor belt lengths, and has maximum weighing capacities up to either three or six kilograms. Also, for manufacturers handling sensitive products, standard pushers can be replaced by air jets to gently blow contaminated or under- or overweight products off the conveyor belt.

Source: Confectionery Production

Technology checkweighing, conveyors, metal detection, Mettler-Toledo Garvens

A new technology for retail bakers can predict shop sales, thereby reducing wastage and improving ordering quality, says supplier RedBlack Software.

CyBake Touch is a module of RedBlack’s CyBake system, the company’s overall back office ERP system used for production and manufacturing.

The new ‘Automated Orders’ function generates its own suggested orders for a retail baker’s following week, said the software developer.

Cost cutting

As commodity prices soar, there is currently a growing demand for such technology as bakers are keen to curb costs, Martin Coyle, a RedBlack Software spokesperson told.

The technology is also less labour intensive, said Coyle. “The tool does the number crunching for you,” he said, this means it is more accurate than manual input, he added.

“In tests, these orders have proved better than those produced by shop managers who have limited time and capacity to carry out this mission-critical process,” said the company.

“By using the data-processing power of modern computing to review very large amounts of data, CyBake Touch’s Automated Orders function can now produce suggested future orders in a way that is not practical manually.”

The technology runs on EPOS tills to provide a link between head office and retail outlets via the internet. The company said the suggested orders are created from an algorithm agreed with each retail outlet.

“For example, on short shelf-life products, the Automated Orders software may use an average of the last weeks’ actual sales plus a percentage uplift to suggest what should be ordered for the following week,” said RedBlack.

For retail bakers and food manufacturers, all orders will come directly into CyBake for production processing.

Coyle said there are other technologies like this on the market. However, this particular product has a touch screen and also links with the software.

Similar technologies may require another keyboard or PC in the shop, he said.

Source: Bakery and Snacks

Technology bakery sales

Rapid product switchover, plus high levels of flexibility of weight accuracy are benefits claimed by Baker Perkins for its new wirecut machine.

The machine is a new addition to Baker Perkin’s wirecut machine range, which previously only catered for cookies, company spokesperson Keith Graham told FoodProductionDaily.com.

However, the new TruClean wirecut machine can produce cookies and soft filled bars, unfilled cereal and energy bars, he said, with an estimate changeover time of 15 minutes.

“The ability to quickly and thoroughly clean machines for food safety reasons is now a prime requirement,” he said.

The UK-based company said the simple switch is achieved by fitting a product specific die and filler block, plus a divider plate in the hopper for filled bars.

Weight accuracy

According to the spokesperson, in wirecut cookie mode, TruClean offers the best weight control of any machine on the market.

Weight accuracy is achieved by the die and filler block technology, which has strict control of extrusion parameters, said the firm.

“It is a combination of the process, which ensures that all the dough streams are subject to the same conditions, along with careful design and manufacture of the equipment to avoid gaps, deflections, dead spots or speed fluctuations that could lead to variations in process conditions,” said Graham.

Hygiene

According to the spokesperson, the machine’s superior design has allowed it to meet or exceed the latest hygiene standards being introduced in the USA and in other countries.

“There is a reduction in the number of places for debris to accumulate, and no inaccessible areas, such as crevices or niches where bacteria could be harboured,” he said.

Components that need to be removed for cleaning can also be done easily and without the use of tools, he added.

The wirecut is part of Baker Perkin’s new TruClean range, which the company says is driven by industry demands for equipment that reduces cross-contamination risk and is easier to clean.

“This radical approach has led to upgrades in everything from the choice of materials and detailing of components to overall appearance, access and visibility. As a result, operation and maintenance have been made easier and, along with improved hygiene, will appreciably reduce lifetime cost of ownership,” said the firm.

Baker Perkins said all of its biscuit equipment range is being upgraded to the TruClean standard. This consists of three levels of hygienic design, from which customers select the one most suitable for their own cleaning regime and cross-contamination risk.

Source: Bakery and Snacks

Technology wirecut machine

The European Food Safety Authority has today published a guidance document for the risk assessment of engineered nanomaterial (ENM) applications in food and feed. The guidance is the work of the Authority’s Scientific Committee and is the first of its kind to give practical guidance for addressing potential risks arising from applications of nanoscience and nanotechnologies in the food and feed chain. The guidance covers risk assessments for food and feed applications including food additives, enzymes, flavourings, food contact materials, novel foods, feed additives and pesticides.

The EFSA guidance, prepared in response to a request from the European Commission, sets out the considerations for risk assessment of ENM that may arise from their specific characteristics and properties. Importantly, the ENM guidance complements existing guidance documents for substances and products submitted for risk assessment in view of their possible authorisation in food and feed. It stipulates the additional data needed for the physical and chemical characterisation of ENM in comparison with conventional applications and outlines different toxicity testing approaches to be followed by applicants.

Commenting on the publication of the EFSA guidance, Professor Vittorio Silano, Chair of EFSA’s Scientific Committee explained, “A thorough characterisation of the engineered nanomaterials followed by adequate toxicity testing is essential for the risk assessment of these applications. Yet we recognise uncertainties related to the suitability of certain existing test methodologies and the availability of data for ENM applications in food and feed. The guidance makes recommendations about how risk assessments should reflect these uncertainties for food and feed applications.”

To assist with the practical use of the guidance, six scenarios are presented which outline different toxicity testing approaches. For each scenario, the guidance indicates the type of testing required.

EFSA conducted a public consultation on its preparatory work, acknowledging the importance of developing risk assessment methodologies in this field to support innovation whilst ensuring the safety of food and feed. In total 256 comments were received from 36 organisations spanning from academia, NGOs, industry to Member State and international authorities. All of these contributions were considered and incorporated into the guidance document where appropriate.

Risk assessment of engineered nanomaterials is under fast development and consequently, in keeping with EFSA’s commitment to review its guidance for risk assessment on an ongoing basis, this work will be revised as appropriate.

• Guidance on the risk assessment of the application of nanoscience and nanotechnologies in the food and feed chain

• Outcome of the public consultation on the draft scientific opinion on Guidance on risk assessment concerning potential risks arising from applications of nanoscience and nanotechnologies to food and feed

Food Safety, Technology EFSA, Nanomaterial

Post-baking dryers that use radio frequency energy to heat and dry the moist areas of biscuits, cracker, and snack food are said to boost output by 30 per cent.

Tim Clark, president and general manager of Radio Frequency Co (RFC), told this publication that its Macrowave dryers are placed after the conventional oven and are generally retro-fitted to existing lines, to increase productivity.

The dryer, he explained, removes the drying requirement from the last third of an oven line and enables a hike in the amount of in-spec product throughput per hour.

One biscuit manufacturer, notes Clark, had its output raised to 6,500lbs/hr from 5,000lbs/hr following installation of the RF based dryer.

Energy efficiency

Flagging up the sustainability of the RF method, he said it is a highly efficient “instant-on, instant-off” form of heating with no energy wasted, as RF energy directly heats only the moisture within food products.

“As water is receptive to RF heating, the RF energy will preferentially heat and dry the product where the moisture content is highest,” he added.

Clark said that as the Macrowave dryer quickly removes residual moisture trapped within the centre of the product, conventional ovens can thus run at the maximum speed, allowing capacity gains and ensuring the product has uniform moisture content.

The dryers, priced from $200,000 up, depending upon the configuration, were developed for high volume biscuit producers with output in the region of 1,500lbs/hr to 10,000lbs/hr.

“In other words [they are not designed] for batch processors or very small specialty manufacturers,” said Clark.

Case study

The supplier said that one of Pepperidge Farm’s facilities in the US doubled its Goldfish branded snack cracker line throughput by using the RFC dryer.

Previously, said RFC, the manufacturer could not increase the oven’s throughput dramatically on the cracker as it would significantly increase the amount of moisture in the final product, and would thus negatively impact texture.

As the dryer reduces moisture of the snack cracker in half, without impacting colour, size or other baking characteristics, the Pepperidge Farm plant is able to double production capacity and also extend the Goldfish range, added RFC.

Sensory testing

Clark said that off-line dryer systems can be leased for in-plant testing for sensory impact on different products.

RFC works with manufacturers globally and can customise the equipment depending on a particular snack maker’s requirements, added the general manager.

Source: Bakery and Snacks

Technology biscuit drying, Macrowave dryers, radio frequency

A nano-based biosensor that could be used for early stage detection of foodborne pathogens such as E.coli and salmonella is under development by scientists in the US.

Researchers at Kansas State University are using carbon nanofibres (CNF) as part of the biosensors to detect the bacteria, an application which could have a huge take up in the state’s huge meat processing sector, they said.

Jun Li, associate professor of chemistry, and doctoral student Lateef Syed, said they chose CNFs because they are able to form an array of tiny electrodes even smaller than bacteria and viruses. When these microbial particles are captured at the electrode surface, an electric signal can be detected.

The associate professor said the technology could be brought to market in around two years.

Work started at NASA

Prior to his arrival at the university in 2007, Li spent seven years at NASA Ames Research Center conducting research into nanotechnology. The current project is an extension of the work he began at the California site.

“The biosensors rely on an array of nanoelectrodes,” he told FoodProductionDaily.com. “We have a unique way of growing CNFs of ~100 nm in diameter vertically from a pre-patterned electrical circuit.”

He added the CNFs and the circuits underneath are encapsulated with silicon dioxide (SiO2) to provide electrical insulation and mechanical anchoring. Excess SiO2 is removed by mechanical polishing and reactive ion etching so only the very end of the CNF tip is exposed.

“This embedded CNF nanoelectrode array chip is then packaged with counter electrodes and reference electrodes in a microfluidic chip through which the sample solution can be passed through”, said Li.

In-line monitoring

The team aims to calibrate the system to detect specific pathogens. The final system should be able to detect 1 bacterium in 100 mL water (the EPA standard) in less than an hour without going through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or culture.

“A goal is to integrate this technology into a hand-held electronic device for pathogen detection so that we can use this device for in-line monitoring of water quality or food quality at industrial processing sites,” said Syed. “We have some preliminary results that indicate this technology is feasible.”

Li indicated there was flexibility in the way the technology was applied.

“For applications that do not need to push the detection limit, a simple handheld device can do the work.For applications requiring monitoring water quality in a manufacturing line, the sample collection module can be used which continuously concentrate water sample for automated detection,” he said. “For food processing, industry, other sample collection and preparation modules are needed before detection.”

The project was initially supported Canadian-based company Early Warning Inc., which provided the K-State research team with $240,000 for two years as part of the developmental work. Recently, the US Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases, or CEEZAD, have come onboard.

“Kansas is a leading state in meat production and the poultry industry,” said Sayed. “Any outbreak of pathogens in these industries causes huge financial losses and a lot of health risks. We want to prevent these outbreaks by detecting pathogens at an early stage.”

Source: Food Production Daily

Technology Nano-biosensors, pathogens

Need for costly storage freezers and refrigerated transport eliminated for part baked goods.

The vacuum cooler allows manufacturers to produce part-baked bread, rolls and pastry products eliminating the need for costly storage freezers and refrigerated transport.

The equipment makes use of the scientific law that the boiling point of water is lowered as air pressure is lowered. This principle is applied to extract the energy required for this process in the form of heat from the product. As a result the product is cooled down and stabilised very quickly.

A trolley of hot part-baked products is placed into the vacuum chamber. Vacuum pumps reduce the pressure and water evaporates. As a result, the products are cooled down in a few minutes. They can be stored without freezing and then baked-off days or even weeks later with practically no loss in quality.’

Conventional cooling systems cool baked products down from the outside to the inside. This is not the case with vacuum cooling system. They are cooled simultaneously outside and inside, preventing moisture migration, preserving the crumb and the crust. In many cases the volume of the bread increases and then remains stable during storage.

The system offers a number of quality advantages:

Baked off bread and rolls not only look good and have a longer shelf-life but also a longer lasting, crispier crust and a softer crumb.

It also has a number of economic efficiencies. The pre-baking time is reduced by up to 25 per cent because the depression in the vacuum chamber stabilises the structure of the dough pieces.

Manufacturers energy bills could also be substantially reduced because there is no need for freezing, no refrigerated trucks and retarders are not required where the products are finally baked.

The system is also ideal for the cooling of sheet cakes, pound cakes and products such as Stollen to a firm consistency or packaging temperatures and for the fast cooling of delicate products such as panettone and part-baked ready made pizzas in order to prevent soggy bases.

Technology baked products, vacuum cooler, Vacuum Cooling System

Standard tempered glass that can be converted to a heating element

What is this?

The item pictured (on the photo of the sample) is a transparent heating glass. The copper bars on each side carry electricity which then runs through a transparent metal oxide coating (fluorine doped tin oxide) on one side of the glass, heating it up.

This is not the first transparent conductive coating to have been invented; indium tin oxide has been around for years, but it is quite expensive. This glass, on the other hand, can be used anywhere glass is used; it is less expensive and meets all safety glazing, electrical, and safety code requirements.

The heat can be precisely controlled both by the thickness of the oxide layer and the amount of electricity applied. It can reach temperatures of up to 350°F (180°C). The glass is tempered so it is safe. Also, compared with conventional technologies it offers more uniform heating.

This heating glass can be used in a variety of applications. It is used to make transparent towel warmers for bathrooms, food warming shelves in restaurants, a warming spot between burners on a stove, and even as window glass in offices to minimize heat loss.

Inventables samples were provided by Engineered Glass Products. The glass is available in a wide range of sizes, thicknesses, and in both colored and mirrored glass. Pricing has not officially been set but it will be under $50 per square foot, not including the electrical power supply.

Applications for Heating Glass

Existing Use

Towel Warmer – An appliance for your bathroom that gently warms towels and sheets.

Proposed Use

Transparent Toaster – This appliance allows you to see the bread while it is toasting so you’re never surprised by toast that comes out too dark. This idea is based on a transparent heating glass technology. Although the glass does not currently get hot enough to toast bread, the vendor explained that, with some R&D, this application may be possible. The concept was developed by the Inventables Concept Studio.

Technology Heating glass, transparent conductive